Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) - Outpatient

Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation•Manitowoc, WI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Physical Therapist Assistant works in outpatient rehabilitation and assists a Physical Therapist in treating patients with musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and/or integumentary conditions. The assistant provides and progresses treatments according to the therapist’s evaluation and plan of care. Treatments may include patient education, exercise, gait training, mobility and transfer skills, balance and coordination activities, and modalities. The role monitors patient responses and informs the supervisory therapist, supports discharge planning, and completes required clinical and administrative documentation. The position manages an assigned caseload and may help provide coverage based on department and regional needs. It participates in quality improvement, professional development, staff orientation, and coworker evaluation activities as requested. The assistant must provide age-appropriate care and demonstrate knowledge of growth and development across the life span. This is a full-time position with 32 hours per week. The clinic operates Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Therapists are expected to close at least two nights per week, with the ability to 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 stated 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; must 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 meet annual educational requirements for hospital-based certifications, such as DNV or CARF, as applicable.
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 lift 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 a 150-pound person 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 for effective communication.
Ability to wear protective clothing as needed because of exposure to electrical and chemical hazards, blood, and body fluids.
Ability to travel if required, with possible exposure to 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 patient treatment according to 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 those needs.
Monitor and communicate patients’ responses to treatment to the supervisory 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 with appropriate co-signatures, including progress notes, team conference reports, discharge summaries, care and progress records, daily statistics, billing, and scheduling.
Apply insurance guidelines regarding authorizations and visit limits.
Clean the treatment area, put away equipment, and keep the area neat and orderly.
Use proper techniques for manual procedures, patient positioning, transfers, and transportation, including required lifting and pushing or pulling.
Demonstrate proper use of modalities, exercise equipment, and other devices, and knowledge of their indications and contraindications.
Participate in performance improvement activities to address problems affecting care outcomes and improve quality of care.
Manage an assigned caseload, inform site leadership of coverage needs and availability, and assist with coverage based on department and regional needs.
Pursue professional growth through continuing education, department in-services, and professional literature.
Orient new staff to clinical and department policies as requested.
Provide verbal or written feedback in coworker evaluations as requested.
Provide care appropriate to patients’ ages and needs, applying knowledge of growth and development across the life span.

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.
Potential premium pay, including shift and on-call pay, based on the job.
Incentive pay for select positions.
Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.
Career development programs.