PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Are you compassionate? Do you have a strong desire to help people? Do you have strong interpersonal and communication skills? These characteristics are invaluable for a physical therapist; perhaps that's the career choice for you.
Physical therapists provide services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease. They restore, maintain and promote overall fitness and health. Their patients include accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy.
Check out a day in the life of Leo, a physical therapist at Swedish Covenant Hospital.
Watch this video to learn more about a career as a Physical Therapist.
First Steps:
Undergraduate courses useful when applying to a physical therapy education program are: anatomy, biology, chemistry, social science, mathematics, and physics. Before granting admission, many programs require volunteer experience in a physical therapy department of a hospital or clinic. For high school students, volunteering with the school athletic trainer is also a good way to gain experience.
Earnings:
Listed below are hourly/annual wages for both entry level and experienced physical therapists and the annual median hourly/annual wage.**
| Entry Wage |
Median Wage |
Experienced Wage |
| Hourly |
Annual |
Hourly |
Annual |
Hourly |
Annual |
| $25.61 |
$53,277 |
$36.57 |
$76,052 |
$43.88 |
$91,278 |
**Wage Data 2009, State of Illinois Department of Employment Security
Work Environment:
The job of a physical therapist is a physically demanding one. Therapists often have to stoop, kneel, crouch, lift, and stand for long periods. In addition, physical therapists move heavy equipment and lift patients and help them turn, stand or walk. Most full-time physical therapists work 40 hours per week, which may include weekends and evenings to meet patient needs.
Job Outlook:
Employment of physical therapists is expected to grow 27 percent from 2006-2016; much faster than the average for all occupations. The long run demand for physical therapists should continue to rise as new treatments and techniques expand the scope of physical therapy practice. Also, demand will be spurred by the increasing number of individuals with disabilities or limited function and the increasing elderly population.
Education:
Educational/Professional Requirements:
To apply for a license as a physical therapist, applicants must file with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation, a completed, signed application, on forms supplied by the Division that includes:
Professional Organization: