Employment Outlook
Physiotherapy Assistant
Average wage for
Employment Levels
Around 23,700 people are currently employed as Physiotherapy Assistants in Australia. This is set to increase to 28,700 people by 2019, according to the Department of Employment.
Employment by State
30.3% of all Physiotherapy Assistants are employed in NSW. The area with the lowest number of Physiotherapy Assistants is ACT, with only 0.4%.
Gender Split
This is a very female dominated industry with 28.7% of Physiotherapy Assistants being male and 71.2% female.
Age Brackets
The most popular age for people working as Physiotherapy Assistants is 25-34 years old, with 38.5%. A small percentage (3.8%) of people get into this career path older, aged 60-64. There is also a number of people who enjoy a career as Physiotherapy Assistants, with 13.7% aged 20-24.
Hours Worked
Physiotherapy Assistants work an average of 40.9 hours a week which is 0 hours lower than the average for all occupations.
Education Level
The majority of Physiotherapy Assistants have a Bachelor Degree qualification (59.8%) or are at a Post Graduate/ Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate level (32.8%). 92.6% of people have a Cert III or higher, whilst 7.4% have a qualification which is Year 12 or lower.
Physiotherapy Assistant Duties & Tasks
- Administer joint, nerve and muscle functional ability tests to identify and assess physical problems of patients
- Design treatment programs
- Treat pain, improve circulation, strengthen muscles, improve cardiothoracic, cardiovascular and respiratory functions, restore joint mobility, and improve balance and coordination
- Use the therapeutic properties of exercise, heat, cold, massage, manipulation, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, ultraviolet and infra-red light and ultrasound in the treatment of patients
- Consulting with other Health Professionals as required about patients' problems, needs and progress
- Instruct patients and their families in procedures to be continued at home
- Develop and implement screening and preventative health promotion programs
Professional Associations & Groups
*The information provided on this page is from the Department of Employment’s Job Outlook website. All salary ranges are from Payscale. Where jobs are not exact matches, job areas have been used. This information is to be used as a guide only.
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