Physical Therapy Career Paper

Everybody Likes To Be Hands-On
Currently, the career choices in the United States for students transitioning from high school to college are endless. In fact, a multitude of the professions that are now available did not even exist ten or twenty years ago. For students who are detail-oriented, possess excellent interpersonal skills, and enjoy helping others through a variety of hands-on activities, a rewarding career choice for them to pursue is physical therapy.
Physical therapy was first used in the early 1900’s, mostly on the eastern coast, to help relieve pain and fix injuries or wounds. Historians believe physical therapy was used long before the early 1900’s, but physical therapists only began to document their research and treatments

For example, in order to become a PT, a handful of universities have switched the degree an individual can receive, from a Bachelor’s degree to a Doctorate. Due to the fact that the profession is becoming widely popular, the quality of PTs has decreased, so the universities increased the level of difficulty to receive a degree in order to have a higher quality of PTs. However, not all the universities have made the switch; actually a majority of the universities still offer a Bachelor’s degree in either Kinesiology or Exercise Science before moving onto a physical therapy program. After receiving a degree in either of those majors, an individual can choose to further their education and earn a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT). A DPT program can last anywhere from two to four years depending on the university (“Physical Therapist”). For instance, the University of Southern California has their DPT program set at three years. It includes but is not limited to: a one year clinical residency, summer affiliations, clerkships, and two to three week practicums throughout the program (“Top 10”). It is highly recommended that an individual receives a DPT in order to become a PT, however it is not required. Receiving a DPT degree a PT must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination. Depending on the state that the PT is planning on working in, the

For example, upon seeing a new patient, a PT must create a treatment plan specifically designed to the patient to ensure one hundred percent recovery. In this plan, the PT must keep in mind short-term and long-term treatments that could change depending on how quickly the patient is recovering. A PT then proceeds to rehabilitate the patient through different forms of therapy including: massage therapy, electrotherapy, ultrasound, traction, and therapeutic exercise. During the patient’s therapy session a PT will document the patient’s progress to see if he or she must alter their plan of action. Typically most physical therapists work in private practice, also known as an outpatient clinic. These PTs specialize in orthopedic rehabilitation. However, other physical therapists are a part of larger organizations like hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and rehab centers. Depending on where the PT works, the number of work hours available may differ. For instance, a PT that works at an outpatient clinic may have fewer hours than a PT that works in a nursing home. The reason behind this is at an outpatient clinic the patients are only there for short-term rehabilitation, while at nursing homes or hospitals the patients are long-term rehabilitation and need very specific, intense treatments for recovery. For PTs that work in outpatient clinics or hospitals they have physical therapists