What a Physical Therapist Assistant Is
The word assistant does a lot of damage here. People hear it and picture somebody handing over towels and counting reps. That is not what this is. A physical therapist assistant completed an accredited program, passed a national board examination, and holds a state license with real responsibility attached to it. When a PTA is running your session, you are being treated by a clinician.
A PTA is a licensed clinician, not an aide.
Here is the division of labor, plainly. The physical therapist performs your examination, makes the diagnosis, and writes the plan of care. The physical therapist assistant delivers that plan, adjusts within it as you respond, and reports back so the plan keeps up with you. The therapist stays responsible for the plan and re-examines you along the way. It is one plan, one team, and both people treating you hold a license from the state of Kansas.
How a PTA is trained and licensed
An accredited physical therapist assistant program covers anatomy, pathology, therapeutic exercise, manual techniques and the reasoning behind them, followed by supervised clinical work with real patients. Then comes a national licensing examination and state licensure, plus continuing education to keep it current. Nobody arrives at this role by being around a clinic long enough.
What a physical therapist does →What that looks like in your session
Hands on treatment. Exercise taught, corrected and progressed rather than handed to you on a sheet. Manual techniques, modalities and specialty programs your plan calls for. Someone watching how you move today compared with last week and saying something when it changes. You are one on one with your clinician, start to finish, not shared across a gym floor.
Physical therapy →The PTAs you will meet here
Angie Hoerner and Karley Loewen. Both are LSVT BIG certified, which is the intensive program for people living with Parkinson's. Angie is also ASTYM certified and holds training in balance and fall prevention, vestibular rehabilitation, and biofeedback for incontinence. That is specialized clinical training, not a job title, and it is why some patients are matched with a PTA on purpose.
Meet the team →And what a PT aide does
Different role, different rules. A physical therapy aide is not licensed to treat and does not deliver your plan of care. JoAnne Throneburg is our PT aide, and the work is the support that makes good treatment possible: preparing the room and equipment, setting up modalities, keeping the clinic running on time and helping you get where you need to be. Useful, visible, and clearly distinct from clinical care.
Book your evaluation →You can always ask who is treating you and what their license is. Any clinic worth attending will answer without hesitating. Call (785) 263-3646 →