Investigating a Major: Physical Therapy

Investigating A Major: Physical Therapy

Briana Walker
University 1301

Investigating a Major: Physical Therapy

Physical Therapists
Physical Therapists or abbreviated as PTs, are therapists who specialize in the treatment of
dysfunctional movements and come up with a special plan of treatment. Using exercise and hands on
therapy, the patients goals are highlighted with the plan of care they receive. PTs care for patients of
all ages who have problems with movement and mobility, after suffering from back or neck injuries as
well as injuries related to work or sports and neurological disorders, arthritis, and strokes, to name a few.

According to the Utep college of Health Sciences, Doctor of Physical Therapy website, Physical
therapy is offered at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) as a doctorate. The total education time
is estimated at six years to obtain a license as a Physical Therapist. The first three years consist of
required courses, electives, and major courses (pre- physical therapy). During this course time, you may
apply into graduate school for admission into the Physical Therapy program. When admitted into the
program, clinical practicums serve as internships as students skills are put into practice to get more
training and experience in the field as the students prepare for any state board exams given in order to
obtain the license as a certified Physical Therapist.
When having a license in Physical Therapy, it is now the most important part overall- a job.
When choosing a job in the field, looking at all the benefits that each clinic has to offer is very
important. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the estimated salary based on the 2012 median
pay was at $79,860 per year. The salary is very well, compared to the job of a person who is flipping
burgers for the rest of their life. One paper changes lives in a major way. The job outlook based on a
year range from 2012-2022 is approximately 36% which is significantly improved greater than the
average.
According to the College of Central Florida in A day in the life of a Physical Therapist, The
workplace usually is in a clinic specifically designed for therapy, hospitals also have on site therapists as

Investigating a Major: Physical Therapy

well as private practices. Stress is less as well due to normal business hours worked. A typical day for a
therapist is a day shift ranging from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. It provides the physical therapist with a lenient
schedule to be able to handle work related issues and give the therapist time to spend with their family
etc. Usually hospitals or nursing homes, or home health agencies have physical therapists work evening
and weekend hours.
A typical day in the life of a therapist includes the therapist evaluating the patient and creating a
unique plan of care for the patient. The therapist then assigns a patient to their personal physical
therapist assistant, then that assistant gives the patient the required therapy needed. In most settings, the
therapist is not on site while the assistant gives the therapy, for this reason, the assistant needs to learn
how to work independently.
I had the pleasure of talking with my grandfathers physical therapist. My grandfather was
diagnosed with a brain tumor which of course, affected his strength in his legs and is working on
regaining the strength missing. The therapist was able to tell me about a day in the life for her and what
type of stability she has. A day in her working life consists of working with her assistant and evaluating
the patient for the therapy needed. An evaluation typically lasts within an hour to two hours. The
evaluation contains questions about the condition the patient is in and also to show the therapist how
much the patient can do and the therapist then sees what areas of work are needed. The therapist told me
the pay she receives is very good and she is able to provide for her family with what she earns without
having to stress about finding ways to pay the bill for the month. The hours also allow her to be with her
family often as she works a 9 to 5 job with regular hours and very rarely working on the weekends or
holidays.
I also spoke to an advisor at UTEP before I had even considered becoming a physical therapist
and he had told me the job market for Physical Therapy is growing and more and more jobs are
becoming available due to the high demand of therapists. The therapy field is a great filed to consider
due to stability and jobs becoming more and more available.

Investigating a Major: Physical Therapy

1
Annotated Bibliography

A Day in the Life of a Physical Therapist Assistant. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.cf.edu/departments/instruction/health/pta/life.htm#pt

This Website I used in which took part in my paper, was a website that listed all the duties of a Physical therapist
and what they do on a day to day basis. This website helped me to better understand what I already knew about
PTs and my knowledge expanded with this website.

Physical Therapists : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, January 8).
Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/mobile/physical-therapists.htm

This website really helped me out the most because it helped me when I needed to learn the salary, the job market,
etc. This website shows you everything you need to know about becoming a therapist and the type of education
one needs to receive in order to become a certified therapist.

UTEP Doctor of Physical Therapy - Doctor Of Physical Therapy Degree Program Curriculum. (2013, March 11).
Retrieved from:
http://chs.utep.edu/pt/about_the_program/doctor_of_physical_therapy_degree_program_curriculum.php

Lastly, The UTEP website for physical therapist helped me in learning more specifically on the type of education
one needs in order to become a licensed therapist.

Investigating a Major: Physical Therapy