Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.
As a physical therapist, one is able to make a difference in the lives of the patients he or she encounters. Whether they have a minor injury, such as a broken
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The medical field will always continue to grow and so will the demand for those types of careers. According to AOL Jobs, a highly researched source for advice on careers, “Driven primarily by aging baby boomers and technology advances that improve survival rates for trauma victims and children with birth defects, the demand for physical therapy is forecast to continue to grow” (Schepp). AOL Jobs also listed physical therapy as the third most secure career choice. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “the demand for physical therapists is expected to spike upward by an astonishing 30% between 2008 and 2018—a much quicker rate than average… there are approximately 185,500 licensed physical therapists in the United States, and that number is expected to jump to 241,700 over the next 10 years” (qtd. In Benefits of a Physical Therapist Career). Physical therapy will continue to grow exponentially as the population continues to age. Figure 1: Projected employment and growth of physical therapy and its related
A Physical therapist is a highly educated, licensed health care professional that can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility. They can teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits. To become a physical therapist one must go through years of school and training. My goal of becoming a physical therapist has been my main goal ever since high school. Being in a swim team and helping others out as a lifeguard has motivated to into helping athletes and people with disabilities. To me, working with people would be a fantastic career field for me to pursue. Reaching this goal is harder than most career goals. I will have to go through a pool of candidates that are has motivated as me. This goal that I am trying to accomplish will need a hundred percent of my effort in school and the field itself. Finding “connections in the field of physical therapy will help you find a job faster. Many people will try to get a spot in the career that I want and for me to accomplish my goal, I must be a better candidate than the others.
In 2008 physical therapy assistants and aides held about 109,000 jobs (U.S. Department of Labor). With the escalating demand for physical therapy services, job projection for physical therapy assistants are expected to be really nice in skilled nursing, orthopedic settings, and hospitals where the elderly are most often treated.
Beyond the educational requirements for physical therapists are the many other attributes that are needed to be successful. A career as a physical therapist requires a lot of studied skills, personal characteristics and physical fitness. A physical therapist should enjoy working with people and helping others. An ability to listen to patients and understand is important to success. Patients are often a victim of a traumatic experience, injury or are afflicted by a debilitating disease. The emotional distress can often be as trying as the physical dysfunction. (Kottler 11) Communicating and teaching skills are needed to help patients learn new movements and exercises to practice on their own. Physical therapists help patients set goals, regain and strengthen muscles and flexibility. Helping a patient find confidence in the program helps them to
The physical therapy profession is concerned with treating individuals of all ages. In the future, I plan on being able to comfort individuals undergoing physical therapy by being able to use my compassionate nature, caring, understanding, and the expertise that I will gain, while serving as their physical therapist. In doing the previously mentioned things, I hope to be considered as an important asset to society. I believe that people will be able to increase their viability by seeking my assistance.
I believe impacting the lives of other people positively in the society is a great achievement. As a physical therapist in future, I will leave an impression by helping patients to obtain maximum health care through rehabilitation. Furnished with knowledge from a program of physical therapy specialist, I will help patients to manage pain, improve their movement, limit or prevent permanent disabilities and restore functioning (Porter and Teisberg, 2006). My aim is to offer high quality care that will eventually help patients to promote their health and fitness through active
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.
Now, I was the one who was able to develop treatment plans for patients. I loved being able to help my athletes reach their goals and return to play. Although there were aspects of Athletic Training that I enjoyed, I found that there were other parts of the profession that I did not like, especially acting as a first responder at athletic events. At my clinical rotations, I often found myself thinking about working as a physical therapist. My injury opened my eyes to a profession I had never considered before.
The outlook for a Physical Therapist would be that it is going to to increase but by very little. The average increase is 2.00% each year. So if there is a 2.00% increase each year there is a 2.00% chance that someone will get a career as a Physical Therapist. People need to think of the location when finding a career. Which is the geographic location of where a person would like to live to be able to commute back and forth from work. Working as a physical therapist means working with all kinds of people so various amounts of people might not be every ones type.Working as a Physical Therapist gives the option of working in an office with patients, working at a high school with injured athletes or working with major sports team. Last is how far someone wants to travel. What that means is if someone is living in a small town like Knox Pennsylvania and they want to work with the Pittsburgh Steelers that would mean traveling 2 hours to work everyday. Not everybody wants to travel that far so keep that in
While there may be many experiences and attributes that I possess that will be a catalyst in my success as a physical therapist there are three that I feel have thoroughly prepared me for the physical therapy profession. First is the attribute of empathy. I feel that I am empathetic as a result of growing up with an older brother who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. I can definitively say that growing up with a sibling who has a disability has shaped me into the person that I am today and has allowed me to develop skills in ways that others may not have been exposed to. This experience will be valuable because when patients are receiving physical therapy, they may feel alone and frustrated with themselves. It is important for myself,
Also, a PTOT has the assurance of guaranteed job security and great salaries. For instance, PTOT’s have more job security more so than other jobs in today’s society, because of a major contributing factor; people are living longer. Apta claims, “the soaring demand for physical therapists can be attributed to the aging American population, particularly baby boomers which are more vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions that require physical therapist services” (“Apta”). The job of a PTOT is very secure. In addition, salaries for PTOT’s are very impressive, according to the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, “a PTOT’s salary compared to related occupations . . . physical therapists receives leading pay at all levels. The average starting salary of a PT is $57,220 at the beginning of their careers, and progresses to $105,900” depending on their worksite” (“Labor Bureau”). PTOT’s are compensated very well for their hard work.
Physical Therapy is an active, helpful career. It focuses on rehabilitation to reestablish full function and mobility to the patient. Anyone and everyone can qualify for physical therapy. Patients differ in age and race, and of course, by their illness or injury. The job involves possessing and using knowledge to diagnose the patient and establish a management plan deciding what therapy will benefit and improve the patient’s condition and averaging how long it will take to accomplish.
In this text, I concern myself with physical therapy as a career alternative. In so doing, I will amongst other things identify a number of services within the said career alternative. Further, in addition to discussing the roles of the workforce within the identified services, I will also highlight the impact of the said roles on health care organizations.
Physical Therapy is a very important profession. There are many people that are treated and cared for by the physical therapist and the physical therapist assistant each and every day. They have helped many patients improve their overall way of life and this profession has provided jobs to thousands of people. Physical therapy has made a big impact on the world and has changed the way patients can be treated.
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
A physical therapist works with many different people to reduce pain and improve flexibility. PT’s first evaluate a patient based on what happened to them. Later, they create a personalized treatment for the patient based on what happened to them. They work in clinics, hospitals, sports facilities and many more locations. The average pay of a physical therapist is $80,000 dollars a year which depends on experience and location. To become a physical therapist, you must get a four year undergraduate degree. Then you must get a graduate degree from a physical therapy program. Finally a PT must pass a national licensure exam to be able to practice. This career relates to sports medicine because many PT’s work with athletes that have gotten injured