Physical Therapy Asst

Valley Vista Post Acute; Escondido (CA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Valley Vista Post Acute is seeking a Certified Physical Therapist Assistant to support licensed physical therapists in delivering patient-focused care in a rehabilitation setting.

You will assist in implementing treatment plans, documenting progress, guiding patients through exercises, communicating with caregivers, and ensuring safety during procedures in a busy clinical environment.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree or PT program certification with anatomy/physiology coursework.
• Clinical experience in physical therapy.
• Ability to stand/walk for prolonged periods.

Responsibilities

• Instructs, motivates, safeguards, and assists patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
• Observes patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provides results to the physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
• Confers with physical therapy staff and others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, and coordinating treatment.
• Communicates with and instructs caregivers and family members on patient therapeutic activities and treatment plans.
• Transports patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.
• Administers active and passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, and heat, light, sound, and electrical modality treatments such as ultrasound.
• Measures patients’ range-of-joint motion, body parts, and vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.
• Monitors operation of equipment and records use of equipment and administration of treatment.
• Fits patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, and supportive devices such as crutches.

Skills

Patient care

Communication

Education

Associate degree in Physical Therapy

Job description

Reports to:Director of Rehab Department: Clinical

Overview of the position:

The Physical Therapist Assistant will help Physical Therapists provide physical therapy treatments and procedures. The Physical Therapist Assistant may, in accordance with state laws, assist in the development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, document the progress of treatment, and modify specific treatments in accordance with patient status and within the scope of treatment plans established by a physical therapist.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Instructs, motivates, safeguards, and assists patients as they practice exercises or functional activities. Observes patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provides results to the physical therapist in person or through progress notes.

Confers with physical therapy staff and others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, and coordinating treatment. Communicates with and instructs caregivers and family members on patient therapeutic activities and treatment plans.

Transports patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements. Secures patients into or onto therapy equipment.

Administers active and passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, and heat, light, sound, and electrical modality treatments such as ultrasound.

Measures patients’ range-of-joint motion, body parts, and vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.

Monitors operation of equipment and records use of equipment and administration of treatment.

Fits patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, and supportive devices such as crutches.

Required Skills/Abilities:

Excellent customer service and patient care skills.

Basic understanding of physical therapy and medical terminology.

Education and Experience:

Associate’s degree or certification from a physical therapy program that included course study in anatomy and physiology, and clinical experience.

Physical Requirements:

Prolonged periods of standing and walking.

Requires lifting, positioning, pushing, and/or transferring patients.

Frequent reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, and crouching.