Physical Therapy Aide
L.A. Vocational Institute · Los Angeles, CA
- Cost
- $2,675
- Length
- 15 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 10
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 10 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Where California publishes a separate figure for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Physical Therapists
Job ads may call this: Therapist · Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) · Registered Physical Therapist (RPT) · Home Care Physical Therapist (Home Care PT)
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- 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.
- Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
- Typical pay in California
- $127,666per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $122,937
- Projected openings
- 17,850Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,310
- Projected change
- +26%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Doctorate or professional degree — 53% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: Doctoral or professional degree. 47% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 0.4%
- High school diploma
- 1%
- Started college, no degree
- 1%
- Two-year degree
- 3%
- Four-year degree
- 23%
- Master's degree
- 18%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 53%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Physical Therapist Aides
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Therapy Aide · Rehabilitation Aide · Restorative Aide (RA) · Rehabilitation Attendant
- Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
- Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.
- Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.
- Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
- Typical pay in California
- $39,301per yearLos Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: $36,567
- Projected openings
- 12,050Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,400
- Projected change
- +20.3%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Two-year degree — 47% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 1% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 1%
- High school diploma
- 3%
- Started college, no degree
- 11%
- Two-year degree
- 47%
- Four-year degree
- 32%
- Master's degree
- 4%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 2%
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
The course was designed to familiarize the student with human anatomy, human needs and injuries to the muscle skeletal system to prepare the student to assist and direct patients in the rehabilitation process. The physical therapy aide program presents courses in records management, terminology, and anatomy and physiology. The course teaches the background theory relevant to working in the physical therapy setting: observation, reporting, charting, patient care, therapeutic exercises, physical therapy agents and modalities, range of motion, and specialized therapies. Students also learn the basic skills required for scheduling an appointment and completing a medical record, vital signs, and body mechanics. Wheelchair transfer techniques are also covered.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
Hollywood WorkSource CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 323-454-6100
4311 Melrose AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90029about 1.7 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
Downtown/Pico-Union WorkSource Center, Pacific Asian Consortium in EmploymentComprehensive center
Phone: 213-353-1677
1055 Wilshire BlvdSuite 900ALos Angeles, CA 90017about 2.2 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. (Evenings by appointment only)
Veterans AJCCAffiliate site
Phone: 626-375-6792
1816 S. Figueroa St.4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90015about 2.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm
Has a veterans' representative
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →