PT Aide Qualifications

[MJHUSKERS]

What, if any, are the qualifications to becoming a PT Aide? Class? Future PT student? Certification? Experience?

Or is simply like getting any other responsible job...apply, interview, hired.

Lastly, is there a good place to find these jobs if available? Are they mainly acute settings?

Thanks.

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[artizzle]

From my experience as an aide, the best places to apply are privately owned outpatient clinics. I worked for a year, after my undergrad until I got accepted into a PT school. The clinic usually would like you to use the job as a stepping stone towards applying to PT school. Also, if you have a lot of prereq's for PT school already completed, it will show your commitment. Having previous volunteer experience is extremely valuable, but usually not required. Ideally, they would like you to spend about 1-2 years working with the clinic as an aide before going off to school.

But, these are not strict requirements for getting an aide position. For most places all you need is a high school diploma. Again, this is drawn from my personal experience in the Bay Area of California, so others will probably have different views.

Good luck.

 

[vinganca]

Also, most places require you to have CPR and first aid certification. You can get both through the Red Cross for about $100.

Thanks for the tip about applying at locally owned otpt clinics. I had been focusing on hospitals and was coming up empty!

 

[Cronos]

Try asking the PT that you had write you a LOR if he/she could help. I let the PTs that I am volunteering with know that I decided to take a year off and they immediatley gave me several fairly prestigous places in my area to contact as well as the name they would be known by for references.

 

[MinnDasota]

From my experience as an aide, the best places to apply are privately owned outpatient clinics. I worked for a year, after my undergrad until I got accepted into a PT school. The clinic usually would like you to use the job as a stepping stone towards applying to PT school. Also, if you have a lot of prereq's for PT school already completed, it will show your commitment. Having previous volunteer experience is extremely valuable, but usually not required. Ideally, they would like you to spend about 1-2 years working with the clinic as an aide before going off to school.

But, these are not strict requirements for getting an aide position. For most places all you need is a high school diploma. Again, this is drawn from my personal experience in the Bay Area of California, so others will probably have different views.

Good luck.

I agree with the above. You'll find a lot more aide jobs in outpatient practices. In hospitals, there's usually only 1 or 2 aides in the entire rehab dept (and not much turnover). In outpatient, some practices have one aide per PT.

This was my experience back in Minnesota (where I was an aide in a subacute facility (only two of us) and an aide in a childrens hospital (only me)) and here in NYC (aide in outpatient ortho (of maybe 5-7 aides)).

I remember that they all preferred that I was organized, knew computers, and maybe had CPR.