Are PTA's being phased out?

[nicetomeetyou]

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I can't remember where, but I remember reading on a forum that the powers-that-be have implemented a new law that allows DPT's to provide the same sort of services that PTA's perform. Does that mean that PTA's are going to become obsolete in the near future? I am oscillating between PTA and DPT and I am naturally concerned about the long-term value of the degree that I pursue.

 

[rltruong]

im not sure but i a lot of places ive worked at/shadowed at dont even hire PTA's anymore. they have PT and PT techs

 

[Myosin]

I wouldn't say they're being phased out.

PTAs will never go away in out patient settings. They're a vital part of high volume clinics, especially independently owned clinics. Hiring only DPTs is not cost efficient and doesn't provide better treatment.

I don't know any real statistics about it, but there are definitely seem to be fewer PTAs in my hospital settings now than there were five years ago. Although I would guess this may be due more to Medicare and not anything related to the PTA profession.

There is also the concern of over saturation in the field too. PTA jobs are scarce in my area and there are lots of people looking for those jobs. The clinic manager at one of my shadowing clinics said that if someone quits, it can take her up to several weeks to find a replacement DPT, but she can replace a PTA by the end of the week. This will of course vary from area to area.

 

[djb051]

The clinic I work at only has dpt's and techs too, no PTA's.

 

[lovepixie]

No they are not being phased out. I believe the program will soon be longer than two years though. Clinics need PTAs because it is cheaper than a staff full of PTs

 

[nicetomeetyou]

excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the difference between a PTA and PT tech? do PT techs have a different certification or something? what sort of responsibilities does a PTA have that a PT tech doesn't?

 

[mcobar2]

A PT Tech is also the same as a Rehabilitation Aide which is what I am. They do not need certifications for anything but need a bit of experience in any physical therapy setting, mainly outpatient. Rehab aides work with patients and make sure their form is correct when doing exercises and also help with other clerical and office duties. PTA's have to have their certification and take care of more things. They help patients with their exercises, write the SOAP notes, and if I am not mistaken are able to implement STM but are not able to work with medicare patients or start any evaluations.

 

[LadyCard05]

PTA's cannot evaluate a patient and cannot work with Tricare patients (military insurance). They CAN work with Medicare, but I think in an outpatient clinic they have to get additional training to work with Medicare.

I work in an outpatient clinic and the PTA I work with I think had to go through extra training, but it was worth it for her to go through it because she works with most of the Medicare patients that can't be double booked which frees up our PT's schedules so they can evaluate more patients.

I chose to pursue a DPT because the evaluation part of the job is what really interests me. As a PTA I wouldn't be able to do that.

 

[NewTestament]

I chose to pursue a DPT because the evaluation part of the job is what really interests me. As a PTA I wouldn't be able to do that.

Well said. This career requires thinking.

Kevin

 

[Ngozi Onyema]

FYI as a PTA I've treated lots of Medicare patients and I've done many re-evaluations and discharges which sometimes was more detailed than the evaluations themselves as I learned more about the patient during the treatment. I understand though that at the job I worked they had me doing more than I was supposed to be doing, which is one major reason why I'm pursuing DPT. I feel I should be a PT with what I've gone through as a PTA. If you asked patients I've worked with if I was a PTA or PT they probably couldn't tell you. I even did screens which are pretty much evaluations but of already existing patients/residents in the nursing home.

Also for some time I was under the assumption that you had to be a PT to be a Director of Rehab but an COTA I used to work with told me differently and told me that she knows a COTA that's a Director of Rehab and that even PTAs can be Directors. In my job as a PTA I also sometimes took the role of the Director when the Director was not available for the day.

 

[nicetomeetyou]

A PT Tech is also the same as a Rehabilitation Aide which is what I am. They do not need certifications for anything but need a bit of experience in any physical therapy setting, mainly outpatient. Rehab aides work with patients and make sure their form is correct when doing exercises and also help with other clerical and office duties. PTA's have to have their certification and take care of more things. They help patients with their exercises, write the SOAP notes, and if I am not mistaken are able to implement STM but are not able to work with medicare patients or start any evaluations.

Thanks for the clarification. How did you get this job as a PT Tech? since their is no certification or anything of the sort, how did you get started? Did you start of shadowing a PT or something?

 

[HouseDPT]

I can't remember where, but I remember reading on a forum that the powers-that-be have implemented a new law that allows DPT's to provide the same sort of services that PTA's perform. Does that mean that PTA's are going to become obsolete in the near future? I am oscillating between PTA and DPT and I am naturally concerned about the long-term value of the degree that I pursue.

As was mentioned before, there is a discussion on the national level on whether PTA's baseline education should be moved from the associate level to the bachelor level. I highly doubt that the PTA role would ever become obsolete, so long as our profession exists. Whether non-PTA extenders, like athletic trainers, take some of the treatment positions away from PTA's remains to be seen. That ultimately depends on what each clinic or hospital's focus is when it comes to implementing skilled physical therapy.

PTAs will never go away in out patient settings. They're a vital part of high volume clinics, especially independently owned clinics. Hiring only DPTs is not cost efficient and doesn't provide better treatment.

I'm a little confused by why PT's (as a whole) wouldn't provide better treatment than PTA's (as a whole). A physical therapist's assessment and treatment planning, backed by their education and knowledge base is physical therapy. I mean, it's "physical therapy," right? Not "assistant physical therapy?"