A physical therapist is the health care professional who is going to treat patients of all ages who might have a medical condition or health problem that affect their ability to move around or perform their daily activities. This means that they are going to need to closely examine their patient to figure out what the best treatment plan to help the patient’s ability to move, reduce the amount of pain that a patient is in, or to prevent an injury. This exam is going to include a series of tests that can ensure that the physical therapist will not make an injury worse. There are a variety of different places where a physical therapist can work like a hospital, nursing home, school, or a fitness center (American, 2013).
In order to become a physical therapist, a person need a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Some of the classes that a person is going to take for this doctoral is biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, and pharmacology. The person will also need to do some clinical rotations so that they will be able to get some work experience. This is going to be especially true if the person wants to work in acute or orthopedic care. A person will need to be licensed in all states to be a physical therapist, which means that they will need to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination. Plus this person will need to continue their education so that they can keep their license (Bureau, 2013).
There are a variety of different technical schools, colleges, and universities were a person can take courses in physical therapy. Based on the type of physical therapist that a person wants to be, it is going to take a different amount of time. Most of the time, it is going to take about three years to get a degree to become a physical therapist. The tuition and fees for the physical therapist program is about $40,000 with $2,000 in books and supplies (Arcadia, 2013). Besides a doctoral, there are three more options for a person who wants to become a physical therapist. The first option is the Master of Science in Physical Therapy for international students who are already licensed to be a physical therapist. The second option is a transitional doctor of physical therapy for the person who wants to get a bachelor’s or master’s degree in physical therapy. The third option is a certificate of advanced study in physical therapy (MGH, 2013).
The demand for physical therapists is suppose to increase by about 39 percent in 10 years, which is a lot faster than average for other occupations. This means that by 2020, physical therapists will be in high demand. This is going to be because of people wanting to stay more active than the previous generations wanted to. Therefore, these people are going to be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or another type of mobility injury. Since these patients are going to be older, the physical therapists are probably going to be need the most in nursing homes and hospitals. The average pay for a physical therapist is $76,310 so they will make almost $37.00 an hour (Indeed, 2013).
Once a person has decided that they want to become a physical therapist and has started their classes, the person might want to join the American Physical Therapy Association. This association is going to be a big help when the person is trying to make a career out of being a physical therapist (American, 2013). A physical therapist is going to need to continue to learn new things throughout their career. This should be done every three years because the license is good for three years. A person will not be able to do physical therapy if their license has expired (CommonWealth, 2013).
There are a few reasons why I decided that I wanted to be a physical therapist. The first reason is the job security. This is because the demand for physical therapists is going up throughout the years. The second reason is that I am going to be able to make a difference in a person’s life. I will be able to help ease some of the pain that a person might be in if they have an injury. The third reason is that I have the ability to work in a variety of different facilities. Some of these facilities might include nursing homes, schools, or hospitals.
References
American Physical Therapy Association. (2013). Role of a Physical Therapist. Retrieved on
Arcadia University. (2013). Physical Therapy. Retrieved on October 16th, 2013, from
http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=1007.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). How to Become A Physical Therapist: Education. Retrieved
on October 16,2013, from
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Physical-therapists.htm#tab-4.
CommonWealth of Massachusetts (2013). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved on October
18th, 2013, from
http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/licensee/dpl-boards/ah/faqs/frequently-asked-question-4.html#pt06.
Indeed. (2013). Physical Therapist Salary. Retrieved on October 16th, 2013, from http://www.indeed.com/salary/Physical-Therapist.html
MGH Institute of Health Professions. (2013). Degree and Certificate Options. Retrieved on
October 17th, 2013, from
http://www.mghihp.edu/academics/physical-therapy/degree-options/.
