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Physical therapy career research paper
Educational and career goals for physical therapy
Physical therapy career goals
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Physical Therapy profession has a very rich history and is an increasingly growing profession. In the profession of Physical Therapy there are many different sub disciplines and techniques that can be used to improve the health of different individuals. Throughout the years these sub disciplines have multiplied and the field of physical therapy has grew immensely. Physical Therapy was first brought to light in 1921. At this time it was called American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association. At this time there was 274 charter members that where involved with the association. A year later men became more involved in the profession and the name was changed to American Physiotherapy Association. This is when the field began to involve men and …show more content…
This demand is contributed to World War II and a nationwide polio epidemic. “The association's membership swelled to 8,000 and the number of physical therapy education programs across the US increased from 16 to 39.”2 In the 1940s the organization changed the name to what we know today the American Physical Therapy Association. This led to hiring a full time staff and also establishing the first office in New York City. The membership continued to grow in the 1960s the membership reached 15,000 members and education programs increased to 52 programs nationwide. The history of the growth of this professional field has not lacked and is still continuing to …show more content…
“Employment of physical therapists is projected to grow 34 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.” 1 There is three main reasons of what is contributing the growth of the physical therapy profession. The first reasoning of why there will continue to be an demand for physical therapist is the baby boomers is a generation that continues to stay active longer into there life. This can contribute to individuals having pains or increasing the risk of injury at a later age in life. Secondly, there is also an increase of chronic diseases that require the attention of the physical therapist. These conditions include disease such as “diabetes and obesity, have become more prevalent in recent years. More physical therapists will be needed to help these patients maintain their mobility and manage the effects of chronic conditions.”1 Thirdly, Technology has a impact that more surgeries are performed outpatient and requires the physical therapist attention after surgery for proper care and gain of normal activities after surgery. The profession of physical therapy is predicted to continue to grow throughout the
Now that you have a better understanding about Athletic training, I will explain about physical therapy and why I would like have as a lifetime career. In an article I read, the author Sue Klappa said that, “PT’s reach into our communities through engagement and social responsibility. It compels us to bring hope and love to others. It urges us to learn to see things differently. It holds the promise of defining moments, as we take the time to see things in a new light” (Klappa 2). Klappa is a physical therapist that traveled the world to help others and when she went to different countries. She learned how important physical therapist are in the medical field and how she can get others attention. Starting a career path in physical therapy can
The medical field consists of many specialties that could be hard to choose from. Once the options have been narrowed down, a life-changing choice has to be made. A more in-depth research session can help make an important decision such as this one. Two professions such as a doctor and a physical therapist can be intriguing but both still have their differences. This essay will further simplify a choice between becoming a doctor or becoming a physical therapist by further examining the education span, financial income, and daily routine for both professions.
Entering my first year of college I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to do. I still didn’t choose a major let alone a career. I was stuck in between wanting to make enough money that my family would be taken care of financially and choosing a career that I wouldn’t mind going in to work every day. The one thing that I was certain of was that I wanted to be able to help people in whatever I chose to do. After careful consideration and exploring the options available to me, I have come to the conclusion that I want to have a career in physical therapy. Physical therapy is the treatment of disease, injury or deformity through physical methods rather than through drugs or surgery.
Educational requirements, opportunities and general demands of the career are only a few of the areas to inquire about in the field of physical therapy. This career is diverse in nature, in that a therapist sees many different ailments ranging from a sprained ankle to rehabilitating someone who has had an amputation. There is a fair degree of difficulty involved in becoming a physical therapist, and due to the high competition involved in entering the various Master’s degree programs as stated earlier, high grades and a positive attitude are very important for success in an interested student’s career. Volunteering is a great way to find out if a person would or would not be interested in entering the practice of physical therapy. This is an exciting career with many opportunities for advancement. This career is also a nice choice for those who become bored with the tedious monotony of a daily routine, since each day is a new experience.
According to American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), “Physical therapists are only professionals who provide physical therapy interventions. Physical therapist assistants are only individuals who
The American Women’s Physical Therapy Association was a group first created in 1921. It was led by Mary McMillan who was the president of 274 different physical therapists. It was originally only for women but then in 1922, the organization changed its name to the American Physiotherapy Association and they started admitting men into the group. In the 1940’s - 1950’s, physical therapists were in much greater demand because of World War II and a nationwide polio epidemic. The number of members drastically increased to 8,000 and many more physical therapy education programs were made as well. In the 1940’s the name changed again to the American Physical Therapy Association, which has remained the name ever since.
My journey to pursue an education in physical therapy actually originates from my early childhood. I endured a very impoverished upbringing and my family’s socioeconomic status was below the poverty line. At a very young age, money became the central issue of my life. I found myself worrying about mortgages, health bills, and grocery money. As I grew older, I vowed to myself that I would not endure my family’s financial burdens into my adulthood. I knew the best way to accomplish this was by obtaining a college degree and having a professional career. However, I was unsure what career I wanted to pursue. I experimented with many different career ideas, but during my sophomore, I discovered my passion and skill for physical medicine. For my
The physical therapy profession like many other health care professions is constantly evolving. The evolution is being followed by the growing pressure from the federal government, insurance companies, employers, and patients who are seeking high quality care to be cost effectively. Over the decades the roles of a physical therapist has been changing from dependence on physicians to independent practice under a self-governing professional model. Direct access allows patients to seek physical therapy interventions by going to them directly and not having to spend time and money in the doctor’s office to get a referral first. Some people may not recognize the term direct access since in most states it is consider something else like consumer’s choice. Direct access is not something new; it has been thought about for a very long time. Since 1957 the American Physical Therapy Association has been trying to change the law and practice acts so that physical therapists can obtain direct access to patients without referral at both the state and national level. Everyone in the profession has believed that physical therapy needs to become an autonomous profession. To become a physical therapist you know need a Doctorate of Physical Therapy instead of a Masters degree and for physical therapist assistants their education has been raised from a Certificate to an Associate degree. It was decided that in order to help pass state laws and practice autonomously the physical therapy profession needed to raise their education level from a Masters degree to a Doctorate degree. Direct access allows consumers the choice of health care providers, improve access to services that encourage prevention and wellness and it also helps ...
One of the most rapidly growing occupations in the United States today is Physical Therapy. The United States Department of Labor has projected 23,000 unfilled physical therapist positions in the year 2000 and a lack of qualified physical therapists to fill them (www.apta.org). While Physical Therapy grows rapidly, questions of ethics in this field have also grown in large quantities. Physical therapy is the treatment of disease through physical means, including light, heat, sound waves, electricity, magnetic fields, and exercise (www.byu.edu). This means that therapists use many different forms to treat people, and treating people can be a large challenge because of all the different possibilities that could occur with the different treatments. Physical Therapy is a very rewarding and lucrative profession if the problems that come along with the job are dealt with in a capable manner.
Currently, physical therapists have numerous job opportunities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are over 204,000 employed physical therapists in 2012. As per projections, the growth is expected to be higher than ever between 2012 and 2022. That said, the current trend in physical therapy is the increase in individual/private practices. This includes official physical therapy providers and home health care services. According to statistics, it expected that the job growth for office physical therapy providers will increase 56 percent through 2018, and home health care services to increase by 47 percent. Home health care services (where the physiotherapist goes to patient's home) is becoming more
The field of physical therapy has been dominated the male sex. According to the study the APTA has known of the differences in sex of the physical therapy career. The article states that the APTA set 4 goals in 1992 to increase the number of women physical therapist that stated, ”(1) to increase awareness of the issues of inequity for women, (2) to recognize barriers to professional growth and career development and promote mechanisms to eliminate or reduce these barriers, (3) to promote physical therapy as a life-long profession, and (4) to provide for the systematic evaluation of women's status and APTA action concerning women's issues.”. With this information, the authors gathered 34 physical therapy programs that consisted of 1,172 physical therapy students. Of the 1,172 students 919 returned their questionnaire for the
As one progresses into a professional career, it is necessary to develop and build upon a distinct vision for one’s future patients and consider how one might convey that vision. The American Physical Therapy Association’s vision is “transforming society by optimizing movement to improve human experience.” As a future physical therapist, I will personally embody this vision by engaging with my patients with an emphasis on movement in order to heal, rebuild, and rehabilitate.
Some may say that the job of a physical therapist is easy, I say they are wrong. While the job may look appealing, as portrayed in several movies today, I believe being a physical therapist requires much more than me just exercising people’s muscles to restore the function. As a physical therapist I am friend and a doctor, I am there to encourage and be firm, I am there to laugh with my patients in the pleasant times and talk in the distressing times. Physical therapists are heroes in a way, without them children might not have the hope of walking again after a car accident, the elderly might not be able to find relief from their severe arthritis, and soldiers might not have the hope of recovering from their injuries after being wounded in war. Every day in my career as a pediatric physical therapist I try to impact my patients in a life changing way. Through all of my daily tasks, from meeting with my patients and creating plans for their treatment, to observing and assisting
Physical therapy is a fun and exciting healthcare profession that helps people. It is all about helping other people who have problems with their body, muscles, joints and other parts of their body. Patients includes accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy. Physical therapy will perform an evaluation of your problem or difficulty. They evaluate your problem by performing tests and measures to assess the problem. These tests includes muscle strength, joint motion, sensory and neurological, coordination, balance, observation, palpation, flexibility, postural screening, movement analysis, and special tests are designed for a particular problem. Next, they develop a treatment plan and goals and then manage the appropriate treatment to aid in recovery of a problem or dysfunction. Physical therapists are able to treat their patients by using many different treatments depending on the type of injury. Some of the treatments are electrical stimulation, hot and cold packs, infrared and ultrasound to reduce swelling or relieve pain. These treatments are used to help decrease pain and increase movement and function. Therapeutic exercises instructions will help restore strength, movement, balance, or skill as a guide towards full functional recovery. Physical therapy provides "hands on techniques" like massage or joint mobilizations skills to restore joint motion or increase soft tissue flexibility. They will focus on basic skills such as getting out of bed, walking safely with crutches or a walker, moving specific joints and muscles of the body. Physical therapists treatment includes patient education to teach them how to deal with a current problem and how to prevent the problem in the future. Such documentation is used to track the patient's progress, and identify areas requiring more or less attention. They encourage patients to use their own muscles. Their main goal is to improve how an individual functions at work and home.
Physical therapists are health care professionals that provide therapeutic services to their patients who have temporary or chronic physical conditions that were caused from injury or disease. Physical therapist also provided therapeutic services to patients after they have gone through surgery to help them gain back mobility and manage their pain. They can also work in preventive care by promoting healthy life styles and instructing individual patients or groups on preventing injury by using exercises that stretch and strengthen muscles. To help their patients try to recover they use massage techniques, wellness plans, and different types of equipment. When a physical therapist sees a patient for the very first time they must do an examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and then put together a physical intervention to start the rehabilitation process. They also work as a team with other health care professionals to help with their patients needs. Physical therapist can really make a difference in their patient’s lives by not only providing therapeutic services but also encouraging and motivating them so they can get better. The main goals of physical therapist are to help their patients retain or gain back lost physical mobility, eliminate or reduce pain, increase productivity and help promote a healthy life style so patients can have a better quality of life and become more independent.