Physical Therapist

Career Overview

Physical therapists help injured or ill people improve their movement and manage their pain.

Education

Physical therapists entering the profession need a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. All states require physical therapists to be licensed.

Future Outlook

Employment of physical therapists is projected to grow 18 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for physical therapy will come in part from the large number of aging baby boomers, who are staying more active later in life than their counterparts of previous generations.

Work Environment

Physical therapists typically work in private offices and clinics, hospitals, patients’ homes, and nursing homes. They spend much of their time on their feet, actively working with patients.

Recommended High School Courses

Chemistry
Biology
Algebra
Geometry
Physics
Communication

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Record patient medical histories.
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
Develop medical treatment plans.
Enter patient or treatment data into computers.
Process healthcare paperwork.
Treat patients using physical therapy techniques.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
Supervise medical support personnel.
Test patient heart or lung functioning.
Establish treatment goals.
Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
Fabricate medical devices.
Adjust prostheses or other assistive devices.
Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
Train medical providers.
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
Advise others on matters of public policy.
Design public or employee health programs.
Direct healthcare delivery programs.

Schools

Alabama State University

Alvernia University

American International Co...

Arcadia University

Azusa Pacific University

Belmont University

Boston University

Bradley University

Brenau University

California State Universi...

Chapman University

Cleveland State Universit...

College Of Saint Scholast...

Concordia University-wisc...

Drexel University

Duquesne University

Eastern Washington Univer...

Faulkner University

Florida Agricultural And...

Florida International Uni...

Franciscan Missionaries O...

Gannon University- Erie C...

Hampton University

Hartwick College

Idaho State University- M...

Indiana State University

Marist College

Marquette University

Maryville University

Massachusetts College Of...

Mercer University

Messiah University

Misericordia University

Missouri State University

New York University

Northern Illinois Univers...

Nova Southeastern Univers...

Ohio University

Old Dominion University

Regis University

Sacred Heart University

Samford University

San Diego State Universit...

St. Catherine University

Suny At Stony Brook

Suny Downstate Medical Ce...

Suny Upstate Medical Univ...

Texas Women's University

University Of Dayton

University Of Lynchburg

University Of Mary

University Of Maryland -...

University Of Maryland- E...

University Of Miami

University Of Michigan- F...

University Of Mount Union

University Of New England

University Of North Flori...

University Of Saint Mary

University Of South Alaba...

University Of Texas- El P...

University Of The Pacific

University Of The Science...

University Of Wisconsin-...

Utica College

Virginia Commonwealth Uni...

Walsh University

Wheeling Jesuit Univesity

Winston-salem State Unive...

Youngstown State Universi...

Mcgill University

Queen's University- Ki...

University Of Alberta

University Of Alberta-...

University Of British...

Western University

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$62,120.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$89,440.00 /yr

High End:

$124,740.00 /yr

Related Careers

Orthotists and Prosthetists

Medical Transcriptionist

Medical Records & Health Info Techs

Esthetician

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.