Physical Therapy Assistant Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Physical therapist assistants in Tucson work in rehab hospitals, acute care and outpatient clinics, and posted pay here runs about $25 to $40 an hour. Tucson's only accredited PTA program is at Pima Medical Institute on Craycroft Road. Current openings are below.
Current Physical Therapist Assistant Openings in Tucson, AZ
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Physical Therapy Assistant Work in Tucson
Tucson's PTA jobs cluster in three places. Inpatient rehab is the biggest: Encompass Health posts PTA openings at its rehabilitation hospitals on North Wyatt Drive and West Hospital Drive. Acute care is the second: Tucson Medical Center on Grant Road in midtown hires PTAs for its orthopedic and neuro acute therapy teams, Northwest Healthcare names PTAs among the therapists at its hospitals in northwest Tucson, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and Houghton Road, and the Tucson VA Medical Center on South Sixth Avenue runs a physical medicine and rehabilitation service.
Outpatient clinics are the third, spread along the growth corridors, such as the Banner Physical Therapy clinic at Arizona Pavilions on the northwest side. BLS counted about 240 PTAs working in the Tucson metro in 2023, a small field where an Arizona certificate and a little experience go a long way.
Top Tucson Employers Hiring Physical Therapy Assistants
These Tucson employers have posted PTA roles or named the role on their own careers sites:
- Encompass Health - inpatient rehabilitation hospitals on North Wyatt Drive and West Hospital Drive, posting full-time, part-time and PRN PTA roles at $29 to $40 an hour.
- Tucson Medical Center - adult acute therapy, orthopedics and neuro, with full-time and per diem PTA roles and a sign-on bonus on some postings.
- Northwest Healthcare - inpatient rehab and outpatient therapy across Northwest Medical Center, Oro Valley Hospital, Sahuarita and Houghton.
- Southern Arizona VA Health Care System - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Tucson VA Medical Center, most recently posted in October 2026 at GS-5 to GS-8.
- Banner Physical Therapy - outpatient clinics run with Select Medical, including Arizona Pavilions on the northwest side, at $25 to $29 an hour.
- Bodycentral Physical Therapy - Tucson outpatient practice posting full-time PTA roles at $26 to $35 an hour.
Physical Therapy Assistant Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level (newly certified): roughly $25 to $29 an hour.
- Experienced (2 to 5 years): roughly $29 to $35 an hour.
- Senior, PRN or federal: roughly $35 to $40 an hour.
These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. BLS put the Tucson median at $29.51 an hour in 2023, and current postings run from $25 at outpatient clinics to $40 at the top of Encompass Health's inpatient range. Hospitals and inpatient rehab tend to pay more than outpatient clinics, and the VA pays on the federal GS scale, posted at $48,719 to $85,639 a year.
How to Become a Physical Therapy Assistant in Tucson
You need an associate degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). In Tucson that is Pima Medical Institute's Physical Therapist Assistant program at 2121 N. Craycroft Road, which runs 75 weeks and awards an Associate of Occupational Science. Pima Community College does not offer a PTA program. After graduating you pass the National Physical Therapy Examination for PTAs and the AZLAW jurisprudence exam on Arizona law, then apply to the Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy, which issues PTA certificates. Employers ask for that certificate before your first shift.
What the Job Involves
A PTA carries out the plan of care a physical therapist writes. That means leading patients through exercise, gait and transfer training, balance work and manual techniques, applying modalities, and documenting progress for the therapist. In inpatient rehab it is stroke, joint replacement and trauma recovery with patients several hours a day; in acute care it is getting post-surgical patients up and moving; in outpatient clinics it is a steady schedule of orthopedic and sports cases.
Skills Employers Look For
- An Arizona PTA certificate in good standing
- Therapeutic exercise, gait and transfer training
- Safe patient handling and good body mechanics
- Clear, timely documentation in an electronic record
- Encouraging, patient communication with older adults
- Spanish, useful with many Tucson patients
Career Path and Advancement
Tucson PTAs usually start in a hospital, rehab hospital or outpatient clinic and build toward a specialty such as orthopedics, neuro or geriatrics. PRN work at the rehab hospitals pays at the top of the range, and senior PTAs move into lead or clinic coordinator roles. The bigger jump is becoming a physical therapist, which requires a doctoral degree and averages about $106,000 a year in Tucson on BLS figures.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the closest alternatives for physical therapy assistants:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to work as a PTA in Tucson?
Yes. Arizona requires a PTA certificate from the Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy. You qualify by graduating from a CAPTE-accredited program and passing both the national PTA exam and the AZLAW jurisprudence exam.
Where can you study to be a PTA in Tucson?
Pima Medical Institute on North Craycroft Road runs Tucson's CAPTE-accredited PTA program, a 75-week Associate of Occupational Science. Pima Community College does not offer a PTA program.
How much do physical therapy assistants make in Tucson?
BLS put the Tucson median at $29.51 an hour in 2023. Current Tucson postings run from $25 an hour at outpatient clinics to $40 at Encompass Health's rehab hospitals, and the VA posts PTA roles on the federal GS-5 to GS-8 scale.
Which Tucson employers hire the most PTAs?
Encompass Health's two rehab hospitals and Tucson Medical Center post PTA roles most consistently, with Northwest Healthcare, the Tucson VA and outpatient practices such as Banner Physical Therapy and Bodycentral also hiring.
What is the difference between a PTA and a physical therapist?
A physical therapist holds a doctoral degree, evaluates patients and writes the plan of care. A PTA earns an associate degree in under two years and carries out that plan under the therapist's supervision, at lower pay but with a much faster start.
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