summary of project
Seyma Unal
English 101 Z02N
Ms. Claytor
10 June 2019
Physical therapy as a Career
The profession I have chosen for a career is a physical therapist and, in this paper, I will be analyzing some of the important details concerning this profession. Physical therapists are also known as PTs and they provide help to the injured people to make improvements in their health and manage pain. The offer therapies which are very important for the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of the patient suffering from chronic condition and injuries. The diagnose the movement and functioning of the patient after observation and then listen to all their concerns. The individual plans are developed by them for taking care of the patients so that the expected outcomes can be lined up. This paper offers a clear understanding of this profession by mentioning details like the history, training programs, cost, average salary, certifications and future projections related to this profession.
The history for the profession of physical therapist starts from the person Per Henrik Ling who is also called as the father of Swedish Gymnastics. He made an institute for gymnastics in the year 1813 and this had the purpose of offering exercise, massage and manipulation. However, the term physiotherapist was started to be used from the year 1851 (Shaik and Shemjaz). Physiotherapists were also known to be reconstruction aides and they were evolved by having a series of changes and accomplishing new levels of health care systems. They have a very important role in offering rehabilitation services to the clients and preventing the risk factor for them because they have the proper training to do so.
This profession specifically evolved in the year 1916 when the world was suffering from the epidemic of polio and the women started to treat the patients of polio suffering from paralysis with the help of passive movements. This profession developed muscle testing at a time because it was required to access the level of strength for the muscles that have turned weaker. Since then, this profession has evolved through multiple steps and reached its present form which is much developed and is regarded as an important branch of medicine for treating the patients.
There is significant and formal education which is required to become a physiotherapist. This is basically a doctoral degree in which the ability to communicate and working with the patients is developed along with the science aptitude. As this career involves helping patients who have limited their abilities to function, it offers a good fit for the interpersonal skills so that everyone should be treated with absolute care. The training for this profession can be found in the medical schools. The training involves multiple aspects and similarly the cost which is involved to get this training varies around the world. It has more scope in the western world because people are more concerned about their health and also their bodies have changed a lot because of the capitalist society and not getting enough movement around (Bury and Stokes). There are multiple medical schools giving out training on this aspect and all of them charge differently for training the students.
However, the training process in this profession evolves over multiple steps. At first, the students have to get themselves enrolled in a program of the physical therapist in medical schools. During their education, they are advised to go through internships in different medical facilities so that they can practice what they are learning. After the completion of their education, they are given the opportunity of doing house job or full - time practice after a specific period of internship. The normal business hours are considered for them to work and some of them also work part - time on the weekends and evenings. The degree of this profession is called a Degree of Physical Therapy or DPT in short. This degree commonly lasts for three years and also requires a bachelor’s degree in the form of educational prerequisites (Davis). The courses commonly involved in this study include anatomy, pharmacology, physiology, and neurosciences. After this education the students complete their clinical residency program for usually one year and then they get additional experience in their specialty area.
The average salary in this profession is around 85,790 dollars annually in the US according to their labour statistics. This salary can increase up to 93,200 dollars in case of providing home healthcare services. This might vary in other parts of the world depending on the market dynamics. The salary amount differs according to the demand for this profession in the market. These doctors are not paid much in the underdeveloped and developing countries. However, in all the states, it is required to have a license for the physiotherapists. These requirements for licensing vary in different states but everyone has to pass through the exam of national physical therapy which is commonly administered by the State boards. There are some states which also require to pass the law exam as well as the criminal check for the background (Goldstein et al). For keeping this license for the long term, it is important for the physical therapists to continue their education. After getting the education, these therapists can become specialists in their field after the certification of the board. In physical therapy, there are nine different clinical specialty areas offered by the American board of the Physical therapy specialties. Different types of specialty areas for this profession include sports, geriatrics and orthopedics etc. For becoming a specialist, it is important to pass the exam in a specialty area within the time period of ten years after completion of the residency program.
The health care sector continuously evolves over time and it is expected that the profession of physical therapy will also evolve with the changes and improvements in the student education. Both the interpersonal teams and educational needs will change over time based on the requirements of this profession. There are also the chances of getting hybrid education as this is very helpful for the evidence - based practicing and research. So, the workers in this profession will need to get clinical education and residencies in a completely different way. When the future prospects of the job opportunities are considered, it is evident that the opportunities are better for the therapists who are licensed and specialized in any specific field (Kaufman). These opportunities are particularly increasing in the field of acute care, orthopedic settings and skilled nursing facilities. These are the areas in which most of the times the elders are treated because they have more physical issues. So, the job prospects are specifically favourable in the rural areas as most of the physical therapists are currently living in the highly populated urban settings.
This discussion offered complete details about the profession of physical therapy about how anyone trying to opt it as a profession can evolve over time using some direct paths. It started off with the history of how this profession was started and then the type of training which is required to become a physical therapist. Furthermore, the cost along with the average salary obtained by people working in this field is given. In the end, the need for certifications and any possible future prospects help in understanding the scope of this field.
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Work cited
Davis, Scott D. "Teaching professionalism: a survey of physical therapy educators." Journal of Allied Health 38.2 (2009): 74-74.
Goldstein, Marc S., et al. "The revised research agenda for physical therapy." Physical therapy 91.2 (2011): 165-174.
Kaufman, Regina R. "Career factors help predict productivity in scholarship among faculty members in physical therapist education programs." Physical therapy 89.3 (2009): 204-216.
Shaik, Abdul Rahim, and Arakkal Maniyat Shemjaz. "The rise of physical therapy: A history in footsteps." Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences 2.2 (2014): 257.