Starting a Career in Physical Therapy
Once you have decided that you have a passion for helping others improve their physical abilities and you would like to start a career in physical therapy, the first step is to complete a degree in physical therapy. You will then be required to pass a state licensing exam to get your license to practice the profession. Master's and doctorate programs are also available. You can then find physical therapy jobs near you to get a start on your career; but first, make sure you know what area you should specialize in.
Choose Your Specialty
There are a lot of ways you can help people because there are different specialty areas in the field of physical therapy. Here are some of the most common specialty areas you can choose in your physical therapy career. Knowing what these areas are all about can be a great help in deciding where you would like to jumpstart and then focus your career.
- Orthopedic Physical Therapy
If you would like helping people with their muscular and skeletal problems, then orthopedic physical therapy is your perfect match. The responsibilities of orthopedic physical therapists are diagnosing, managing, and treating injuries and disorders of the muscles and bones. Therapists also rehabilitate patients who have just had an orthopedic surgery. Physical therapists specializing in this area usually work in an outpatient-clinic setting. They are specially trained in the treatment and management of postoperative joints, arthritis, amputations, and acute sports injury, just to name a few. In the orthopedic setting the most commonly used methods used to expedite the recovery of patients are strength training, joint mobilizations, and electrical stimulation. People who suffered from injuries or diseases which have been affecting the bones, muscles, tendons, or ligaments will benefit from the professional services offered by orthopedic physical therapists.
- Geriatric Physical Therapy
Physical therapists who specialize in the geriatric area cover issues concerning people as they age, specifically older adults. Geriatric physical therapists are responsible for managing conditions that affect older adults such as hip and joint replacement, incontinence, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, balance disorders, and much more. Therapists are also responsible for restoring mobility, reducing pain, increasing fitness levels, and so on.
- Neurological Physical Therapy
This area of physical therapy is a discipline that focuses on working with those people who are suffering from brain disease or disorders such as cerebral palsy, brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury. Neurological physical therapists address the common problems of these people such as the inability to walk and move freely, vision impairment, paralysis, and lesser functional dependence.
- Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Physical Therapy
Physical therapists specializing in this area are responsible for treating a wide variety of patients with lung and heart problems. Their primary goal is to increase the patients' functional independence and endurance. It is their job to clear the lung secretions of patients with lung problems. Some of the people who benefit from this field of specialty are those who have pulmonary fibrosis or have had a heart attack.
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
Pediatric physical therapists assist in the early detection of health problems in children. They also use different methods to address the disorders of this population. They diagnose, treat, and manage infants, children, and adolescents who have problems such as developmental delays, congenital abnormalities, and neuromuscular or skeletal disorders. They target these disorders to improve the patients' motor skills, strength, balance, coordination, endurance, and sensory processing.
Knowing the different types of areas where you can focus your career is very important in order for you to decide which path you want to take. Once you have decided which one is for you, it is then the right time to practice your career by looking for a job that fits your area of specialization. Before heading off to rehabilitation clinics, make sure you have a well-written resume that can capture your talents and skills as an expert in a given area. When looking for the right job, you can search in the classified ads in your local newspaper, ask a friend, or go online and choose from tens of thousands of job opportunities.
Taking a career in physical therapy means you are a step closer in helping people solve their health problems. Today, physical therapist careers are in high demand in most clinical institutions because of the increase of people needing the services that only people in the physical therapy industry can offer.
