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Career Details :: Physical Therapists

Description

Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and decrease or prevent deformity of patients suffering from disease or injury.

Experience

A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Education

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Training

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Tasks

• Administers manual exercises to improve and maintain function.
• Administers massage, applying knowledge of massage techniques and body physiology.
• Instructs, motivates, and assists patient to perform various physical activities and use supportive devices, such as crutches, canes, and prostheses.
• Administers traction to relieve pain, using traction equipment.
• Records treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enters information into computer.
• Confers with medical practitioners to obtain additional information, suggest revisions in treatment, and integrate physical therapy into patient's care.
• Evaluates, fits, and adjusts prosthetic and orthotic devices and recommends modification to orthotist.
• Instructs patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
• Plans and prepares written treatment program based on evaluation of patient data.
• Reviews physician's referral and patient's condition and medical records to determine physical therapy treatment required.
• Tests and measures patient's strength, motor development, sensory perception, functional capacity, and respiratory and circulatory efficiency and records data.
• Evaluates effects of treatment at various stages and adjusts treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• Administers treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet and infrared lamps, and ultrasound machines.

Related Careers

• Athletic Trainers
  
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
  
• Respiratory Therapists
  

Important Abilities

• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Oral Comprehension
• Speech Clarity
• Problem Sensitivity

General Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Establishing & Maintaining Relationships
• Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
• Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
• Judging Qualities of Things, Service, People

Important Skills

• Reading Comprehension
  
• Judgment and Decision Making
  
• Critical Thinking
  
• Active Listening
  
• Speaking
  

Frequent Work Context

• Job-Required Social Interaction
• Consequence of Error
• Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Indoors

Related Majors

Major	Add to XapPack
Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy	[ add ]
Applied Exercise Science	[ add ]
Athletic Training/Exercise Science	[ add ]
Athletics	[ add ]
Biology/Physical Therapy	[ add ]
Biomechanics/Movement Science	[ add ]
Clinical Science/Physical Therapy	[ add ]
Community Health Education	[ add ]
Disabled Sports/Movement Studies	[ add ]
Exercise Leadership	[ add ]
Exercise Physiology	[ add ]
Exercise Science	[ add ]
Exercise Science/Adult Fitness	[ add ]
Exercise Science/Athletic Training	[ add ]
Exercise Science/Fitness Management	[ add ]
Exercise Science/Health	[ add ]
Exercise Science/Rehabilitation	[ add ]
Exercise Science/Sport Studies	[ add ]
Exercise Sciences/Physiology/Movement Studies	[ add ]
Exercise Specialist	[ add ]
Exercise/Sport Science	[ add ]
Exercise/Sport Studies	[ add ]
Exercise/Sports Science	[ add ]
Exercise/Sports Studies	[ add ]
Fitness Promotion	[ add ]
Fitness/Cardiac Rehabilitation/Exercise Science	[ add ]
Health Education	[ add ]
Health Fitness	[ add ]
Health Promotion	[ add ]
Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Studies	[ add ]
Health Studies	[ add ]
Health/Exercise Science	[ add ]
Health/Exercise Sciences	[ add ]
Health/Fitness	[ add ]
Health/Fitness Studies	[ add ]
Health/Human Performance/Recreation	[ add ]
Health/Movement Science	[ add ]
Health/Physical Education	[ add ]
Health/Safety Studies	[ add ]
Health/Society	[ add ]
Health/Wellness	[ add ]
Human Movement	[ add ]
Human Performance	[ add ]
Human Performance Systems	[ add ]
Kinesiology	[ add ]
Kinesiology/Physical Education	[ add ]
Movement Arts	[ add ]
Movement Science	[ add ]
Movement/Exercise Science	[ add ]
Movement/Leisure Studies	[ add ]
Movement/Sports Science	[ add ]
Nutrition/Exercise Science	[ add ]
Physical Education/Kinesiology	[ add ]
Physical Education/Recreation	[ add ]
Physical Education/Sport	[ add ]
Physical Fitness Leadership	[ add ]
Physical Therapy	[ add ]
Pre-Health	[ add ]
Pre-Health Studies	[ add ]
Pre-Physical Therapy	[ add ]
Psychology/Physical Therapy	[ add ]
Sport Science	[ add ]
Sport Studies	[ add ]
Sport/Exercise Science	[ add ]
Sports Nutrition	[ add ]
Sports Science	[ add ]
Sports Sciences	[ add ]
Wellness/Sports Medicine	[ add ]

Institutions Offering Related Majors

No institutions found.