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Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Support

Physical Therapist Assistants

Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures. 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. Generally requires formal training.

Also called: Certified Physical Therapist Assistant (CPTA), Home Care Physical Therapy Assistant, Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant, Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (LPTA), Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant, Outpatient Physical Therapist Assistant

Compare with my current job (Child, Family, and School Social Workers)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$80,430
$38.67/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,860
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+18.5%
410 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$62,710$70,290$80,430$81,920$89,150

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
  • Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
  • Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
  • Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
  • Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
  • Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure32 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 32
  • Language-model AIOE 40
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 23

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is lower for this job, and observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools could help with progress notes and organizing patient data. They do not replace guiding exercises, spotting safety problems, or building trust with patients in person.

Likely to change

  • Drafting patient progress notes
  • Organizing data on patient responses

Still relies on people

  • Guiding and spotting patients during exercises
  • Motivating patients through hard recovery work

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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    Patient education, medical histories, and hands-on exams build on your skills, and the job has the same associate's degree level and higher Boston median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$21,560 median
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  • Surgical Technologists

    Careful patient safety work and teamwork with clinical staff carry over, and this job has a shorter training path and similar Boston pay.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

2 programs near Boston

Related occupations

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