Will AI replace Physical Therapist Aides?

Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 19 official task statements scored for Physical Therapist Aides (United States, SOC 31-2022), 10% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 13 out of 100 (range 11–18, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.

Which tasks in “Physical Therapist Aides” stay human?

About 84% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment” (0/100, minimal); “Participate in patient care tasks, such as assisting with passing food trays, feeding residents, or bathing residents on bed rest” (0/100, minimal); “Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.

What should someone working in “Physical Therapist Aides” do about AI?

Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 10% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 84% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.

How is the AI exposure score for Physical Therapist Aides calculated?

Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 19 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

US dataswitch to UK

Physical Therapist Aides

cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment, changing linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases and recording treatment given and equipment. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment is work software can't reach.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 10%
changing shape: 6%
staying human: 84%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 13 out of 100 (11–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 19 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for physical therapist aides is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.

What shifts is scheduling patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinating therapists' schedules: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.

Your week, as this page understands it

Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing the patient and the treatment area. The job title says “physical therapist aides”. The real job is the part underneath: cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But physical therapist aides is not one task. It is 19 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI: 10%
changing shape: 6%
staying human: 84%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

How we know this

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

2 tasks scored differently between repeat runs, so their range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
6 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Shifting to AI

2 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

Scheduling patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinating therapists' schedules
This is reading one thing and writing another: patient appointments in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 85 out of 100 (81–89 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking appointments and juggling therapist calendars is exactly what scheduling software does.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Recording treatment given and equipment
This is reading one thing and writing another: treatment given in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Record treatment given and equipment used.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 61 out of 100 (57–65 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Noting which treatment was given and what equipment was used is structured record-keeping.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Changing shape

1 task

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

Performing clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages or filling out forms
The software now makes the first pass at clerical duties, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 48 out of 100 (44–52 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Ordering, forms, messages and inventory are routine office jobs that software handles well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

16 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

Cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment
This work happens in the physical world: work area, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Wiping down equipment and tidying the treatment area is physical work in the clinic.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Securing patients into or onto therapy equipment
This work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Strapping a patient into therapy equipment is hands-on and has to happen at the machine.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Instructing motivate, safeguard or assisting patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff
This work happens in the physical world: motivate, safeguard or assisting patients practicing exercises, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 4 out of 100 (0–8 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Guiding and steadying someone through exercises depends on hands and encouragement in the room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Transporting patients to and from treatment areas
This work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Moving a patient in a wheelchair or supporting them standing is physical work with the person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Changing linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases
This work happens in the physical world: linens, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Changing bed linen is physical work in the treatment room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Arranging treatment supplies to keep them in order
This work happens in the physical world: treatment supplies, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Arrange treatment supplies to keep them in order.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Putting supplies back in order is physical tidying.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Conferring with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information
The rules require a named, qualified person to answer for physical therapy staff, and that person cannot be a piece of software.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 22 out of 100 (15–29 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Treatment planning decisions rest with a licensed therapist, though the case information can be pulled together automatically.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

Show the other 9 tasks

Observing patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: patients during treatment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 18 out of 100 (11–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Writing up what was seen is routine, but the observing happens beside the patient during treatment.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Measuring patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts or vital signs, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (2–10 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Measuring joint range or vital signs means placing instruments on the patient.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Training patients to use orthopedic braces
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Train patients to use orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 5 out of 100 (0–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Teaching someone to use a brace means watching and correcting how they actually put it on.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Maintaining equipment or furniture to keep it in good working condition
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Maintain equipment or furniture to keep it in good working condition, including performing the assembly or disassembly of equipment or accessories.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Assembling and maintaining therapy equipment is physical work on the equipment.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Administering active or passive manual therapeutic exercises
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: active, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Massage, assisted exercise and ultrasound treatment are delivered by touching the patient.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Assisting patients to dress, undress or put on and removing supportive devices
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Core
Source: “Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Helping someone dress or put on a splint is direct physical assistance.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Fitting patients for orthopedic braces
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: patients, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Fitting a brace and adjusting it to a body is physical work on the person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Participating in patient care tasks
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: patient care tasks, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · Supplemental
Source: “Participate in patient care tasks, such as assisting with passing food trays, feeding residents, or bathing residents on bed rest.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Feeding, bathing and passing trays is direct physical care.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Administering traction to relieve neck or back pain
staying human
This work happens in the physical world: traction, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · Supplemental
Source: “Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.
The rating behind it: Traction is applied to a patient using equipment in the room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 3/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay: $35,240a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
People doing this job: 48,150in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: patient appointments in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: scheduling patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinating therapists' schedules and recording treatment given and equipment. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where work area gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Start with what does not change: cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.

So, given all that: 10% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 6% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 84% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 19 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Scheduling patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinating therapists' schedules is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.

This week: one thing

Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to patient appointments, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.

What you end up holding: a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
How long it takes: ten minutes

If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether work area is in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.

Over the next 90 days

Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near performing clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages or filling out forms. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.

Over the next 12 months

On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here

You did not come here for a career change and I am not selling you one. But one road out of here is worth knowing about, so here it is with the bill attached.

Physical Therapist AidesPhysical Therapist Assistants
a year or morematched on shared tasks
One of the tasks on your list is on theirs in the same words: “secure patients into or onto therapy equipment”. Take both published task lists together and about 54% of the work in that job that the software is not taking is work you are doing today.
Half of what they do, you do already. The argument is about the other half, not about starting again.
The work the two jobs share
- You already do
  “Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.”
  They do
  “Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.”
- You already do
  “Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.”
  They do
  “Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.”
- You already do
  “Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.”
  They do
  “Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.”
What you would not already have: Nothing in your task list touches “instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional…”, “transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according…” or “communicate with or instruct caregivers or family members on patient therapeutic activities…”. That is the part you would be learning from scratch, and it is roughly the 46% of their durable work you do not already hold.
The honest bill
Pay: $68,380 against your $35,240 (OEWS May 2025 (both)).
- The licence gate: Default-closed. This release carries no licence-register snapshot, so I could not check whether that job is regulated, which means I have to assume it might be. Before you spend a penny, look it up on the US Labor Department’s licensed-occupations finder; the free routes below link straight to it. The route is banded a year or more because of that unknown, not in spite of it.
- The entry ticket: Typical entry-level education is published for only ten occupations in this release, and neither this job nor that one is among them. So I cannot tell you whether a qualification stands in the way. Treat that as an open question to settle before you commit, not as a green light.
- What the pay gap is telling you: $68,380 against your $35,240, 94.0% more (OEWS May 2025 (both)). A real difference, not a life-changing one. Take the move for the work, not the raise.
- What you live on meanwhile: Nobody is going to pay you to retrain. This is evenings and weekends alongside the job you already have, for a year or more, and if that is not possible right now then this route is not open right now, which is worth knowing before you start. The free American Job Center service listed below will talk training funding through with you before you pay anyone.
- Is the target job itself holding up: Physical Therapist Assistants scores 12/100 on this site’s own exposure measure (minimal), with 6% of its tasks in the top band. Employment projections are not published for this occupation in this release, so this is the exposure leg of the check only. It passed, which is the only reason it is here.
How long: A year or more, part-time, alongside the job you have. That band is set by the unchecked licence question and by the 46% of their work you would be learning, not by any one course.
See what AI is doing to physical therapist assistants

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

Nursing Assistants
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases, and their equivalent is to change bed linens or make beds. Across both published task lists that is about 5% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 5% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Occupational Therapy Aides
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already secure patients into or onto therapy equipment, and their equivalent is to transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. And it is a narrow door: about 4,310 of those jobs against 48,150 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 9% as many seats.
Look at that job’s page anyway →
Recreational Therapists
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information…, and their equivalent is to confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.
Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 10% of its task weight, across 19 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The headlines about your trade disappearing
They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like cleaning and organizing work area and disinfect equipment after treatment arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.
Retraining out of a job that is holding up
On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

If you run a team doing this job

If you run a team doing this job, the conversation you owe them is the one on this page, and sooner than feels comfortable. Show them the ledger rather than a reassurance: the rows moving toward the software are scheduling patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinating therapists' schedules, and the rows that are not are where you want your people visible. Ask each of them to do the this-week move and bring the list to your next one-to-one. It turns a rumour into a piece of work, and it tells you which parts of your team's week are actually at stake. And say the thing out loud that a team lead usually leaves unsaid: a shrinking team is your exposure too, so do the move yourself as well.

You are reading the United States figures

The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Nursing auxiliaries and assistants is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.

Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match

The other groups this work is counted across:

Dental nurses

In UK official statistics this job is counted as Nursing auxiliaries and assistants and Dental nurses. Pay is shown separately for each of those groups (medians cannot be averaged together), while the task list and the scores on this page are for this group only.

Your route through this

Where to go next, and what it costs

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
American Job Center locator
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
- CareerOneStop local help hub
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop
Free

No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it

Nothing Collab365 runs is built for physical therapist aides, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 10% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.

Try The AI Authority free →

7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.

The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for physical therapist aides. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.

Nearby moves

The jobs above, as pages you can read the same way as this one. Your job shares its core work with these. That is what the match is, and it is all it is.

Physical Therapist Assistants →Half of what they do, you do already. The argument is about the other half, not about starting again.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for physical therapist aides launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No Space for physical therapist aides yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for physical therapist aides existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

Your email

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for physical therapist aides launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace Physical Therapist Aides?: Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 19 official task statements scored for Physical Therapist Aides (United States, SOC 31-2022), 10% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 13 out of 100 (range 11–18, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “Physical Therapist Aides” can AI already do?: The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules” (85/100, very high); “Record treatment given and equipment used” (61/100, high); “Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms” (48/100, partial). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “Physical Therapist Aides” stay human?: About 84% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment” (0/100, minimal); “Participate in patient care tasks, such as assisting with passing food trays, feeding residents, or bathing residents on bed rest” (0/100, minimal); “Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “Physical Therapist Aides” do about AI?: Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 10% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 84% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for Physical Therapist Aides calculated?: Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 19 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

About the data on this page

2 tasks scored differently between repeat runs, so their range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
6 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.

Task statements: onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights: onet-db (im-rt)
Scores: Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
Pay and employment: bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

How we score a job Download this release Look up another job

Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.