Pediatric Physical Therapist Essay

Anny Rodriguez
Pediatric Physical Therapist
A pediatric physical therapist specializes and examines kids from the age of birth to the age of eighteen. They deal with kids who have conditions like cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, cystic fibrosis, cancer, scoliosis and developmental delays and movement disorders caused from premature birth. They focus on helping a person improve or regain back their strength and endurance, learning opportunities, and help increase their motor development and function.
By pursuing a career as a pediatric physical therapist one must attain the correct skills, training and qualities. The most helpful skills you will need as a pediatric therapist is “patience, flexibility and empathy” (education-portal.com). Since you will be working with children, young adults, and their parents you will need to have excellent communication skills as well. When training for this type of career you “must complete an internship under supervision from a licensed clinician while attending graduate school” (innerbody.com).
Education for a pediatric therapist is very important and can be a long process.
You must complete a physical therapy master’s program. The Master of Physical Therapy degree takes about two or two and a half years to complete. For future students who are pursuing this career the Doctorate of Physical Therapy is now a requested degree. This degree takes three years to complete. It provides you with more knowledge in pharmacology, radiology, and body systems. For students, including myself who are wanting to pursue this career must first earn an undergraduate degree from a four year university in order to enter into a graduate school in physical therapy. The GRE exam is also another requirement for entrance to a graduate school. Other helpful education for this job would be to minor either in biology, physiology, child development, anatomy or
neuroscience.
To earn your license as a Pediatric Physical Therapist you must have completed an accredited graduate program and have passed the National Physical Therapy Examination. After receiving your license you are then able to take the Physical Therapist Specialist Certification Examination. As a licensed physical therapist you will still be required to keep on continuing your education in order for you to renew your license.
The average paying salary for a Pediatric Physical Therapist is $61,226 a year. They either earn the average pay or even higher resulting from their dedicated training and high demand in the workforce. The pay does vary by the workers job setting. If your job is working in physician offices and hospitals then your salary will be much higher. It not all depends in the job setting but also depends in geographic location. Other states may not have as much demand or success for a career in Children’s Physical Therapy as other states do. Statistics show that “the highest-paying regions are located in metropolitan areas in California, Texas, and Alaska” (innerbody.com). A suggestion for physical therapists who want extra pay would be to work as a business consultant.
The job outlook for a Pediatric Physical Therapist is excellent. The growth rate is considered to be higher than average. “The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states anticipates that the job growth rate for a physical therapists from 2010-2020 will be 39%” (innerbody.com). This rate can also apply to pediatric physical therapists as well. The reason for an excellent job outlook is due to new modern medical technologies that help extend the duration of lives for those children with special needs or anyone in need of pediatric therapists caregiving skills.