Paper Example on Physical Therapy: An Important Well-Being Occupation

Introduction

Physical therapist career is an important well-being occupation that promote the wellbeing of the people by prescribing hands-on care, exercisers and patient education which seeks to optimize an individual quality of care especially for patients who have broken backs, hands and legs from accidents or in the cases of disability and disease that results in the poor physical function of the body or body organ (Labbe 89). The practice of physical therapy is a centuries-old occupation which is believed to have begun in 460 B.C with the initial techniques being manual therapy and hydrotherapy. Technology has significantly revolutionized physical therapy through the advancement of orthopedics in the 18th century and further education and research through the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics which was founded in 183 to offer manipulation, massage, and exercise training (Labbe 89). The breakout of the polio epidemic in 1916 led to further development and need for physical therapy and during the World War 1 women were significantly involved in providing therapy to the injured soldiers which led to the institutionalization of physical therapy in the United States. Today, physical therapy is an advanced career that involves modern scientific justifications.

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Educational Requirements

In the United States, a physical therapist qualification requires one to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from a therapist institution which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education to provide physical therapist educational program. After acquiring the DPT degree, one is eligible for the national licensure examination, which allows physical therapists to practice. The DPT programs run for three years and require a bachelor degree and specific education establishment in anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, and physics to be admitted into the physical therapist. The 80% of the curriculum involves classroom and lab study, and the 20% of the study time for DPT programs included clinical education with physical therapist student spending an average 27.5 weeks in clinical experience only. One can further their education upon acquiring DPT certification by pursuing the clinical residency and clinical fellowship programs. The clinical residency is a post-professional clinical and didactic education designed to advance a physical therapist occupation to a certain area of practice. The clinical fellowship involves a specific area of practice, extensive mentored clinical experience, and is key in creating an environment for further clinical skill-building. The last education level is the specialty certification and involves building on a broad base of professional education, which is key in developing deeper knowledge and skills in an area of practice.

Career Responsibilities

Physical therapy has grown to be an important career in the medical industry with a primary role of helping patients recuperating due to injuries, surgery, and illnesses to help them to manage pain and regain mobility in the hospital or a clinical setting. The physical therapists are responsible for creating treatment plans for people with disabling injuries to facilitate long term recovery (Morris and Jenkins 392). The physical therapist has the responsibility of interpreting the patient evaluations to the patient and creating fitness-oriented care programs and administering physical treatment to relieve pain and aid mobility (Robinson et al. 571). Through their knowledge, the physical therapists offer their patients advice on exercise techniques in injury prevention and consult with other care providers towards promoting the overall physical health of patients (Morris and Jenkins 392).

Salary

In the United States, physical therapists in the highest category earn $101,790 per year, and the lowest category earns $71,670. In the last five years, the salaries of physical therapists have been increasing, and it is expected that the job market in the field will grow by 28%.

Professional Organizations Affiliated

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

APTA is an individual membership professional body in the field of physical therapy and has more than 100,000 physical therapists, students of physical therapy, and assistant physical therapy (Labbe 89). The primary goal of the organization is to enhance health and life quality of the members through the advancement of the physical therapy practice, education, and research to improve the profession contribution to the overall healthcare system (Morris and Jenkins 393).

Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)

FSBT is a professional body in the physical therapy profession that is responsible for administering national physical therapy examinations. Therefore, the organization is responsible for licensing physical therapists and promoting the overall professionalism in practice (Labbe 89). The organization ensures that all the practitioners in the United States have the required skills and experience to practice in the general public.

Improving Professional Marketability

Marketability in physical therapy in the United States depends on the level of skills as well as experience. Professionals in the industry can further their knowledge and experience through mentorship and education in which one can pursue clinical residency and clinical fellowship where one can gain skill and experience through extensive mentorship and also develop a network with other professionals which improves one's overall marketability through referrals and competency (Morris and Jenkins 392).

Advantages and Disadvantages of Physical Therapy Career

Advantages

Good Salary: physical therapy is a good-paying career which allows the practitioners to lead a decent life and to be able to financially provide for their dependents. However, the salary varies based on the level of education as well as specialization. Besides, physical therapy practitioners with many years of experience are paid better than beginners, and also some states pay more compared to others. Physical therapists can also earn through part-time jobs and private practices, which makes it a financially viable career.

A Large Job Market: Physiotherapy is a generally growing and expanding career which increases the overall number of opportunities for the graduates. The general public is increasingly becoming aware of the importance of physical therapy education, especially during exercising and recovering from some illnesses and accidents which continues to expand the overall market for new and existing graduates.

Ability to Start Private Practice: Physiotherapists have the choice of creating their practices, which makes it a lucrative and financially feasible practice. Private practices give the owners independence and also the ability to engage in other activities in life.

Disadvantages

Long Education Time: Physical therapy is a time-consuming career in which one takes a long time to master the skills and also to gain a license to practice. Additional studies and mentorship are necessary for the career, which makes it very time consuming and can deny one the ability to experience other important things in life (Robinson et al. 571).

Costly Education and License Renewal: Physical therapy is costly because it involves gaining practical knowledge, which makes it undesirable if one does not have a financially stable background. Besides, the career requires one to renew the license to practice every two years, which involves further learning and mastering of new treatment procedures and regulations in practice.

Conclusion

From a personal perspective, I believe that physical therapy is a sustainable and fulfilling career that allows one to lead a fulfilling lifestyle. I would pursue a career in physical therapy due to the strong foundation and rich knowledge provided by the PT programs. Besides, the PT career gives one a purpose in life by helping those that have disabilities or have been involved in accidents to lead more fulfilling lives.

Works Cited

Labbe, Marie. "Physical Therapy: A Profession with a Promising Future." ESSAI 12.1 (2014): 24. Retrieved from https://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1500&context=essai

Morris, David, and Gavin Jenkins. "Preparing physical and occupational therapists to be health promotion practitioners: A call for action." International journal of environmental research and public health 15.2 (2018): 392. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858461/

Robinson, Andrew J., et al. "Physical therapists' perceptions of the roles of the physical therapist assistant." Physical Therapy74.6 (1994): 571-582. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2be5/8b42ba81059facfe89fb20ee6ce77794318e.pdf