Best Careers 2009: Physical Therapist

correction to wrong diagnosis

my physical therapist is very much educated that he fixed my deformity and ankle pain.he even told me the possible cause of deformity and its precipetating factors.i was so amazed to get to know many of my unknown problems.... thanks to my physical therapist who fixed it before it was too late .....

physical therapist doing an extensive education deserve to be called as doctor.

dentist works with individual but we call them doctor with respect,similarly surgeon works with individual but we call them doctor.then why problem for physical therapist who has the knowledge to diagnose and power to treat a problem.

literally meaning of doctor is master of any field and expert in any field.

from my experience i can surely call my physical therapist a doctor/expert.doctor is an individual word and it can be used on any one who you consider as expert.

johnson of MN @ Nov 22, 2009 16:41:28 PM

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I think it's misleading to tell prospective students that a masters degree is the education level. There are only a few MS programs left which are in the process of quickly phasing out due to implementation of the entry-level clinical doctorate degree. I think it's equally important to inform prospective students to not enter the field with intentions of calling oneself "doctor." When the patient is talking about their doctor they are talking about their physician. As a therapist, you'd be working with a number of individuals with decreased cognitive function. To call oneself doctor so and so could lead to confusion for the patient. Volunteer in hospital and skilled nursing home settings to see the breadth of the field.

joe of IN @ Nov 14, 2009 18:17:43 PM

Re: Trying to Find a School

Physical Therapy Schools are sometimes difficult to get into. I am also using GI Bill and working on getting my prereqs done to go into the DPT program at The Univeristy of Iowa. The higher rated the school, the more competative and the higher the requirements will be. Make sure you have all of the prereqs done and that you have a very good GPA, especially in math and science. A GRE of over 1100 will be very helpful also. Another field to consider is Occupational Therapy; very similar but you work with people with different goals. You are attempting to help them learn to overcome a disability in everyday tasks instead regain full function.

Tyler of IA @ Nov 11, 2009 22:37:45 PM

Trying to find a school.

I am about to graduate with my bachelors in Education by the end of 2010. I will be getting out of the army and moving back to Dallas, Tx. I have 3 years of free school because of my GI bill and I want to use it to obtain my masters degree. I have come to realize that there are not to many programs that offer physical therapy in the area. Is is really hard to get into the programs for physical therapy? Also, are there any other jobs that would be closely related to this field if I am not able to get into a college that offeres PT?

chris of AK @ Nov 11, 2009 05:08:10 AM

RE:earnings

I think it is misleading to make people think that 45 an hour is what PTs get paid. I work in NJ which is one of the highest paying areas for PTs according to the US bureau of labor stats. It is true there are jobs that pay 45 an hour and you do make 75 a visit for home care, however you usually sacrifice other job benefits for higher pay. My salary comes out to be about 34 an hour, however I have great benefits including free health insurance, pension plan, etc. Also, setting plays a hug role. Nursing home and SNF tend to pay a little more because they are usually considered a less desirable place to work. Prior to my current job I worked at a major teaching hospital in Phila. where I was paid about thirty an hour and I currently make 55-62 working per diem. My point is PT pay can really vary depending on setting, location, etc. However, I think it is more reasonable to expect somewhere in the low thirties when you are just starting out in the field and obviously more with experience.

Holly of NJ @ Nov 10, 2009 21:22:51 PM

PT perspective

PTs are increasingly specializing in areas of interest. Specialists test take over a year to study for and over 2 years of experience in order to qualify for the test. Average income varies greatly by region. 45 dollars an hour is totally ridiculous to expect anywhere in Colorado and many other states.

hs of CO @ Nov 04, 2009 23:33:19 PM

RE: education

It typically takes 7 years to become a physical therapist: 4 years of undergraduate schooling, 3 years of graduate schooling. There are some accelerated programs in which you can graduate in 6 years (3+3).

RB of OH @ Nov 03, 2009 22:29:53 PM

education

How many years of college does it usually take to become a physical therapist?

Spencer of ID @ Nov 01, 2009 23:27:57 PM