Physical Therapy as a Career

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A Detailed Description of the Job/Position The job I plan on pursuing with kinesiology as my major is to become a physical therapist, which is also known as PT. Their main duty is helping patients rehabilitate with disabling injuries such as fractures, arthritis and low-back pain. Their duty is to help patients their relieve pain, increase mobility, and decrease long-term physical disabilities. Physical therapists focus on the evaluation of strength, balance, range of motion, co-ordination, endurance, and posture of each individual patient. Their patients can range from different age groups from infants to grandparents. The age group would provide a variety of therapeutic exercises for each of the health issues they would have. Depending on their age, the therapist would decide which would be the appropriate exercise for their injury. Although people could have the same injury as another person, the therapy would be different for one other since everyone has a different and unique body. The age of the person will also affect the factor of therapy for the injury since a person’s activity usually diminishes throughout the course of their aging. A Detailed Description of the Common Tasks/Duties You Would Perform in this Job The common tasks and duties physical therapists do is giving patients several exercises to speed up recovery from their injury or disability. When a patient has swelling and pain, physical therapists use massages, cold and hot compresses, ultrasound and electrical stimuli to alleviate the pain or health issue. They help patients use equipment to aide their mobility such as wheelchairs and prostheses. Therapists monitor the patient’s progress from their injuries and by examining their progress, they can alt... ... middle of paper ... .... (n.d.).Retrieved from http://www1.salary.com/Physical-Therapist-Salary.html (2009). Physical therapists. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos080.htm Hill,D. (n.d.). The advantages of becoming a physical therapist.eHow. |How to videos, Articles & More- Discover the expert in you.| eHow.com, Retrived from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6663319_advantages-becoming-physical-therapist.html McKay, D.R. (n.d.). Physical therapist career profile and information. Career Planning- Career Planning Guide, Retrieved from http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/phys_therapist.htm Hill,D. (n.d.). The disadvantages of becoming a physical therapist.eHow. |How to videos, Articles & More- Discover the expert in you.| eHow.com, Retrived from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6657833_disadvantages-being-physical-therapist.html

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