Cratch 1 Danielle Cratch Ms.

Melissa Mohlere Eng 112-42 Career Service Project 20 September 2013 Career Research Project The industry I want to work in is Healthcare. The field within the industry I want to work in is Physical Therapy. It means a lot to me to be able to help people. Im always confused as to what I want to do in my life, but I think I might have an idea now. The career of physical therapy is the remediation of impairments and disabilities. Physical therapy is a dynamic profession with an established theoretical and scientific base and widespread clinical applications in the restoration, maintenance, and promotion of optimal physical function (Physical Therapist (PT) Careers). According to ONET OnLine, physical therapists plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients. Physical therapists are trained to use a variety of different techniques sometimes called modalitiesto care for their patients. These techniques include applying heat and cold, hands-on stimulation or massage, and using assistive and adaptive devices and equipment (Physical Therapists ONET). Other activities include education, research, administration, and consultation.

Cratch 2 The job outlook for physical therapy is definitely increasing by a lot. As said by the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the projected growth in employment in the field is 39%, which is much faster than the average. Currently, 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 (Physical Therapy (PT) Careers ONET). Thats a crazy amount of jobs! I will not be worried about not getting accepted into a Physical Therapy program in the future! An issue nowadays involving the physical therapy profession is fair physical therapy copays. There is an increase of out-of-pocket expenses for physical therapy patients. Under certain health plans, copayments for physical therapy services, some exceeding $60 per visit, also can exceed the reimbursement paid by the plan to the provider of care (Fair Physical Therapy Copays). Currently, in many health insurance contracts, the physical therapist is classified under the specialist designation, which from a fiscal perspective increases the financial burden to the patient, says the American Physical Therapy Association in Fair Physical Therapy Copays. Most other health care specialists are seen in consultation at significantly less frequent intervals than that required in contemporary physical therapy care (Fair Physical Therapy Copays). I think that eventually patients are going to stop coming to their therapy sessions because the skyrocketing costs of co-pays are too much for patients to be paying out of their own pockets. The benefits of being a physical therapist is getting to work one-on-one with your patients. The soaring demand for physical therapists can be attributed to the aging American population, particularly baby boomers who are more vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions that require physical therapist services (Physical Therapist (PT) Careers). You will learn much about the human body parts and will help patients recover from pain and eventually prevent disability. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for physical

Cratch 3 therapists is expected to spike upward by an astonishing 30% between 2008 and 2018a much quicker rate than average (Physical Therapist (PT) Careers). Another benefit is getting to work in hospitals or your own office. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median salary, in 2010, of a physical therapist with a Masters Degree is $76,310 per year and $36.69 per hour. In my eyes, I think that most physical therapists would work for free because of the benefits they are receiving from the patients recovering. Most physical therapists work full time. About 29 percent worked part time in 2010 (Physical Therapists OOH). I think that this salary is great because a specialist who does this much should get a lot of money for what they are doing! According to www.physicaltherapysalarydata.net, a physical therapist makes this salary:

According to APTA.org, most physical therapist education programs require applicants to earn a bachelor's degree prior to admission into the professional Doctor of Physical Therapy/Masters of Physical Therapy program. Physical therapists typically need a doctoral degree in physical therapy. All states require physical therapists to be licensed (Physical

Cratch 4 Therapists OOH). Many licenses also require you to further your education after being certified in order to stay a certified therapist. Going to school is a must in this field. Other programs offer a 3+3 curricular format in which 3 years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate/pre-PT) courses must be taken before the student can advance into a 3-year professional PT program (Physical Therapist (PT) Careers). Therapy takes a lot of hard work, but I know itll pay off in the long run. In 20 years, I picture myself being some kind of therapist. I picture myself being a physical, occupational, or rehabilitation therapist. Being a therapist would make me very happy because I love helping people feel better, not just pain wise, but feeling better about themselves as well. The only weakness I would have in this career is not paying attention as well to the patients because of my ADHD. I am trying to become a better listener, seeing as people who dont listen, dont get very far in life. This career of physical therapy would please me because of the rewards I would receive. To me, the rewards are seeing the people progress from day one to the end day. The transitions that the patients make will be incredible. Just knowing that you could help a person in a horrible state turn into a healthy state would just make me feel so content with myself. Seeing patients with less/no more pain to deal with would make me smile and applaud myself and the patient for the work I have done with them to achieve this goal. I am a happy person who cares about many of the people I meet and I just love to see others smile. This career could possibly be my dream job since I love helping people as much as I can! Two threats that will keep me from achieving the title of Physical Therapist are procrastination and lack of studying. Procrastination has always been a problem of mine since

Cratch 5 high school. A few things I can do now are study for upcoming tests, not let stress overwhelm my body and mind, and not wait until the last minute to do all of my homework assignments. Goals I want to achieve this semester is listen attentively in class, write down all possible notes, study at least an hour a day, and do all my homework assignments when I first get them (or try to). Completing all these tasks will help me get good grades and succeed in college and in my future career.

Cratch 6 Works Cited APTA. "Physical Therapist (PT) Careers." Physical Therapist (PT) Careers. American Physical Therapy Association, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. <http://www.apta.org/PTCareers/>. "Physical Therapists." O*NET OnLine. National Center for O*NET Development, n.d. Web. 20 Sep. 2013. <http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1123.00>. Physical Therapists. Occupational Outlook Handbook. US Department of Labor Statistics, 6 April 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicaltherapists.htm>. APTA. "Fair Physical Therapy Copays." Fair Physical Therapy Copays. American Physical Therapy Association, 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. <http://www.apta.org/StateIssues/FairCopays/>.