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Healthcare Support · Updated Aug 2026

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.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
54/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
49/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence82/100
Task coverage87%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.High
64
Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.High
57
Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.High
69
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.High
53
Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.High
56
Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.High
62
Prepare treatment areas and electrotherapy equipment for use by physiotherapists.Medium
66
Measure patients' range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.High
65
Communicate with or instruct caregivers or family members on patient therapeutic activities or treatment plans.High
60
Monitor operation of equipment and record use of equipment and administration of treatment.High
51
Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment.Medium
66
Train patients in the use of orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.High
57
Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.Medium
69
Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.High
22
Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.High
25
Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings.Medium
26
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.69
  2. Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.69
  3. Prepare treatment areas and electrotherapy equipment for use by physiotherapists.66
  4. Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment.66
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.01
  2. Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.02
  3. Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings.03
  4. Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.04
  5. Prepare treatment areas and electrotherapy equipment for use by physiotherapists.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency56
Physical dependency45
Adoption pressure51
Labour-market resilience74
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence82/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →