Description
Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.
- • Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- • Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- • Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
- • Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
- • Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
- • Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
- • Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
- • Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- • Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
- • Discharge patient from physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate follow-up care or referrals.
- • Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.
- • Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation.
- • Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits, and any reasonable alternatives.
- • Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.
- • Administer treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet or infrared lamps, or ultrasound machines.
- • Teach physical therapy students or those in other health professions.
- • Evaluate, fit, or adjust prosthetic or orthotic devices or recommend modification to orthotist.
- • Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health.
- • Refer clients to community resources or services.
- • Conduct or support research and apply research findings to practice.
- • Participate in community or community agency activities or help to formulate public policy.
- • Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices.
- • Direct group rehabilitation activities.
- • Inform patients and refer to appropriate practitioners when diagnosis reveals findings outside physical therapy.
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Healthcare & Human Services
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
