Do you love fitness and are interested in medical care? Do you enjoy working with people and helping them? Do you think both physical stamina and emotional stamina are valuable? Then you can pursue a lucrative career in Physical Therapy.
Who are Physical Therapists?
These are the professionals who help people lead healthy and active lives. They are the movement experts responsible for improving people’s quality of life through prescribing exercise, hands-on care and educating patients.
Also called PTs, they help the injured or people suffering from illnesses for their movement improvement and reducing and managing their pain.
They provide cost-effective treatments for patients to improve their mobility and pain relief, reducing the requirement for surgery and prescription medicines and engaging the patients to participate in a recovery plan specifically designed to meet their needs.
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Responsibilities of Physical Therapists
Physical Therapists typically perform the following duties.
- Reviewing patient’s medical histories and any referrals or notes from doctors or surgeons or healthcare workers.
- Diagnosing patients’ movements and functions by observing them stand or walk.
- Develop customized treatment plans for patients tailored to meet their goals and expected outcomes.
- Use various techniques like exercise, stretching manoeuvres, therapies and various types of equipment to help reduce the patient’s pain, increase their mobility, prevention of further pain and injury.
- Evaluating and recording patient’s progress and updating treatment plans if required.
- Educating the patients and their families on expectations from the recovery process and helping them face the challenges encountered during the treatment process.
Education and Eligibility
- Completion of 10+2 in science stream from a recognized university.
- Completion of bachelors in health related field since there are no bachelor degrees offered in Physical therapy. Aspirants of Physical therapy should pursue their bachelors in physics, chemistry, anatomy, biomedical engineering, anatomy etc.
- After successful completion of undergraduate degree, enroll in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT).
Career Advancement in Physical Therapy
After completion of DPT, professionals in physical therapy can advance in their careers by obtaining relevant field experiences, pursuing certifications and enhancing management skills by earning a postsecondary education.
Some other ways of career advancement are listed below:
- Undertaking residencies or fellowships for gaining field experience gives job applicants an edge over the existing competition.
- Undergoing specializations in different fields like women’s health, paediatrics etc by gaining certifications.
- Pursue degrees in business administration, health management and health administration.
- Earn Continuing Education (CE) credits.
- Stay abreast on treatments, technologies and medical emergencies for providing patients with effective care.
Skills required
The following are the skills set a Physical Therapist should possess to become successful in his field.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Sympathetic and compassionate towards patients.
- Manual Dexterity and Physical Stamina.
- Detail-oriented and resourceful.
- Organizational and observation skills.
- Understanding of human anatomy and physiology.
- Pain Assessment and management, therapeutic practices.
- Excellent communication skills.
Health Conditions treated by Physical Therapist
The following are some of the health conditions commonly treated by Physical therapists.
- Arthritis.
- Sports Injury.
- Joint Injuries of Knee and ankles.
- Chronic pain, Back and neck pain.
- Diabetes and Obesity.
- Birth defects and spinal cord injuries.
- Fractures and Muscle strains.
- Brain Injury and Parkinson’s disease.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
- Pelvic pain.
- Cancer related complications.
Employment Sector of Physical Therapist
A physical therapist can find a good number of employment opportunities in the following sectors.
- Private Practices and outpatient centres.
- Sports, Fitness and wellness centres.
- Research facilities.
- Rehabilitation offices.
- Occupational or work environments.
- Educational institutions.
- Government facilities for medical personnel and civilians.
- Nursing Homes.
- Home healthcare services.
- Spectator Sports.
- Outpatient Care Centers.
Career Paths in Physical Therapy
A Physical Therapist can undergo specialization in the following career paths mentioned below:
- Cardiovascular and Pulmonary fields.
- Geriatrics.
- Neurology.
- Oncology.
- Orthopaedics.
- Clinical Electrophysiology.
- Paediatrics.
- Women’s Health.
- Sports.
- Wound Management.
Salary and Career Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLU), the average median salary for a Physical Therapists is $ 89,440. Salaries vary based on different factors like position, experience level, education, geographic location and practice setting.
The projected job growth for these professionals is 18% as predicted by BLU. This growth reflects the increasing numbers of chronically ill and elderly people and also the medical advancements leading to more trauma survivors.
There are about 15,200 openings for Physical therapists yearly on average. These openings are expected due to professionals leaving the workforce due to retirement or moving into other occupations.
Job prospects are good in rural areas where the services of physical therapy are less common than in urban and suburban areas.
– Samiya Firdous
