There Is A Need!
The United States Department of Labor Statistics expects the physical therapist job market to grow at a much faster than average pace of 34% through the year 2024. The need is even greater worldwide. Market trends driving this need include the aging of the population, greater life expectancy, an increased prevalence of chronic diseases, a greater focus on health, prevention, and wellness, and the public demand for physical therapists as movement and neuromusculoskeletal experts.
Primary Providers with Unique Skills
Physical therapists (PTs) are licensed, independent practitioners who do not require referral or oversight to practice (direct access practitioners). However, PTs are also valued members of many collaborative healthcare teams due to their expertise in analyzing human movement and great skill in manual therapy. PTs use these attributes, for example, to prevent injuries in athletes, restore functional ability in a patient who has had a stroke, or help a newborn child and mother adapt to and overcome developmental delays. In fact, you will find PTs practicing across the healthcare system and helping people throughout the lifespan. PTs can be found helping people of all ages in private practice, emergency rooms, neurological practice, sports and orthopedic clinics, holistic health centers, women’s and men’s health clinics, rheumatology practices, wellness clinics, and oncology practices, to name a few.
The Human Touch
Students wanting to become physical therapists should be compassionate, empathetic, driven, and intelligent. They should have a burning desire to help others and spend time doing so. Because physical therapy is such a hands-on profession, encounters with a single patient typically last for an hour and sometimes more. If you possess these attributes and dedicate yourself to develop these skills, there is a profession and a public waiting for you!