Acute care involves immediate treatment for serious illnesses, injuries, or post-surgical recovery. PTAs commonly work in acute care settings, where patients have short stays before transfer. Common treatments include exercises, gait training, and assistive devices for conditions like heart attacks, strokes, fractures, or infections. While no advanced training is required, PTAs may receive continuing education. Average PTA salaries in acute care are $17-20 per hour.

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2.  Define acute care
 Highlight the percent of PTA’s in this
setting
 Salary Range
 Common Diagnoses and Treatment in
this setting
 Advanced skills/training needed
 APTA Specialty Sections Website
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3.  Immediate care for traumas, serious
illness, and recovery from surgery
 Pt stay usually short
 Pt transferred to other facility when
stable
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5.  According to a survey done by The
College of St. Catherine the average
salary for a PTA 6 months after
graduation in an acute care facility is
$17.00 to $20.00
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7.  Heart attack
 Stroke
 Injury (broken bone)
 Serious Illness (pneumonia)
 Infection Control
 Trauma (auto accident, gunshot)
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8.  Therapeutic exercise
 Functional training
 Gait training
 Application of assistive devices
 Breathing exercises
 Wound management
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9.  Functional Training: transfer from bed to
chair, move in bed, sit to stand, stand to
sit
 Gait training: learning to walk safely,
efficiently, and independently
 Assistive Devices: orthotics, prosthetics,
walking aids, splint
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10.  Pt comes in with a broken ankle from a
sports injury. An acute PTA will need to
teach the Pt how to use crushes, protect
the ankle, and prevent weakness in the
ankle.
 Pt has pneumonia. PTA would ensure
they can still live home alone safely,
move through their home, and get any
medical equipment necessary (cane or
home oxygen.
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11.  Most of the treatment done in Acute
Care is in the form of preparing the
patient to leave the facility
 Most Pts need additional physical
therapy after they leave the facility.
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12.  A PTA in the Acute Care setting may
choose to do continuing education but
is not required in the state of South
Dakota.
 No additional training or skills are
needed to get a job in this facility
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13.  http://www.acutept.org/index.html
 Mission Statement: The mission of the
Acute Care Section is to serve physical
therapists and physical therapist
assistants by recognizing and promoting
excellence in acute care practice,
thereby enhancing the physical health
and functional abilities of patients/clients
with acute care needs.
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15.  Acute Pt. Sharon Gorman. www.sjdist-
cpta.org/Acute.html
 eHow.
www.ehow.com/about_5139972_acute-
care-facility.html
 Acute Care Section APTA. 2009.
www.acutept.org/index.html
 St. Catherine University. 2005.
http://minerva.stkate.edu/offices/academi
c/pta.nsf/pages/employsalaryinfo
 American Physical Therapy Association.
www.apta.org
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