Is PTA a Good Career?
A Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is an important part of a physical therapy team, providing support to the physical therapist and helping to treat their clients. If you’re thinking about whether there is potential for a rewarding career as a PTA, the following points should help give you an answer.
Wide Variety of Environments
As a PTA, you could find yourself working in a range of healthcare settings including hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, private practices, home health, and schools. This provides a great opportunity for variety if you’re looking for a career change a few years down the road.
Comfortable Salary
In terms of finances, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national median salary of a PTA was $50,000 in 2018. This is a good income, with opportunities to further improve your earning potential as you gain experience in the field.
Highly Fulfilling Career
As rewarding as the money is, the feeling of helping others is even more rewarding. A PTA has the important job of helping make changes in patients’ lives by assisting the physical therapist in providing treatments such as exercises, stretches and massage. You get to work with a wide variety of people from pediatric to geriatric age ranges and make a real difference in the physical condition and quality of life of your patients.
Job Growth
The job outlook for a PTA is currently very good. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that job growth over the next 10 years will be 29%, which is much faster than the average growth rate.
Flexible Hours
Depending on the setting you work in, it may be possible to work flexible hours, part-time or even weekends if necessary. This can be a great benefit if you’re looking for a career that fits in with your family or other commitments.
In Summary
A career as a Physical Therapist Assistant can offer tremendous job satisfaction, comfortable salary and flexible hours. The outlook for job growth is currently very good and the potential for job change from one healthcare setting to another provides a wide variety of interesting opportunities. All these factors together make a PTA career a good choice.
