A physical therapist is a healthcare professional who helps people who have illnesses and injuries. They use physical, medical, and occupational therapies to help people recover and regain their quality of life.
For more information on what a physical therapist does, what the salary of one is like, what you can expect from this profession or any other question related to it, we appreciate you taking the time to read what a physical therapist is. Please keep reading for more helpful information about what it takes and what is required of this position.
What’s A Physical Therapist, How It Benefits You
A physical therapist is a highly trained and skilled medical professional who assesses the health of their patients, restores movement for those with mobility issues, and maintains functional ability in order to prevent further injury or disability after an illness or accident has occurred by creating exercise routines that do not overstress certain muscle groups. Furthermore, they promote good function such as walking properly so injuries don’t occur again when moving around at home and work.
Moreover, a physical therapist benefits you on other conditions specifically:
- There is no cure for carpal tunnel syndrome or trigger finger, but hand therapy can help to reduce pain and improve mobility.
- Many pediatric conditions such as developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy impact children’s abilities to function to their full extent.
- If you’ve suffered from stroke, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, vestibular dysfunction, or traumatic brain injury, then you can benefit greatly from stem cell therapy.
- Concussion and tennis elbow are the most common sports-related injuries. In this case, a physical therapist can help you a lot.
- If you suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF) or post-myocardial infarction (MI), you can get relief through physical therapist treatment.
What Does A Physical Therapist Do?
What does a Physical Therapist do? Like we mentioned before, this individual uses physical therapy along with medical treatments such as exercises, massage techniques, ultrasound machines.
Occupational therapies like helping patients develop daily living activities such as cooking or cleaning for themselves through proper body mechanics among other things – all aimed at allowing someone to regain what they lost as a result of an injury or illness.
Physical therapists also work closely with other health care professionals to provide the best possible care for their patients and might even refer you to another specialist if needed.
Physical Therapists Provide Services, Not Diagnoses
Physical therapists do not give diagnosis or treatment orders. This is the responsibility of a physician. A physical therapist’s job is to provide exercises and treatments in an attempt to restore function and alleviate pain following diagnosis by a physician.
For example, if someone comes into physical therapy with carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed by their orthopedic surgeon, it would be unethical for the Physical Therapist to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome independently or prescribe medication. Instead, the Physical Therapist works closely with you to restore limited movement of your fingers through massage, stretches, ice packs, etc., while adhering only to medications prescribed by your orthopedist.
The primary goal of physical therapy is working together with healthcare providers in order to make the patient to get these below:
- Flexibility
- Stabilize the injured areas
- Strengthen Muscles
- Stabilize Joints
- Stabilize Bones
- Improve Circulation
- Manage Pain
- Improve Range of Motion
- Increase Strength
- Improve Motor Skills
- Decrease Function
What Are The Requirements Of Becoming A Pt?
A Physical Therapist’s Job Requirements and what it takes to become one! If one has the question of how to become a physical therapist. In short, A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university along with many years of experience in related fields such as sports medicine or rehabilitation are typically required for someone who wants to work as a physical therapy assistant.
- It also helps if they have trained through internships that allow them direct exposure to what daily life consists of working alongside other medical professionals.
- This job requires quite a bit of physical therapist education which includes studying anatomy, physiology, pathology but also learning about body mechanics and how various therapeutic techniques can be applied.
- These professionals have what is called a “physical therapy degree” which means they have spent 4 years in college studying how to help their patients get better.
- They also need to pass an exam before receiving licensure as a physical therapist, which requires them to demonstrate competency in topics like
- anatomy,
- physiology,
- chemistry,
- biology,
- psychology,
- and ethics.
Important Characteristics of Physical Therapists
A physical therapist always deals with the patient. Their behavior towards their patient and work is very important. As a physical therapist, have some relevant qualities or characteristics that they should possess.
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Should Be Positive:
A successful physical therapist understands how to adjust people’s perspective, direct their focus, and help them create an action plan tailored to their individual needs. Redirecting their attention to a more positive way of looking at reality.
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Should Be Patient:
Don’t be Quick to judge. Some patients will need more time before they trust you, some will be more compliant than others, some will act like they understand but don’t really (that’s why you need to show them the same patience and diligence)
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Should Be Cooperative:
A physical therapist has to work with different kinds of clients as well as with the doctor and physical therapist assistant besides having to deal with a lot of people daily. In order to continue or progress their work they should be cooperative.
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Should Be Respectful:
Being a good physical therapist means showing everyone the same respect and dignity you’d want for yourself. You can offer your professional opinion, but ultimately the patient’s final decision must be respected. Treat all patients with equal respect, regardless of their ability, size, age, gender, race, sexual identity, social background or financial status.
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Should Be Caring:
You’ve got a unique opportunity to improve your patient’s lives. At BOSS Rehabilitation, our physical therapists will give you the tools you need to help your patients achieve their goals while ensuring they receive the highest level of care.
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Should Be Knowledgeable:
A therapist must use the most recent scientific findings to diagnose and treat his clients. He should also be up-to-date with the latest research so that he can solve his clients’ problems.
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Should Be Communicative:
The pain specialist and the patient will talk about the patient’s health and discuss how to fix it. Good communication skills are important to make sure that the patient understands their treatment plan, which will help them heal faster.
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Should Be Compassionate:
A great physical therapist has to be compassionate in order for him or her to truly help their patients. This is because it is important for the patient to feel good in the presence of the physical therapist.
Physical Therapist Salary
According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 210,900 physical therapists employed in the United States in 2014 making an average of $84,020 annually, and 34% growth is projected by 2024.
The Bureau also reports that 128,700 Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides made on average $42,980 annually or 20.66 per hour with 40% growth predicted by 2024.[37] To meet their needs for this profession requires you have a master’s degree as well as supervised clinical experience which makes it hard to break into such a competitive career field unless you are prepared when you graduate college.
According to the U.S. Department of Labour’s Bureau report about employment opportunities for 2016-2020 states the employment of physical therapists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2020.
Vertex:
The profession of physical therapy is undergoing rapid growth with the need for more physical medicine providers. Its importance in the healthcare system is equal to its modernization.
You can find out more about what it takes, what a physical therapist does, what a physical therapist’s salary is like, and what one should expect from this profession by reading our blog post on “What’s a physical therapist”. We hope that we have been able to answer your questions in detail here, but don’t hesitate to contact us at any time!
