A Career in Physical Therapy
Written by Ellen Marie Hawkins
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1114180
Who needs them? Patients who have been in accidents or who have suffered from a heart attack or stroke or an organ transplant, athletes who have been injured while training, or those who have an illness such as Parkinson’s Disease or Cerebral Palsy. A patient can range in age from newborn to geriatric, from ill to very healthy.
What do physical therapists do? Build a series of exercises that helps a patient become stronger and more coordinated, focusing on parts of the body that have been injured or have been disabled. Their objective is to reduce pain while promoting the ability to move.
What fields of study are involved? Physiology, pathology, neuroscience, orthopedics, and assistive technologies. Physical therapists can specialize in certain fields including but not limited to sports, to help an athlete deal with chronic pain from the impact on their bodies or injuries; geriatric, to help the elderly with diseases such as osteoporosis or arthritis; and neurology, to help with balance or coordination issues that coincide with patients who have had strokes or have Parkinson’s. A physical therapist requires a masters or doctorate after four years of undergraduate study, but a physical therapist assistant can obtain an associate degree from a community college in two years.
Where do physical therapists work? Outpatient clinics, hospitals, homes. .
How much do physical therapists make? The average annual salary is around $70,000. For an assistant, the top pay is $25 an hour. The demand for physical therapists is expected to grow 27% by 2016.
Physical therapists have to be healthy, physical people who are capable of moving a lot of weight and who genuinely like to help other people. Patients who need physical therapists have usually gone through not only physical pain but emotional trauma resulting from their injury or illness as well, and a physical therapist must be patient and kind. In general, physical therapy sounds like a rewarding one where patients will move on to live their lives a little better and easier once treatment is finished.
Watch the following video for more information about what it takes to be a physical therapist and consider whether or not this could be a possible career choice for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8DaTRcCG-k
Tags: career, job search, medical, physical therapy, PT
They make a lot of money, but you should pick a career that you would like. I think I would like it, but some of those subject would be hard for me to learn :)
several of my friends are planning to become physical therapists! i would suggest that if you would like to, you should try to work or intern at a local clinic. many of my friends did and said it is great experience