As a physical therapist you are responsible for examining the patient, evaluating the results, and setting up a program to achieve the determined goals for your clients. You must carefully and enthusiastically instruct and inspire both the patient and his or her family. You have to always work closely with the doctors and surgeons to establish effective and realistic goals. Services are provided to people of any age who have physical limitations, pain from injury and disease, or hereditary disorders.
Therapy consists of many different specialties. Pulmonary and cardiovascular therapists treat patients who have undergone heart or lung diseases or surgery. Your goal here is to help the patient increase his independence and stamina.
Geriatric therapists deal mostly with the problems of aging such as arthritis, osteoporosis, knee and hip replacements, cancer, and incontinence. The object here is to help patients maintain their fitness, to ease their pain, and to restore as much mobility as possible.
Pediatric therapists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of babies, children, and adolescents who have skeletal, neuromuscular, and acquired diseases. Everything possible is done here to attempt to improve motor skills, balance, and coordination. Spina bifida and cerebral palsy would be treated by a pediatric therapist.
Orthopedic therapy is perhaps the most common of the specialties, perhaps making it easier to find a physical therapy job opening. These therapists deal in sports injuries, amputation, fractures, torn ligaments and tendons, back and neck pain, arthritis, sprains, etc. It is usually done as outpatient therapy at a sport facility or an outpatient clinic. Treatment varies from hot and cold packs and electrical stimulation to repetitive exercise and manipulation. Often massage, resistance, stretching of the spine, and weight lifting are methods used by therapists.
As a facility director, you must provide therapeutic care based on a doctor’s current diagnosis and a patient’s medical history. You must manage the overall operation of the facility. You are also expected to supervise physical therapy assistants and aides, students, and others in accordance to the regulations of the state you are working in.
Obviously, if you want to successfully retain your position, the facility has to be marketed in a successful manner. Most positions seem to require three to five years of supervisory experience in a rehabilitation setting, as well as experience with marketing, budgeting, corporate compliance, and PPS.
To qualify, the physical therapist has to have graduated from an accredited physical therapist course which is approved by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. You must have proof of licensure in the state you are currently working in.
Now, do you want to keep that amazing job you just landed? Then listen up. One part of your many responsibilities is to keep track of patient records and be up to the minute on medical history, precautions, and doctors’ reports. You must see to it that all verbal agreements are honored when scheduling appointments and treatments.
It is part of your job to establish and maintain an obstacle-free, safe environment for each patient, private enough to not distract either the client or the therapist working with him or her. Thorough and precise instructions must be provided to the patient and his or her family for use in home exercise programs and issues regarding safety.
You have to make certain that the facility is always up-to-date on any required tests or measurements, patient evaluations, and that it is providing documentation as required. You must see to it that the physical therapist follows the routine that has been ordered by the attending physician at all times. Any negative responses noticed during a session should be documented immediately, dated, timed, and if noted if any interventions were applied. Get in touch with other professionals immediately should these responses occur.
Don’t forget to have a neat appearance, to maintain your professionalism, and to appear approachable at all times. The success of the facility depends on your management skills, marketing finesse, people skills, and overall leadership.
Physical therapy employment can be a rewarding and lucrative career. As a director of physical therapy you can expect to earn anything from $50,000 to $130,000 a year. Of course, your experience, the size of the facility, and other factors help to determine your worth. Along with your resume, a recommendation from a previous employer and letters of satisfaction from grateful patients you have helped will be beneficial in paving the way for your new appointment.
Physical therapy jobs in the USA can easily be researched at your local library, online, and in your local newspaper. When applying for a job always specify if you are willing to relocate. Explain your motivations and hopes for the position. Ask about salary and a benefits package. Will they provide further education at their expense? Do you need assistance in relocating? Well-thought-out questions can be as important to an employer as your answers to their queries. Good luck in your hunting.
