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Avery Braun

Mr. Phillips

English III

3 May 2019

Physical Therapist

Physical therapy is an interesting career path because you could go into different fields

such as the leg, knee, arm, hands, and back. The names for the different fields are Orthopedic,

Neurological, Geriatric, Pediatric therapy and much more! (Classic Rehabilitation) On top of this

and more is why being a physical therapist is a good job option. So wouldn't you like to go into a

career where you can work in large work areas, flexible hours, good pay, and a good job

possibilities?

To be a physical therapist you need to earn one of two degrees, a Bachelor’s or

Doctorate. You need to pass Biology, Chemistry or Physics, and Anatomy or for most colleges

and universities a total of one hundred and nine credits (The George Washington University).

With this being said, trying to get a Bachelor’s or Doctorate degree can take a long time and you

may be thinking how do you not drop out early, because on average it takes 8.2 years to finish a

Doctoral degree which means it is double that of a Bachelor’s degree. On average 57 percent of

students dropout before they actually are able to get their degree they are trying to earn. This

makes you 33 years old before you even get that degree, that is if you even meet the

requirements because there are a lot (CBS News).

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The compensation for a physical therapist is increasing every year. For example, in

2000 the average pay for a physical therapist was $77,756. Now in 2018 it has raised to $86,850

or $41.76 an hour according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a 100.76 percent increase.

With other jobs related to therapists, the physical therapist earns more than others in that

profession such as an occupational or an audiologist therapist (World Report US News).

Being a physical therapist has benefits for just yourself and not based on how much you

get paid or the other benefits you earn. You feel good about yourself because you help someone

else who is hurting and needs assistance. CNN has ranked physical therapy with an “A” in

personal satisfaction and in a benefit to society (American Physical Therapy Association). A

quote from the American Physical Therapy Association also states,“transforming society by

optimizing movement to improve the human experience.”

The patients you work with, can range from birth to 100 years old. People trained

properly though know how to deal with specific structures of different sizes and shapes (College

of Central Florida). Knowing how to deal with clients of different ages can help raise the

therapists salary and or help them to gain their own private office if they work in a public

service.

Because of physical therapy, some patients could avoid surgery which reduces cost by

thousands of dollars. Surgery could always be the emergency plan but if you can dodge it that

would be beneficial. On average it costs $50-$350 per session (First Quote Health) which would

benefit you and your checkbook. Because of this surgeons would be against physical therapists

and their practice. This is because surgeons get paid for every surgery they perform and if people

start to go to sessions of physical therapy their paycheck would decrease. Some people also don't
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think it is necessary to go to sessions due to being able to look up videos on YouTube

(​Gretchen)​. This is true and might save you money but it is also very beneficial, to actually have

a person with you to teach you new techniques. When you are at home and you are not with a

physical therapist it is proven that only 70 percent of people actually do exercises at home. This

delays your healing process even longer which can mean double the expected time!

With job statistics, it is speculated that going into the field of physical therapy will have a

twenty-eight percent increase for jobs until 2026 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The main reason

for this huge increase is from the baby boomers that were born between 1946 and 1964 (Bureau

of Labor Statistics). With this increase as well it is higher in demand so you can earn more

money.

Working in different locations is also another benefit to all of the other benefits available.

therapists could work in hospitals, private offices, nursing homes, home health agencies, and

schools (College of Central Florida). Although with all of these benefits there is a downside of

being a physical therapist. You tend to typically have above average stress in the job profession.

You will be provided with a more flexible schedule. Hours range, depending on where you want

to work and if you choose to work in private offices, they tend to range a little more. For

example there are options such as 8:00 am-5:00 pm, 6:00 am-2:00 pm, and 10:00 am-6:00 pm

(College of Central Florida). Therapists are also able to work in open work spaces instead of a

small cubicle where you are confined to your own desk. Therapists are able to use large office

areas depending on what section of body you work in; you might have a table for the patient and

help them stretch and not even have a chair. Which means you could get more exercise from

helping exercise the patient.

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Given the following reasons: good pay, flexible hours, a variety of locations, a wide

range of fields to specialize, and having a good chance at getting a job, I think it is a wonderful

career path to take.

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Works Cited​.

Bellamy, Jason. “About Physical Therapist (PT) Careers.” ​APTA,​

www.apta.org/ptcareers/overview/​.

Bureau of labor statistics. “U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” ​U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics​,

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ​www.bls.gov/​.

College of Central Florida. “A Day in the Life of a Physical Therapist Assistant.” ​CF.edu​,

www.cf.edu/explore/programs/health/pta/a-day-in-the-life/​.

The Physical Therapy Program. “The Physical Therapy Program.” ​Curriculum | The Physical

Therapy Program​, smhs.gwu.edu/physical-therapy/degree-program/curriculum.

US News & World Report. “Physical Therapist Ranks Among Best Jobs of 2019.” ​U.S. News &

World Report,​ U.S. News & World Report,

money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/physical-therapist.