Physical Therapy Salary
Do you wish to pursue a career in health care? Would you like to help those who have suffered from an illness, injury or medical condition live life to the fullest? If this describes you, a career in physical therapy may be just what you are looking for. A physical therapist works with patients to increase their ability to restore function, reduce pain and regain mobility to the fullest extent. Fitness and wellness programs will be used to achieve this goal and a wide variety of conditions may be treated in this manner. Look into the physical therapy salary, education and certification requirements before determining if you wish to delve further into this occupation.
Physical Therapy Salary
The job outlook for this field is expected to be very good in this area and the physical therapy salary reflects this. As of May 2008, the median annual wage of a physical therapist was $72,790. Those in the lowest 10% made $50,350 or less while those in the top 10% could expect to make $104,350 or more. Those in home health care services tend to make the most while those who work in offices of other health care practitioners tend to make the least.
Physical Therapist Education
If you wish to pursue a career as a physical therapist, you will need to obtain a post-baccalaureate degree from a physical therapy program which has been accredited. The Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education is responsible for the accreditation process. As of 2009, they had accredited 212 programs in this field. Only graduate degree programs are accredited at this time and courses you may study include physiology, neuroscience and pathology.
Physical Therapy License
In order to work as a physical therapist in the United States, you may be licensed by the state in which you plan to work. The licensing requirements do vary by state so you will need to contact your local licensing board to ensure you know the requirements. Most will have you complete an accredited program and pass the National Physical Therapy exam along with any jurisprudence exams. Many will also require that you take continuing education classes in order to maintain your license.
Job Growth Outlook For Physical Therapists
Job growth for physical therapists is looking incredibly strong when you look at the data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs for physical therapists are expected to increase by around 30% between the years 2008 and 2018. This is much faster when compared to the average of jobs in the US.
There are a number of reasons why growth is so strong in this career. For one thing, changes to restrictions on reimbursement for physical therapy services in a lot of insurance companies has resulted in the increasing use of physical therapists. On top of that, the baby boomer generation is getting older and older and therefore are expected to need more and more physical therapy as they age.
Another fast growing area in which physical therapy will be needed is in schools. Because of the federally mandated “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act”, more physical therapy will be provided in school settings.
While job prospects are expected to grow in all areas, there are a few specific areas where job growth will be highest. Acute hospitals, skilled nursing and orthopedic settings where elderly are most often treated will experience high growth rates.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, job prospects will be incredibly favorable in rural areas as many physical therapists tend to cluster highly populated urban and suburban areas.
Physical therapy is one of the fastest-growing career paths around today, and therefore it’s certainly a good choice to make. Be sure to do some further research online into certification training is there are valuable resources to be had.
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