With jobs for physical therapists predicted to grow 39% over the next decade, PT is an appealing career for various reasons.
Wishing for a stable financial future in an appealing career packed with possibilities? Do you prefer a career in a medical-related occupation without having to go through the trials and tribulations of medical school? Are you ready to spend money or take out a sizable loan for a college education if there’s a practical outlook of a getting a good salary right after graduation?
If you answered yes to these questions, then physical therapy might just be the right profession for you to pursue.
The Best Things About Being a Physical Therapist
Job outlooks for the occupation of physical therapy are outstanding and the prospective is continuously increasing. Health sector and federal government studies anticipate that physical therapy will remain one of the quickest growing professions for the near future. Physical therapy is definitely an occupation that you can depend on to offer a multitude employment possibilities.
Monetary outlook is exceptional. Within the last 10 years or so, incomes have seen a 2x increase and even tripled in certain locations. It is really a matter of supply and demand. Since the need significantly surpasses the number of professional physical therapists, workplaces must contend to satisfy physical therapist positions. Being a basic guideline, occupations compensate more in large metropolitan areas compared to small towns. However, this is not always the scenario with physical therapy. This is among of the handful of professions that can in fact pay better in smaller communities. That’s an excellent position for an individual who doesn’t prefer to be made to move to go after his or her career pursuits.
Physical therapists hardly ever experience boredom in the workplace. You have the opportunity to deal with all types of individuals in a broad range of environments. You can decide to enter a general medical facility and work with various types of patients on a daily basis. Never knowing what to expect with who’s walking through the entrance next and exactly what the complication will be can definitely make you stay attentive and test your creativity and applied knowledge. In case you find yourself particularly passionate about a specific kind of patient or therapy, you can concentrate that focus on a specialty area. Do you enjoy dealing with children? Focus on pediatrics. Are you very enthusiastic about enabling an athlete attain higher levels of functionality in their sport? Focus on sports medicine.
You can additionally decide on what capacity and the location you work. You can establish your own PT practice and be your own boss, enter a joint venture in a team practice, or work for a practice or medical facility. You can seek employment in an educational institution, a corporate setting, a sports team, a retirement home, a private practice, or a hospital or facility. Any place you decide to perform physical therapy, you will take joy in the esteem of working in a worthy medical occupation. You will be recognized and appreciated by other specialists, the numerous patients you aid during your profession, and the community. If you’re seeking career fulfillment, you should expect obtaining it within this vocation.
The Worst Things About Being a Physical Therapist
Each and every profession has its drawbacks, and physical therapy is not an exclusion. Even though it is intriguing, challenging, and swarming with possibility, it’s at the same time a great deal of tough work.
The benefit to deciding on a profession in which you are in considerable demand is the safety of realizing you’ll continually be capable to find employment. The disadvantage is prolonged hours and substantial amounts of work. Hospitals and medical clinics are frequently under-staffed. Many occasions that’s a result of financial restraints, though commonly it’s just because they cannot locate supplemental employees. People aren’t going to be refused, therefore you may need to work overtime and take care of more patients than is enjoyable.
Physical therapy tasks can be physically, psychologically, and emotionally draining. Therapies have the potential to be physically challenging. You will be holding up patients who aren’t able to move or propping up arm or legs when you physically work muscles and tendons that withstand motion. During uncommon occurrences, the position can even be unsafe. Clients who might not be in command of their body movements can inadvertently hit you without warning with an unanticipated and abrupt movement. Even with carrying out a standard treatment method, you may experience an accidental injury that calls for a cast, surgical procedure, or physical therapy!. The psychological strain is much more tiresome than the physical work. Patients aren’t there because they are 100 percent healthy and able-bodied.
The people you may treat as a physical therapist are often faced with a life-changing predicament, frequently determined for alleviation and some indication of return to regular mobility. Compassion is a key trait needed to perform this role, still being concerned regarding your patients and wishing to assist them can be mentally taxing. As a physical therapist, you’ll be working with individuals who are experiencing discomfort throughout a prolonged duration of time. It’s your role to continuously support and comfort them in some of the most uplifting ways feasible and certainly never get angry or reprimand. Holding in your concerns and aggravation can be harmful to your well being and overall health unless you find out how to effectively handle or manage stressful situations.
Sports medicine can be one of the most interesting specialties inside physical therapy. Operating in an outpatient facility or at a gym, you’ll be steady and reassured regarding your job. Concentrating on team sports could be more attractive, however it’s also periodic with seasons only lasting part of the year. Apart from the highest levels, sports therapists typically discover they must have another full-time position that offers an annual salary and regard the sports medicine role as a secondary position. In the course of the competition season, this can add substantial stress on the physical therapist’s time and labor.
