Physical therapists provide services and aid to patients including accident victims and diseased or injured individuals, to restore and enhance the functioning and the mobility of their body organs with the crucial aim of preventing disabilities of a permanent nature that have resulted from disease or injury (U.S. Department of Labor, 2007). Physical therapists are also required to “restore, maintain and promote overall fitness and health” of their patients (U.S. Department of Labor, 2007).
To become a professional physical therapist, it is vital to have a Master’s degree from a recognized physical therapy institute, in addition to passing scores at the national and state level examinations (American Physical Therapy Association; U.S. Department of Labor, 2007). To maintain their licensures of professional practice, physical therapists are required to constantly upgrade and advance their education through academic courses and workshops and be constantly involved in their professional development and training programs (U.S. Department of Labor, 2007).
According to the National Employment and wages for Physical Therapists (2007), the mean hourly wages for physical therapists was 34.39 USD while the mean annual wages were 71.520 USD (State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, 2007).
The Job outlook for this profession is extremely promising as the rate of employment with faster than the expected growth rate, especially in hospital settings, rehabilitation centers, and orthopedic centers (U.S. Department of Labor, 2007). The demand for growth will be particularly driven by the growth in the elderly populace, which is particularly susceptible to “chronic and debilitating conditions that require therapeutic services”. There is also an increasing number of children who will need physical therapy (U.S. Department of Labor, 2007).
References
American Physical Therapy Association.
U.S. Department of Labor, (2007). Bureau of Labor Statistics.