The work of a physical therapist is all about helping others on a daily basis. Your patients come to you when they need to overcome obstacles so that they can live productive and comfortable lives after an illness or an injury.

As a physical therapist, it is your job to support your patients and teach them techniques for coping with their personal challenges so that they can take care of themselves on their own once more.

Help Patients Recover Their Quality of Life

A physical therapist works with patients who have suffered many different kinds of illness or injury. You might work with a stroke victim to help recover muscle control that was lost. You could work with people who have lost limbs in accidents as they become more comfortable with using their prosthetic. People who suffer from illnesses that cause them to lose muscle control also visit physical therapists to strengthen the muscles they can still use and prolong the use of muscles that are becoming less usable. You will work with patients of all ages who have the same goal: Recovery and restoration of their former quality of life.

Different Settings for Physical Therapy Jobs

Physical therapists work in several different types of settings. Some therapists have regular offices with general practitioners. Hospitals hire physical therapists to work directly with hospital patients who are unable to travel. You could visit your patient in his or her hospital room, or work with them in a hospital physical therapy center. Some physical therapists travel to the homes of their patients for one-on-one therapy sessions. The type of physical therapy that you choose to focus on will help determine what kind of place you can expect to go to for work on a daily basis.

Necessary Education and Certification

To work as a physical therapist, you must complete a physical therapist training program. Most physical therapists hold Master’s Degrees, while others continue their training and receive Doctorates in physical therapy. The programs include classes on biology, physiology, chemistry, and physics as the core subjects. Higher level classes provide training in more specialized areas of physical therapy. Once you have completed school, you will need to pass a state certification test before you can begin practicing. Most states also require that you complete a certain number of continuing education credits in order to maintain your license to practice.

Demand for Physical Therapists Rising

As medicine continues to advance and people are able to survive more traumatic illnesses and injuries, the demand for physical therapists continues to increase. Today’s seniors are living longer than ever before, and they usually need the services of a physical therapist at some point in their later lives. The demand for more physical therapists is expected to continue to rise dramatically over the next decade. A physical therapist can expect to earn a median salary of around $80,000 per year depending on their level of experience and the amount of training they have received. Beginning salaries are in the $60,000 range.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 at 8:23 am and is filed under Career, Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.