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Physical Therapist Assistant resume skills and keywords

In 150 Physical Therapist Assistant job postings from 36 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Mentoring (62 %), Leadership (47 %), Rehabilitation (40 %), Patient care (34 %) and CPR (33 %). Of the top 40 skills, 27 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 13 are soft skills.

Download the full list as a CSV or check your own resume against a posting with the free keyword scanner.

Top 40 skills in Physical Therapist Assistant job postings

Skills requested in 150 Physical Therapist Assistant job postings, by share of postings
SkillShare of postingsType
Mentoring62 %Soft skill
Leadership47 %Soft skill
Rehabilitation40 %Hard skill
Patient care34 %Hard skill
CPR33 %Certification
Communication31 %Soft skill
Compassion25 %Soft skill
EHR25 %Tool
Flexibility21 %Soft skill
Patient-Centered Care20 %Hard skill
Therapeutic exercise19 %Hard skill
Driver license19 %Certification
Gait Training13 %Hard skill
Collaboration13 %Soft skill
Time Management12 %Soft skill
Teamwork11 %Soft skill
Clinical Judgment8 %Hard skill
BLS8 %Certification
Charting8 %Hard skill
State license7 %Certification
Leadership Development7 %Hard skill
Quality Improvement7 %Hard skill
Working independently7 %Hard skill
Customer service6 %Soft skill
Tablets6 %Hard skill
Sports Medicine5 %Hard skill
Administrative Support5 %Hard skill
Client Education5 %Hard skill
Coaching5 %Soft skill
Logistics5 %Hard skill
Care Coordination5 %Hard skill
Therapeutic modalities5 %Hard skill
Pediatric5 %Hard skill
Compassionate Care5 %Hard skill
Organizational skills4 %Soft skill
Public health4 %Hard skill
Interpersonal skills4 %Soft skill
Injury Prevention3 %Hard skill
Professionalism3 %Soft skill
Manual Therapy3 %Hard skill

Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications

Hard skills (22)

Soft skills (13)

Tools and software (1)

Certifications and licenses (4)

Keyword phrases recruiters use

Multi-word phrases that recur across these physical therapist assistant postings, with the share of postings that use each one.

treatment plans 35 %home health 33 %patient progress 33 %outpatient orthopedic 29 %improve mobility 29 %reduces documentation 27 %program active 26 %helping patients 25 %national network 25 %structured onboarding 25 %care youll 25 %why clinicians 24 %clinicians choose 24 %individualized treatment 23 %better place 23 %

How to use this on your resume

Treat the table as a checklist, not a script. Put the skills you genuinely have in your skills section, using the same wording as the posting, and back the top ones with a bullet that shows the result.

Each job posting differs from the average, so compare your resume with the actual ad: paste it into the resume keyword scanner to see which terms you already have and which are missing. The ATS keywords guide explains where to place them so applicant tracking systems read them.

Skip any skill you cannot talk about in an interview; a keyword that falls apart under one question costs more than it gains. For a full layout with these skills in context, see the Physical Therapist Assistant resume example. Then prepare for the Physical Therapist Assistant interview questions that test them.

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Physical Therapist Assistant resume skills: FAQ

Which skills matter most for a Physical Therapist Assistant resume?

In 150 Physical Therapist Assistant job postings analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills were Mentoring (62 %), Leadership (47 %), Rehabilitation (40 %), Patient care (34 %) and CPR (33 %). Lead your skills section with the ones you can back up, and show them in your experience bullets too.

Should I list soft skills on a Physical Therapist Assistant resume?

Yes, but prove them rather than list them. 13 of the top 40 skills in these postings are soft skills, led by Mentoring (62 % of postings). Show them through results in your bullets, for example a project you coordinated or a process you explained.

Which tools and certifications do Physical Therapist Assistant postings ask for?

The tools and certifications named most often were CPR (33 %), EHR (25 %), Driver license (19 %), BLS (8 %) and State license (7 %). List the ones you have exactly as the posting writes them.

Where does this data come from?

From 150 public Physical Therapist Assistant job postings at 36 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from Greenhouse (101), Lever (30) and Ashby (19). A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 150. The data is updated quarterly and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Method and data

Source: 150 public job postings for physical therapist assistant roles (titles such as Physical Therapist Assistant, Outpatient Physical Therapist Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) and Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant) at 36 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from employer applicant tracking system job boards: Greenhouse 101, Lever 30 and Ashby 19. Employers in the sample include Upstream Rehabilitation, Integrity Rehab Group, InHome Therapy, BAYADA Home Health Care, Results Physiotherapy and Drayer Physical Therapy. A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 150. Updated quarterly. Download the data: physical-therapist-assistant-resume-skills.csv (CC BY 4.0). Browse skills for other roles.