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Physical Therapists

Also called: Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Home Care Physical Therapist (Home Care PT), Inpatient Physical Therapist (Inpatient PT), Pediatric Physical Therapist (Pediatric PT)

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What they do:
Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.
On the job, you would:
  • Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
  • Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
  • Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.

Knowledge

Business
  • customer service
  • management
Health
  • therapy and counseling
  • medicine and dentistry
Math and Science
  • psychology
  • biology
Arts and Humanities
  • English language

Skills

Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information
Social
  • looking for ways to help people
  • understanding people's reactions
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal
  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • notice when problems happen
Hand and Finger Use
  • keep your arm or hand steady
  • put together small parts with your fingers
Attention
  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Concern for Others
  • Integrity
  • Dependability
  • Social Orientation
  • Cooperation
  • Self Control

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Word processing software
  • Exercise routine creation software
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology
Medical software
  • Clinicient Insight
  • MEDITECH software
Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology

Education

Education: (rated 5 of 5)
doctoral degree or
master's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Bright Outlook
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Salary
$95,620
$61,930
$127,110
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Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about physical therapists.