Physical Therapist Assistant Essay

“Dedicated to enhancing professional and personal growth for allied health professionals, American Medical Technologists (AMT) awards the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credential to qualifying individuals.

I am incredibly lucky to have been fortunate enough to say that I worked hands on with a Physical Therapist over this past summer. It was an experience I will never forget and one that I will treasure forever.

The job I plan on pursuing with kinesiology as my major is to become a physical therapist, which is also known as PT. Their main duty is helping patients rehabilitate with disabling injuries such as fractures, arthritis and low-back pain. Their duty is to help patients their relieve pain, increase mobility, and decrease long-term physical disabilities. Physical therapists focus on the evaluation of strength, balance, range of motion, co-ordination, endurance, and posture of each individual patient. Their patients can range from different age groups from infants to grandparents. The age group would provide a variety of therapeutic exercises for each of the health issues they would have. Depending

Depending on a person’s experience and knowledge, annual salaries may differ. “The average starting salary for a physical therapist assistant is $27,000 but the average of all was $44,130 in 2007 with experienced assistants earning up to $61,340. The salary for an occupational therapist was $58,080 in 2006 but some made as much as $80,000”, according to the American Medical Association (Allied). These numbers will definitely be an improvement on salaries that I have had in the past. With the current unemployment rate one must be looking to get into a career field where there is employment as well as financial security. A salary of $40,000 or more will make a big change in my lifestyle. This will allow me to live the lifestyle I want by helping others and having the salary to vacation wherever I like. With the current lifestyle that I am living this will be a great financial boost for me and my family.

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

With the job outlook of the physical therapy field being expected to grow by 34 percent by 2024, faster than the average occupation, the average annual wage at a whopping $84,020, paid sick and vacation days and the flexible work environment, this seems like the perfect profession to enter. Having a career in physical therapy can be very rewarding because a physical therapist gets to watch as his or her patients improve every appointment through treatment. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in this profession. There are many disadvantages, and knowing these will help anyone interested in this field have a better understanding of how tough pursuing a career in this field can be. Being a physical therapist can be a rewarding experience and have amazing benefits. However, it is important to be aware of the disadvantages: the extreme amount of education, physical demands, emotional demands and the continuation of education requirements.

Have you ever bent down to pick something up or sprinted after your dog because he got loose? Not many people in today’s society pay attention to their body movement. They often take their body’s ability to move normally for granted. A person’s biomechanics are essential to everyday life, without being able to move properly one cannot perform everyday tasks. Unfortunately, there are people who are not able to do so and face many hardships in their life and may be in a lot of pain. Therefore, these people seek professional assistance to help them regain their ability to function normally. Usually, they end up in the care of a physical therapist and his assistant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapist assistants

A physical therapy assistant work in clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, schools, corporate or industrial health centers, private physical therapy offices, community health centers, sports facilities, research institutions, nursing homes, home health agencies, pediatric centers, colleges, and universities. The conditions of such vary by whether they are full-time or part-time. Some clinics, hospitals, etc. have evening and weekend hours. It could get stressful, but have patience. Listen to the patient and take it step by step. Also, knowing what your supervising physical therapist expects out of you may help with the stress. The physical therapy assistant working conditions involve frequent kneeling, stooping and standing for long periods of time. Being physical fit is a major advantage in this field.

There are more than 100,000 certified Physician Assistants practicing medicine in the United States. PA’s have a very high starting salary and get to do a lot of hands on work. After just two years of schooling you can come out making an average of $94,000. Being stuck at a desk all day is dreadful, and physician assistants get to choose what they want their work environment to look like. Job opportunities for a PA are expected to go up by more than thirty percent between 2010 and 2020. When you are a PA you have a huge amount of flexibility to choose your specialization. I know that a PA is the best career choice for me because i love to work with people and enjoy social interaction, i love to have flexibility to be able to spend time with my family, and there are very good benefits and there will always be job openings.

The working conditions for physical therapists are fairly attractive, mainly because of the wide range of choices. Physical therapists can choose the setting they want to work in. Though a large number of physical therapists work in hospitals, now more than 70 percent of them can be found in private physical therapy offices, community health centers, corporate or industrial health centers, sports facilities, research institutions, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, schools, pediatric centers, colleges, and universities ("A Future" 9). Most physical

The change agent experience that I chose to write about was an experience or revelation that I had towards the end of this semester. At Nebraska Methodist College I was enrolled in the Physical Therapist Assistant program, and for a while, I thought it was the right thing for me; however, as time went on I realized that it wasn't the right fit for me.

If I am accepted into the University of Texas at El Paso Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, I plan to use my past experience and training from the program to oblige under privileged areas and communities. Moreover, I began to prepare for the mission of providing culturally skillful and dialectal experienced care through my experience shadowing and volunteering under Sandra Terrazas, where I have been in contact with patients of different ethnic backgrounds. By sitting in on patient evaluations and therapy sessions of primarily Spanish speaking patients, I am taking steps to learn Spanish in order to better serve the patients in my community and beyond. Likewise, I have been volunteering at a clinic where I can observe different diagnoses and populations such as geriatric patients, breast cancer survivor therapy, incontinence patients and sports injuries.

On the other hand, to just become a physical therapy assistant, all that is required is graduation from a physical therapist program and passing a national or state exam. When it comes to physical therapists’ salaries, it depends on a lot on of factors, like their job location, how much experience they have and their employer. “A Physical Therapist evaluates, diagnoses, and treats patients with disorders that limit their abilities to move or function normally in daily life. This career may be a good fit for people who have good interpersonal skills & desire to help others with their physical limitations” (Study.com). For an individual to make more money as a physical therapist, they would have to get the highest level of education and then work their way up promotions and become program director or a clinic manager. It varies on what the highest position there is at their place of employment. For physical therapy assistants the national average median salary was about $45,650 annually.

The human experience is not a vague suggestion of what everyone strives for. This is a very individualized set of preferences and priorities that each person desires in life. We are all unique beings and as a physical therapist, there is a duty to create a specific strategy of care that is centered on the needs of the consumer. Movement is the basis of everything we do. Optimizing movement by improving mobility and motion, managing pain, and regaining original capabilities will guide society to a healthier and more active lifestyle.

After completing my undergraduates in biology as well as my doctorates of Physical Therapy, I plan to continue my community service through as well as after college. I will definitely continue to volunteer for the Homeless Sandwich Runs through my church, St. George Coptic Orthodox Church. Likewise, I plan to help those who are in need of physical therapy, but are unable to afford it. For example, I can help students in the city of Chicago who injured themselves while playing sports. Since Chicago’s public schools are in need of great assistance, I believe my small actions can create enormous changes. Countless people are concerned about politics, gas prices, and the stock market, but in my opinion, they should be more concerned about the cities