Do Physical Therapy Offices or DPTs hire Fitness Trainers?

[icecom5]

Hello all. I am exploring the possibility of getting into the Physical Therapy and/or Rehabilitation fields. Right now I work in healthcare I.T., but before that I was a medical assistant and before that a medical specialist in the military. The reason is that I am nearly 40 years old and simply looking for a change. I doubt I will have the time or money to become a DPT, I need to keep working, and I already have a ton of college loans to pay back from earning 2 masters degrees (psychology and management). I believe I might be a good fit for a physical therapy assistant (PTA) because I am friendly, motivated, and like helping people. I have looked into all of these PTA programs in my area. The problem is, all of them require me to attend a campus program that is smack in the middle of my work week. I suppose if there were weekend or evening programs for PTA I would be all over it, but none exist as of yet.

So here is my question. Would an outpatient Physical Therapy office or private practice DPT hire a personal trainer to assist in therapy?

I have been looking into the possibility of getting ACSM certified, then getting a separate rehabilitation certification from ACE. I know that this would not qualify me to be a licensed PTA, but would it give me an edge over “physical therapy aides”, both in terms of pay and duties? As I understand it, offices can hire aides to work under direct supervision of the PT, but I have no idea if offices even hire aides anymore, or if they are required to have a licensed PTA now.

By the way, I am not trying to undermine the qualifications or experience of PTAs, so I hope that nobody takes offense. I am just trying to do what is right for me. I am asking here because some of you will become DPTs, or know DPTs, or work in this setting. I welcome professional opinions and any suggestions about my direction on this.

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[jamesmr8138]

I have seen in clinics in a couple of different states that hire certified personal trainers as part of their staff, but they are very limited in what they can do. Do to liability reasons they are not allowed to touch any patients, while PT's and PTA's can. Also they are not allowed to work with any Medicare patients. I typically see them in wellness clinics where they work with discharged patients who want to continue going to the clinic (for a small fee of course). Instead of seeing the PT's, they see the trainer.

 

[Watson27]

There are many outpatient clinics that now have medically oriented gyms (MOGs), and offer fitness services in addition to being a full PT clinic. I believe that most of these PT clinics are cash-based and it is an extra opportunity for income for the clinic owners. These clinics would absolutely hire personal trainers to help with fitness and wellness. An ACSM or NSCA certification would be much more desirable in this situation. Would they hire a person to act as both a personal trainer and an aide/tech/PTA? I'm not sure. It would depend on the clinic.

Aides and techs no not need licenses. PTAs (physical therapy assistants) require a two-year degree and certification. PTAs can bill for treatment services, while aides and techs cannot. There are many clinics that hire techs and aides. I am a rehab tech in a hospital outpatient clinic. We have 3 techs on staff. No PTAs.

 

[icecom5]

Thanks for the replies.

I assume techs and aides are basically the same thing? If not, please explain. Do you work in California, or know if California hires aides? And how does one get trained as a tech/aide? Is it normally on the job training?

Thanks for explaining the MOG/clinics, but how common is this would you say?

 

[Watson27]

Aides and techs are the same. It just depends on what each clinic calls them. I'm not in California. But I assume that the positions exist there. I don't see why they wouldn't.

As far as training or prior experience, each clinic is different. But in my experience, techs/aides no not need to have a degree or much experience. But if there are many applicants, I'd say that more experience is a definite plus. The less training they have to do, the better. Even though I have a degree in exercise & movement and knew how to use all the equipment, I was required to do a ton of online modules and pass competency tests before I could help with certain procedures and interventions. When I applied, the requirements were something like "No prior experience necessary, but prefer applicants with plans to go to PT school or have shown an interest in rehabilitation."

MOGs are definitely gaining popularity as a way to increase cash flow. But I don't know if I would call them "common" yet. WebPT has a few good articles on them that I would suggest you read. You could always try a quick google search for your area. They are more common in the sports/ortho setting. And I know of one nursing home in a very rural area that has one.

 

[icecom5]

you said "PTAs can bill for treatment services, while aides and techs cannot"

What exactly does this mean? So an aide working for a PT cannot bill insurance on behalf of the PT? Or do you mean that a PTA can bill for services that they rendered independent of the clinic, but under supervision of a PT?

 

[Watson27]

you said "PTAs can bill for treatment services, while aides and techs cannot"

What exactly does this mean? So an aide working for a PT cannot bill insurance on behalf of the PT? Or do you mean that a PTA can bill for services that they rendered independent of the clinic, but under supervision of a PT?

My statement wasn't very clear. Sorry.

I was trying to say that PTAs are legally allowed to administer physical therapy treatment (in most states, but not all). Meaning that by law, only PTs and licensed PTAs can administer (and bill for) physical therapy services.

On the flip side, an aide or tech cannot administer physical therapy. In most cases, an aide or tech would be present during treatment to act as a second set of hands for the PT. But if an aide or tech is being left alone with a patient to administer treatment, the clinic/PT is most likely committing fraud by billing insurance for physical therapy services rendered by a PT. It's just not ethical to have an unlicensed person with no formal training work with a patient who expects doctorate-level care.

Additionally, some states allow PTAs to deliver treatment without the direct supervision of an onsite PT. For example, a SNF I volunteered at was in a very rural area, and the PT only came once a week to do evals and design treatment programs. The rest of the week, the PTAs ran the show. But not all insurance companies will reimburse for treatment from a PTA. And obviously, the code that is billed for differs between a PT and a PTA, and reimbursement reflects the level of expertise/education (but not by much).

It also depends on the state. Some only allow PTs to deliver physical therapy. In that case, I'm not really sure what PTAs do in those states, or how they could make a living.

This thread got totally side tracked.