Find out how to become Physical Therapist
Find more about the career and salary of Physical Therapist in this post.
Patients of Physical Therapy Specialists
People often visit a doctor because of pain. It could be because of some kind of injury or disease as well as from age-related problems. Physical therapy, as you can probably imagine, can help people with both of these issues. On one hand, it can improve body’s functionality and, on the other hand, help to manage pain for a variety of mobility problems. From time to time PT programs include educational advisory part, where the PT specialist helps patient by explaining causes of the medical problem and afterward giving solution to it. Lot of people face discomfort during the rehabilitation process, but know for sure – it’s beneficial it in the long term.
Who Requires The Help of PT?
Physical therapy can be utilized on numerous sicknesses including, but not limited to shoulder, knee, back, neck, hip, ankle, and foot problems. Similarly, it can be aidful after a person has suffered in an accident and ended up with an injury.
A very common application of physical therapy is to help a person rehabilitate after surgery. It is a typical situation, when the surgeon prescribes a PT after, for instance, knee surgery. This helps joints to become strong and restores full ability of motion. In addition, it helps to protect the knee against possible future injuries.
People are often referred to physical therapy after joint and muscular pain, spinal issues, musculoskeletal problems, or sports traumas.
Patient with Physical Therapy Specialist
What Will a PT do for Me?
A physical therapist will provide custom built treatment plan for his clients. Each of the programs he carries out is specific to corresponding individual, who will receive special instructions and exercises to perform. Every patient heals at a different speed, so the physical therapist will monitor their improvement to keep them on track.
The therapy will most likely include different types of exercises and stretches that will help to reduce stiffness and increase range of motion and flexibility. Over time the exercises will also help restore strength and fitness.
It is crucial that you closely follow the directions given to you by the physical therapist. They are there to help you recover as rapidly as possible.
Why Can’t I do It on My Own?
There are a bunch of people that exercise on a regular basis and wonder why they can’t simply do these exercises alone. After all, they have been exercising by themselves for years. Then they justify this behavior by saying they already recognizes the source of the problem.
A physical therapist has had many years of school and hands-on experience on how to implement a proper rehabilitation. They have continuing education to help them learn about dysfunctions and injuries, and to make sure they stay up-to-date with the latest procedures.
Every single physical therapy session is unique. No 2 individuals have the same body structure and they need to be regularly monitored to make sure they are staying on track.
General practitioners do not always have time to work with a patient and clarify why a given disability or injury takes place. Without the proper academic education, you may injure yourself again and again and, in some cases, even make the problem much worse.
First Visit at a PT
When clients first arrive at a physical therapy office a common question is, to show, how long is this going to take? Frequently the underlying question is how long will their rehabilitation process take. Since people recover at a different rate, your PT will be able to get an idea within a few weeks of how quickly you will make to the goal. At that situation, he or she may have a capacity to get a thought on how long the process will take.
Since a lot of people, when they first arrive in the office, will either be in pain or having difficulty with their health, they could be extremely concerned about what they have to do for the therapist. PT covers the different aspects of health, from flexibility to pain relief and other areas. A programm will be set up for you that clearly defines what you will need to do for every treatment.
Physical Therapist Career and Salary
Are you thinking about becoming a fully qualified physical therapist (also referred to as a PT)? These almost super natural wizards of the modern age work with people who have suffered injury or disease. They help their patients by reducing pain and improving overall physical function. Physical therapists work with patients of all ages. This area of the medical industry is growing as Baby Boomers age and need more health care.
Becoming a Physical Therapist
There are some clear attributes that will help you excel at becoming a PT, including physical strength, patience, endurance, dexterity, communication skills, and believe it or not, optimism. Nevertheless, these will only take you half way.
One of the first things you are going to need is your high school diploma. If you are still attending high school, it’s a good idea to take chemistry, physics, math, biology, and social studies to help give you a good basics. It is also a good idea to have 200 to 300 hours of social work to help you get into a good collage or university.
Next, you need to get a bachelor’s degree, advisably in physical therapy. After a bachelor degree is obtained, earn a master’s degree with a focus on human anatomy, physiology or neuroanatomy. As of 2016, you will most likely need to receive your doctorate to become a PT. Check out the best physical therapy schools in the U.S. close to you!
Once you get the degree, you will need to pass the national PT exam and then obtain a PT license for the state in which you are willing to practice.
Employment Outlook
While some occupations may suffer from a recession, health care industry, especially physical therapy, faces a very low unemployment rate of about 1%. It is really quickly expanding area that is made even more popular by the baby boomers getting to an age where they require more care.
Salary and Other Benefits
Physical therapists usually work full time (40 hours per week, 160 hours per month) but some also work weekends and evenings to meet their patients’ urgent needs or busy schedules. However, around 20% of physical therapists registered in the U.S. work part-time, according to the bureau of labor statistics.
PTs have a varied salary range depending on where they are working. A traveling PT has the opportunity to earn more money. A physical therapist salary is typically in range between $60,000 to $88,000 (for a detailed information, visit ThePhysicalTherapistSalary.com). They usually make more as they gain more experience or pick up more responsibilities.
Responsibilities
The main responsibility of the physical therapist is to help restore a patient’s body from various injuries, illnesses, pains, or other types of disabilities. The therapy process may include different methods to help uplift the patient’s range of motion, strength, and coordination. To depict, heat, light, water, and cold therapies as well as traction to accomplish the goal. Orthotic and prosthetic equipment may also be used to help train patients.
Physical Therapy Specialist working with a patient suffering from a knee injury
Physical therapists must aid a wide specter of people, including premature infants, pediatric patients, sports injury patients, back and neck traumas, geriatric patients, patients with arthritis, and many more.
Continuing Academic and Professional Education
Continual growth is important for physical therapists. Such professional must maintain certain professional and technical knowledge by keeping up with the latest changes in the health care field. These may be from reading professional publications, working with specialist networks to seminars, educational workshops, and professional societies.
Working Conditions
Physical therapists work in a wide range of environments. Like many doctors, they are typically seen in hospitals, clinics, and even in private offices that are specially equipped to handle their needs. In some cases, physical therapists need to go to people’s homes and even schools to help their patients.
The job can be physically demanding at times. A physical therapist has to crouch, lift, and stand for long periods of time.
Sometimes a physical therapist must be able to perform strenuous physical activity to help their clients. This, along with strong communication and magnificent problem-solving skills can help the therapist assistant patients.
Physical Therapy specialists often work in athletic conditions and must themselves keep a good form
Conclusion
Is Physical Therapist the right profession calling for you? Perhaps it’s time for a career change. Maybe you just want a profession that is growing during a recession or stagnation. Either way, PT will most likely be a rewarding career path. Best of luck!
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Physical Therapist Assistant Career and Salary
Physical therapist assistants (also referred to as PTA) mostly do the same work as qualified physical therapist (PT), but they are supervised every step of their way. They work with clients to help them solve various problems such as different pain, illness, injuries, and post-surgery rehabilitation. They take advantage of the same equipment as the certified PT and ultimately can get the same results of watching a patient improve over a period of time.
Maybe at present you are wondering why you should pursue the physical therapist career. A lot of individuals choose this career path because they want to make a difference in the world by helping patients. Assistants play a crucial role in the med team helping patients recover from surgeries or injuries as well as to improve their overall health. They can help prepare rehab programs under the supervision of a therapist.
A lot of young people are looking for jobs at particular economy. A PTA can be a rewarding career that can help not only to feel happy, but help others at the same time. This health care sector is taking off as baby boomers grow older and get debilitating conditions as they age. PTAs are forecasted to see at least a 35% demand increase between 2013 and 2018. Using this formula, you can calculate that the currently working PTA number of 64,000 will skyrocket up to approximately 85,000 within less than 5 years time.
In addition to job opportunity increase, a PTA career can allow you to expand your career advancement options as well. Some PTAs can get additional responsibilities and the ability to make more money by gaining certain qualification in other, related areas, for instance,clinical management, medical billing and coding, risk management, and many more.
Physical Therapy Assistant is a 2-year degree and can be achieved at a number of colleges.
Since PTAs don’t have as much education or knowledge as their PT counterparts, as you may guess, they are not paid quite as well either. The median physical therapist assistant annual earnings is around $38,000 per year. Nonetheless, the cost of their education is a lot lower as well.
If you can’t afford the school to get a full physical therapist degree or if you simply can’t wait long enough to get a master’s and doctorate, maybe the PTA is the way to go. You get a lot of the same satisfaction from aiding patients without the long-run expense.
Physical Therapy Salary Infographic
Are you interested in knowing about the salary you can expect to have when starting your Physical Therapy career? Below is a rundown in an infographic form about tje Physical Therapy (PT) salary, Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) and the most popular specializations among specialists.
Comparison of Physical Therapy and Physical Therapy Assitant salaries
Physical therapy specialits don’t mind having a laugh, even if its about their job. Here are some photo jokes found online about the physical therapy career and salary. Enjoy!
Have fun at Physical Therapy but don’t forget to count!
A great description about the job of Physical Therapy specialist
Keep Calm – The best physical therapist is here!
Physical Therapy – Just for laughs
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Physical Therapy Salary Advice 