Physical Therapists
Official O*NET title: Physical Therapists (29-1123.00)
Also called: acute care pt, doctor of physical therapy, home care physical therapist, inpatient physical therapist, outpatient physical therapist
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing physical therapists work
6 of 23 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Amber (some AI use) — 26%.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Conduct or support research and apply research findings to practice (main task) — some recorded AI use
- 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 (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits, and any reasonable alternatives (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Talk with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, put in place, or assess the intervention program (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis before intervention (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive staff (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Inform patients and refer to appropriate practitioners when diagnosis reveals findings outside physical therapy (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Discharge patient from physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate follow-up care or referrals (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Administer treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet or infrared lamps, or ultrasound machines (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Refer clients to community resources or services (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Evaluate, fit, or adjust prosthetic or orthotic devices or recommend modification to orthotist (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Teach physical therapy students or those in other health professions (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Participate in community or community agency activities or help to formulate public policy (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct group rehabilitation activities — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health”. Try the prompt for: “Conduct or support research and apply research findings to practice”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and physical therapists
Will AI replace physical therapists?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 6 of the 23 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Amber rating (some AI use). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 18 of the 24 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which physical therapist tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health; conduct or support research and apply research findings to practice; 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.
Which physical therapist tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis before intervention; record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer; instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 61% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a physical therapist start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Physical Therapists ranks #300 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #31 of 80 in Healthcare.
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