Career Choice

Physical Therapy

By Alex Gluberman

Holland Code

• After taking the Holland Code test I have found out I am Social, Investigative, and Realistic.

• Social means that I prefer to help and inform.

• Investigative means I like to observe and analyze problems.

• Realistic means I prefer to work with objects.

Birkman Test Colors

• After taking the Birkman test I found out my colors were red, and yellow.

• People with Red interests means that they like to see a finished product and work with people.

• People with Yellow interests means that they are cooperative and consistent.

Skills Needed:Critical Thinking

• Physical Therapist must use critical thinking so they can properly diagnose a patient with a condition.

• They must also use critical thinking to treat the patient with the right medicine or type of therapy.

Listening

• Physical Therapists have to be good listeners because they have to listen to what the patients are saying so they can help them.

• They should also be good listeners because it can help them diagnose a patient.

Time Management & Problem Solving

• Since Physical Therapists have more than one patient they should manage their time throughout the day.

• They should also be good problem solvers to help the patient the best way possible.

Organization

• Organization is very important to a Physical Therapist because with out being organized you can lose track of bookkeeping and records of the patients.

A Day in the Life

• Physical Therapists help patients, including accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions.

• A typical day would include examining medical histories, and measure the patients strength, motion, and coordination.

• Also develop treatment plans and explain its purpose to the patient.

Job Outlook

• Employment of physical therapists is expected to grow by 30% from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.

• The increasing elderly population will drive growth in the demand for physical therapy services.

Salary

• Median wages were 72,790 in May 2008.

• The middle 50% earned $60,300 and $85,540.

• The lowest 10% earned less than $50,350

• The highest 10% earned more than $104,350.

Professional Associations

• I would join the American Physical Therapy Association because it gives good benefits such as 40% discounts on national conference registration, publications, and continuing educational opportunities.

• It also ensures you receive the proper payment for services.

• It also gives you public relations and marketing tools.

Educational Route

• To practice as a physical therapist it is required to have at least a masters degree in physical therapy.

• You need to have a bachelor's degree with specialization in subjects like, physics, chemistry, and mathematics to enroll in the master's program.

• The master's program lasts for 2 years in which the first year is dedicated to classroom training and in the second year students take up internships in clinics and hospitals.

Related Careers

• Related occupations include: Audiologist- Help people with hearing disabilities. Chiropractors-Treat patients with problems with their

musculoskeletal system. Occupational Therapist- Help patients improve their ability

to perform tasks in living and working environments. Recreational Therapist- Provide treatment services and

recreation activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses. 

Speech-Language Therapist - Work with people who cannot produce speech sounds or cannot produce them clearly