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Will AI replace Physical Therapist Aides?

Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. The percentage shown is a task-exposure model, not a prediction of certain job loss.

O*NET 30.3 · 31-2022.00 · modeled exposure, not guaranteed job loss
LOW TASK EXPOSURE
12%
Estimated share of representative tasks exposed to current AI capabilities.
Task automation shareⓘ
12%Automatable
Automatable12%
Augmentable48%
Hard to automate40%
Based on analysis of representative responsibilities and current AI capability maturity.
Category#
Healthcare
Clinical & Care
Modeled pay midpoint$
$77,900/yr
Directional estimate — verify locally
Time until impact⌁
6–10+ years
Earliest 2032 · widespread 2036+
Task-level replaceability ⓘ
Representative tasks ranked from highest to lowest AI exposure.
✦Clinical accountability and hands-on care30%
✦Patient trust and complex diagnosis26%
◇Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.22%
⚙Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.15%
▥Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.12%
Impact timeline ⓘ
How AI assistance may move from early support to wider adoption.
2032Next2036+
Light supportAI provides limited help with clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment..
AugmentationTools improve productivity without owning outcomes.
Human-ledCore work stays anchored in clinical accountability and hands-on care.
6–10+ yearsdirectional confidence window
HOW AI CHANGES THIS JOBtyping the logic in plain English
01>Start with the real work done by Physical Therapist Aides.
02>AI can help with: Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
03>If a task is repetitive and easy to check, AI pressure goes up.
04>But a person is still needed for: Clinical accountability and hands-on care.
05>Likely result: AI mostly acts as a helper while the core job stays human-led.
06>Important: 12% is estimated task exposure—not a 12% chance of losing the job.
What AI can do
Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.LOW MATCH
Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.LOW MATCH
Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.LOW MATCH
How estimates work →
Your human moat
◆

Clinical accountability and hands-on care

HIGH MOAT

Combined with patient trust and complex diagnosis, this keeps a human in the loop.

Strength9.8
Similar-role comparison
RoleRisk
Physical Therapist Aides12%
Paramedic / EMT12%
Physical Therapist Assistants13%
Radiation Therapists11%
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Why this score?

✓The model evaluates 3 representative core tasks.
✓The core work depends on presence, dexterity, or accountability.
✓Occupation and task language comes from O*NET 30.3.
✓The strongest human advantage is clinical accountability and hands-on care.
Research basis

O*NET 30.3 occupation tasks plus the ILO 2025 exposure framework. Scores are directional estimates.

Read ILO research →
Data: O*NET 30.3 · Model framework: ILO 2025About O*NETShare report
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Paramedic / EMT · 12% exposurePhysical Therapist Assistants · 13% exposureRadiation Therapists · 11% exposure