Skills
Physical Therapist Aide Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in physical therapist aides, and how to build and show them.
What skills do physical therapist aides need?
Physical Therapist Aides need technical skills such as equipment setup, patient transfers, and exercise basics, plus people skills like friendliness and reliability. They also use tools such as Exercise equipment and Treatment tables.
Technical (hard) skills
- Equipment setup
- Patient transfers
- Exercise basics
- Infection control
- Scheduling
- Hot and cold pack prep
People (soft) skills
- Friendliness
- Reliability
- Teamwork
- Energy
Tools, equipment and technology
- Exercise equipment
- Treatment tables
- Hot and cold packs
- Cleaning supplies
- Scheduling software
- Laundry equipment
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how physical therapist aides put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Equipment setup” and “Patient transfers.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “friendliness,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as CPR near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our physical therapist aide glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Physical Therapist Aide training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.