Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) - Outpatient

Advocate Health • Manitowoc, WI

3d • $25 - $38 • Onsite

About The Position

The Physical Therapist Assistant works with a Physical Therapist in outpatient rehabilitation, providing and progressing treatment according to the therapist’s evaluation and plan of care. Treatment may include patient education, exercise, gait training, mobility and transfer skills, balance and coordination activities, and modalities. The assistant monitors patients’ responses and updates the supervising therapist, supports discharge planning, and completes required documentation and administrative tasks. The position also includes maintaining the treatment area and equipment, participating in quality improvement and professional development, and helping manage caseload coverage. The role requires providing age-appropriate care and complying with department policies and procedures.

The position is full time, with 32 hours per week. The clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Therapists are expected to close at least two nights per week, and may work four or five days per week. Acute-care weekend and holiday rotation averages one weekend approximately every eight weeks and one holiday per year. The pay range is $25.30–$37.95.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree in Physical Therapy.
• Physical Therapist Assistant license issued by the state of Wisconsin.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers certification issued by the American Heart Association, to be obtained within six months unless the department leader determines it is not required.
• Intermediate computer skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, lift, and squat throughout the workday.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds from floor to waist, lift up to 10 pounds from waist to overhead, and carry up to 40 pounds at waist height a reasonable distance.
• Ability to push or pull with 30 pounds of force and perform a sliding transfer of 150 pounds with a second person present.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand use, including simple grasping, pushing and pulling, and fine manipulation during massage and joint mobilization.
• Functional use of senses to communicate effectively.
• Ability to wear protective clothing as needed when exposed to electrical and chemical hazards, blood, and body fluids.
• Ability to travel if required and tolerate related road and weather hazards.
• Ability to operate all equipment necessary to perform the job.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Physical Therapist in treating patients with musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and/or integumentary conditions.
• Provide and progress treatment based on the therapist’s evaluation and plan of care, including education, exercise, gait training, mobility and transfer skills, balance and coordination activities, and modalities.
• Identify factors affecting patients’ physical and psychosocial comfort and attend to their needs.
• Monitor patients’ responses to treatment and notify or update the supervising therapist.
• Support discharge planning by providing written home programs, teaching patients and families, and ordering equipment under the direction of the evaluating or supervising therapist.
• Complete required documentation and co-signatures, including progress notes, team conference reports, discharge summaries, care records, daily statistics, billing, and scheduling; apply insurance authorization and visit guidelines.
• Clean up after treatment, put away equipment, and maintain a neat and orderly treatment area.
• Perform manual techniques, patient positioning, transfers, and transportation using proper technique.
• Demonstrate appropriate use of department modalities, exercise equipment, and other devices, and knowledge of their indications and contraindications.
• Participate in performance improvement activities to address problems affecting patient outcomes and improve quality of care.
• Manage assigned caseload, communicate coverage needs to site leadership, and assist with coverage according to department and regional needs.
• Pursue professional growth through continuing education, department inservices, and professional literature.
• Orient new staff to clinical and department policies when requested and provide feedback on co-workers as requested.
• Provide age-appropriate care using knowledge of growth and development across the lifespan and patients’ age-specific needs.
• Maintain annual educational requirements for hospital-based certifications.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off programs.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
• Educational Assistance Program.
• Competitive compensation, premium pay for eligible work, incentive pay for select positions, and potential annual performance-based increases.
• Career development and well-being programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree