Brianna Rivera

WRA 140
Dr. Caesar
6 April 2015
Physical Therapy
Imagine yourself walking into a hospital or practice and an assistant
handing you a chart. You read the chart and your patient is a car accident victim
who has lost the use of their legs. Without your help this person wouldnt be able
to walk. You reassure the patient that you will do everything in your power to help
them take steps again and a huge grin comes across their face. Did imagining this
give you joy? Can you imagine yourself doing and enjoying this everyday? Well
if you can Physical Therapy may be the job for you. Physical Therapy has been
around since World War I and has been developing and changing ever since.
Physical therapists are healthcare professionals who maintain, restore, and
improve movement, activity, and health enabling individuals of all ages to have
optimal functioning and quality of life, while ensuring patient safety and applying
evidence to provide efficient and effective care (The American Physical Therapy
Association 2). This science-based career path is something to be committed too.
There is a lot of hard work, time, and money that goes into this career, but in the
end the reward can be very beneficial.
Being a Physical Therapists can require years of schooling. As of 2008,
27.3% of physical therapists responded to the practice profile survey question
regarding highest earned degree that they have a baccalaureate degree, 37.6% have
a masters degree, 4.9% a PhD, 15.7% an entry- level DPT degree, and 11.6% a

transition-DPT degree(The American Physical Therapy Association 29). Classes

that you have to take during the undergraduate portion of your schooling include,
but are not exclusive to, Physics, Chemistry, and Algebra. Two of the more
important classes that need to be taken during undergrad include Anatomy and
Physiology because these have to do with the body and how it moves. Also,
depending on what path you choose to take after undergrad, for instance either
attending medical school or Physical Therapy school to obtain your doctorate
degree, there could be classes needed to be taken to attend them like Psychology
and Statistics. If these classes dont interest you what so ever, maybe being a
Physical Therapist isnt for you.
The Physical Therapy field of work is known to be dominated by
women. According to The American Physical Therapy Association, about 74
percent of all licensed physical therapists are women. Mr. Linder, a physical
therapist, agrees with this statistic saying, In his time as a PT he has witnessed
that 70 to 75 percent of physical therapist have been women but this is also true
with most areas of the medical field. But being a male in this field is not
impossible. Mr. Linder, for example has been a Physical Therapist for over 30
years and is the owner of his own practice. It all comes down to hard work Mr.
Linder says, If you are willing to apply your self and work your butt of you will
succeed no matter if you are male or female.

Since the techniques, methods, and patients of physical therapy are always
changing there are a couple of skills that are very necessary. A very important
skill for being a physical therapists includes being able to communicate with
people well (Guccione). Being a physical therapist, you will understand some
terminology that other people wont. Being able to tell patients what is wrong with
them and how you going to fix their problem in a way they will understand is
crucial. You want to be able to make people feel as comfortable around you as
possible so communication is a vital skill. Another huge skill needed is being able
to write well. Not only do Physical Therapists have to write charts for every
patient but there may be times when a physical therapist comes up with a new way
to rehabilitate a patient. Other PTs will want to know the procedure so a paper
explaining your procedure may need to be published. You want to be able to write
well so it is easy for the paper to be published.

Since physical therapy is in the medical field an important

attribute to have is being physically fit. Physical therapists, physical therapist
assistants, and student physical therapists all appear to follow the ACSM
recommendations for physical activity at rates higher than those of both the
general public and other healthcare professionals (Chevan, Haskvitz). Being
physically fit as a physical therapists lets you be an example to others, specifically
patients, on how important being physically active is. If you arent physically fit

how can you expect your patients to take your advice and live healthy lives?

Because of all the hard work that Physical Therapists do, they are some of
the best-paid medical professionals today. The median annual wage for physical
therapists was $81,030 in 2013. The best-paid 10 percent made $113,340, while
the bottom 10 percent made $56,280 (Bratcher). To go with a good salary there
could be a build-up of debt because all the years of schooling required. Student
loans can take a long time to pay off. This is something to take into consideration
when considering physical therapy as a career.

There is a lot of information and techniques within physical therapy.

Because of all the information it can be hard for one person to remember every
single thing. This is where choosing a specialty can come in handy. There are
many specialties to be chosen from in Physical Therapy. For instance, if you like
working with kids you could specialize in Pediatric Physical Therapy. This
specialty would be different from others because dealing with children is much
different than dealing with adults. Helping kids learn specific motions in the pool
and working with them on the floor instead of a high treatment table is very
popular within Pediatric Physical Therapy (Krumhansl, Siebel 66). Another
specialty to go into is Sports Medicine. The physical therapist treats the injured
player after referral by the team physician or another specialist, just as in a
hospital, rehabilitation center, or in a private office (Krumhansl, Siebel 82). You

would be able to work with all kinds of athletes, mostly in more aggressive sports
like football and hockey. Some sports medicine physical therapists even get to
travel with the team. There are way more specialties to choose from including
Geriatrics, treating the blind, and foreign assignments. The specialty you want to
go into really all depends on your personal preference and motivation.
Physical Therapy has a lot to do with science so being interested in things
of that nature is very important. There are plenty of skills that are to be learned and
developed while in school like communication. School, depending on the route
you take, could take up a lot of your time and money. Physical Therapists earn a
very good salary for their work in specific specialties like Sports Medicine and
Pediatric Physical Therapy but there is a specialty out there for all interests. So in
the end all the hard work will pay off. You will have the skills to help people when
they are in some of the lowest points in their lives. Whether you are helping them
recover from a sports injury or helping someone walk again after an accident, the
joy you will feel as a physical therapist will be able to surpass any other happiness
you could feel.

References

1. Guccione, A. "What is a Physical Therapist?" Physical Therapy (2001): 4.

2. Chevan, J. and Haskvitz E. "Do as I do: Exercise Habits of Physical Therapists,
Physical Therapist Assistants, and Student Physical Therapists." Physical Therapy
90.5 (2010): 726-34.
3. Kuprian, W. Physical Therapy for Sports. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1982.
4. Todays Physical Therapist: A Comprehensive Review of a 21st-Century Health
Care Profession (2011). The American Physical Therapy Association. Web. 31
Mar. 2015.
5. Bratcher, E. "Physical Therapist: Salary." Physical Therapist Salary
Information. Web. 1 Apr. 2015. <http://money.usnews.com/careers/bestjobs/physical-therapist/salary>.
6. Linder, B. (2015, March 22) Telephone Interview