Explore Your Career as a Physical Therapist

You’re inspired to care of and help others, but will a Physical Therapy career be the right choice for you? Just imagine, a construction worker with an injured back, a senior citizen with arthritis, an infant with a birth defect, an Olympic athlete, a person who has suffered a stroke, a child with a disability, a pregnant woman, an overstressed business executive – this is a diverse group of people; each can benefit in some way from physical therapy. Perhaps the biggest benefit of being a healthcare professional is that you will make a difference in people’s lives – you will be helping to make our world a little healthier, a little safer and a little better.

Yes, we are talking about a career as a Physical Therapy. Unlike many industries that are losing workers, the physical fitness within the healthcare field is growing rapidly. As essential participants in the health care delivery system; physical therapists assume leadership roles in rehabilitation, prevention, programs that promote health, wellness and fitness. Physical therapists also play important roles both in developing standards for physical therapy practice and in developing health care policy to ensure availability, accessibility and optimal delivery of healthcare services.

Various career journals report ranked physical therapist twelfth in its 2017 list of best healthcare jobs. It’s also a job that is likely to be in demand. Various Statistics projects that employment of physical therapists will grow by 36% between 2017 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Salaries vary based on position, years of experience, educational qualifications, geographical location and practice setting. The average salary for the profession is $94,020 per year.One of the benefits of being a physical therapist is the variety of job settings there are to choose from, including:

General medical and hospitals: Many hospitals provide opportunities for specializations, such as acute care, wound care, orthopedics and geriatrics.

Outpatient clinics. Outpatient clinics provide complete care, sports medicine rehabilitation, and many other facilities.

Rehabilitation hospitals: Physical therapists work on a team along with occupational, speech and recreational therapists to provide comprehensive patient therapy.

Home health care services: Physical therapists provide therapy in a patient’s home.

Corporations: Many corporations employ physical therapists for employee health and wellness.

Sports teams: Sports teams from little leagues to professional teams employ physical therapists.

An advice for people who think they are “too old” to take on such a big challenge of becoming a physical therapist is to get yourself organized, find a good support team, and then go for it.