Why I Want To Be A Physical Therapist
The first job that I have chosen to research is physical therapy. The main reason why I think physical therapy is a good fit for me is that I enjoy helping people. In my own personal opinion, I always feel happier whenever I know that I am helping other people. This has led me to believe that physical therapy might be a good job for me to research and consider having in the future.
The on-the-job tasks of a the entry level physical therapy jobs include being a physical therapy aide. These tasks include being able to prepare therapy treatments based on a patient’s needs, cleaning up the therapy area, helping patients move to different areas of therapy, and completing office tass. This requires the physical therapy aide to have both physical …show more content…
and mental strength in order to help both the physical therapist and the patient (Job Duties in Physical Therapy).
The typical path career of a physical therapist is to first finish university with a Bachelor’s degree in preferably science.
They will then work on a MAster’s degree, and then a Doctorate’s degree in physical therapy. While still a student, they are required to do at least thirty weeks of work at a physical therapy clinic. After graduation, a physical therapist will then take up a residency program that will take approximately a year to complete. At this point, the physical therapist will have to earn a license in order to work after passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (How to Become a Physical Therapist).
Possible or typical part-time jobs associated with physical therapy is being a physical therapy aide. Physical therapy aides usually observe patients before and after each therapy session in order to see how they are improving. They are also tasked with helping patients with certain exercises as well as helping them stretch. Physical therapy aides may also massage a patient and educate the patients family members on how to take care of them during and after treatment (What Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides …show more content…
Do).
Physical therapy volunteers usually only observe what is happening within the physical therapy. This is mainly because volunteers are not as trusted with the patients as the actual workers there. Volunteers may help clean up the area and equipment used by patients as well as sometimes answering phone calls (Hilton).
Currently, there are 330 physical therapists in the Stockton and Lodi area. Although this means that there is no shortage in physical therapists, this does mean that there are some job openings for physical therapists in the area. Statewide there are 19,910 physical therapists. There is currently not a shortage for physical therapists statewide and there may not be a demand for them in the near future. On the national level, there is currently not a need for physical therapists. Although there does not seem to be a shortage of physical therapists in the worldwide level, some countries are in need of physical therapists such as in places like South Africa (29-1123 Physical Therapists).
The person that I interviewed was a physical therapist aide named Jarren Mangindin. The first question that I asked him was, “What are the pros and cons of being a physical therapist aide?” He responded with, “The pros are that you get to help other people better their health. The cons are that it might be challenging at times, but it’s worth it.” The second question was, “What has been your favorite experience as a physical therapist aide?” He replied by saying, “My favorite part about my job is seeing patients get better after their time at physical therapy.” The following question that I asked was, “How long have you been in this field and job?” He answered with, “I have been working as an aide for one year, but I have been in university for five years.” My fourth question was, “What degrees did you get in order to have this job and what did you major in?” His reply was, “I got a Bachelor’s in science and am currently working on a Masters in physical therapy. I am majoring in kinesiology.” My final question was, “What university are you attending?” He answered with, “I am attending San Jose State University.”
The publication that I read was about the education of physical therapists on a national level.
The authors wrote about how academic excellence ties into how physical therapists education. In order to get their results, they observed differnet physical therapists and physical therapist students. The results included how culture, learning methods, and organizational methods help identify the academic excellence of a physical therapist (Jensen, et al.).
The current challenges in the physical therapy field is that people trying to become a physical therapist have to make a “significant investment” of time and money into their education. Physical therapists may feel some emotional stress when dealing with a patient who has gone through a major accident and need help with recovery (Silva). Successes within the physical therapy field is that there unemployment rate for physical therapists is less than 0.2%. This means that the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1997 (The Field of Physical
Therapy).
The required hours for a physical therapist are somewhat odd like any other medical job since on some days they may have to work extra hours in order to work more with a patient (Silva). Physical therapists usually work everyday each week excluding holidays. However, some physical therapies are closed on weekends (Physical Therapist, PT, Salary). Physical therapists usually wear either comfortable clothing that is not sweatshirts or pants in order to move around freely when helping patients. They may also wear slacks in a clinical setting (What do Physical Therapists Wear to Work?). Some tools or equipment used by phisical therapists include cold pads, hot pads, exercise bands, excersize balls, braces, supports, and so much more (Physical Therapy Supplies). As for continueing education, most states require physical therapists to continue to earn a set amount of credits each year in order to keep their job (Silva). Physical therapists usually do not do any travelling unless it is for learning purposes. Physical therapists also do not usually relocate unless their physical therapy center closes down or another center needs more physical therapists. The salary earned by physical therapists is between $57,216 to $88,608 (Physical Therapist, PT, Salary).
The on-the-job tasks of a the entry level physical therapy jobs include being a physical therapy aide. These tasks include being able to prepare therapy treatments based on a patient’s needs, cleaning up the therapy area, helping patients move to different areas of therapy, and completing office tass. This requires the physical therapy aide to have both physical …show more content…
and mental strength in order to help both the physical therapist and the patient (Job Duties in Physical Therapy).
The typical path career of a physical therapist is to first finish university with a Bachelor’s degree in preferably science.
They will then work on a MAster’s degree, and then a Doctorate’s degree in physical therapy. While still a student, they are required to do at least thirty weeks of work at a physical therapy clinic. After graduation, a physical therapist will then take up a residency program that will take approximately a year to complete. At this point, the physical therapist will have to earn a license in order to work after passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (How to Become a Physical Therapist).
Possible or typical part-time jobs associated with physical therapy is being a physical therapy aide. Physical therapy aides usually observe patients before and after each therapy session in order to see how they are improving. They are also tasked with helping patients with certain exercises as well as helping them stretch. Physical therapy aides may also massage a patient and educate the patients family members on how to take care of them during and after treatment (What Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides …show more content…
Do).
Physical therapy volunteers usually only observe what is happening within the physical therapy. This is mainly because volunteers are not as trusted with the patients as the actual workers there. Volunteers may help clean up the area and equipment used by patients as well as sometimes answering phone calls (Hilton).
Currently, there are 330 physical therapists in the Stockton and Lodi area. Although this means that there is no shortage in physical therapists, this does mean that there are some job openings for physical therapists in the area. Statewide there are 19,910 physical therapists. There is currently not a shortage for physical therapists statewide and there may not be a demand for them in the near future. On the national level, there is currently not a need for physical therapists. Although there does not seem to be a shortage of physical therapists in the worldwide level, some countries are in need of physical therapists such as in places like South Africa (29-1123 Physical Therapists).
The person that I interviewed was a physical therapist aide named Jarren Mangindin. The first question that I asked him was, “What are the pros and cons of being a physical therapist aide?” He responded with, “The pros are that you get to help other people better their health. The cons are that it might be challenging at times, but it’s worth it.” The second question was, “What has been your favorite experience as a physical therapist aide?” He replied by saying, “My favorite part about my job is seeing patients get better after their time at physical therapy.” The following question that I asked was, “How long have you been in this field and job?” He answered with, “I have been working as an aide for one year, but I have been in university for five years.” My fourth question was, “What degrees did you get in order to have this job and what did you major in?” His reply was, “I got a Bachelor’s in science and am currently working on a Masters in physical therapy. I am majoring in kinesiology.” My final question was, “What university are you attending?” He answered with, “I am attending San Jose State University.”
The publication that I read was about the education of physical therapists on a national level.
The authors wrote about how academic excellence ties into how physical therapists education. In order to get their results, they observed differnet physical therapists and physical therapist students. The results included how culture, learning methods, and organizational methods help identify the academic excellence of a physical therapist (Jensen, et al.).
The current challenges in the physical therapy field is that people trying to become a physical therapist have to make a “significant investment” of time and money into their education. Physical therapists may feel some emotional stress when dealing with a patient who has gone through a major accident and need help with recovery (Silva). Successes within the physical therapy field is that there unemployment rate for physical therapists is less than 0.2%. This means that the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1997 (The Field of Physical
Therapy).
The required hours for a physical therapist are somewhat odd like any other medical job since on some days they may have to work extra hours in order to work more with a patient (Silva). Physical therapists usually work everyday each week excluding holidays. However, some physical therapies are closed on weekends (Physical Therapist, PT, Salary). Physical therapists usually wear either comfortable clothing that is not sweatshirts or pants in order to move around freely when helping patients. They may also wear slacks in a clinical setting (What do Physical Therapists Wear to Work?). Some tools or equipment used by phisical therapists include cold pads, hot pads, exercise bands, excersize balls, braces, supports, and so much more (Physical Therapy Supplies). As for continueing education, most states require physical therapists to continue to earn a set amount of credits each year in order to keep their job (Silva). Physical therapists usually do not do any travelling unless it is for learning purposes. Physical therapists also do not usually relocate unless their physical therapy center closes down or another center needs more physical therapists. The salary earned by physical therapists is between $57,216 to $88,608 (Physical Therapist, PT, Salary).