The document discusses the history and current state of physical therapy as a profession, including how physical therapy has evolved from ancient Greek practices to a growing field with increasing educational and licensure standards. It also profiles the career path to becoming a physical therapist, including graduate education options in the Southeast and prerequisites, and one student's motivations for pursuing this career.

1. L U K A S D A N I E L
J A N U A R Y 2 8 , 2 0 1 5
A CAREER IN PHYSICAL
THERAPY

2. Physical therapy is a career that is
rapidly changing in terms of:
• Who benefits from/requires treatment
• What qualifications are needed to practice PT
• How respected PT is in the eyes of health care
professionals
• Growth in numbers of practices nationwide

3. Physical Therapy: Past
• The common practices of using exercise, massage, heat, cold, water, and
electricity date back to Greek culture in the 1500s
• By the 1800s, exercise and muscle re-education were utilized for a wide
variety of orthopedic diseases and injuries worldwide
• During WWI, a special Physical Reconstruction unit in the Army Medical
Department was developed for wounded soldier rehabilitation
• During the 1920s, physical therapists partnered with the medical and
surgical companies which gained the profession public recognition and
validation
• Independent PT practices (like the ones today) became common in the
1990s when it became common for the American health care system to
insure clients for physical therapy

4. Physical Therapy: Present and
Future
• US News & World Report has
repeatedly included PT among
it’s best 100 jobs in terms of
employment,
opportunity,salary, and job
security.
• CNNMoney.com also included
physical therapy on its list of top
10 “Fastest Growing Jobs” in
2012
• Current salary ranges between
$51,639 and $113,340 and the
median salary is $85,000
• According to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, employment of
physical therapists is expected
to grow by 36% by 2022.
• APTA’s (American Physical
Therapy Association) vision
statement for the future of
physical therapy is:
“Transforming society by
optimizing movement to
improve the human
experience.”
Present Future

5. GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN THE
SOUTHEAST
• MUSC
• Charleston, SC
• University of South
Carolina
• Columbia, SC
• University of NC
• Chapel Hill, NC
• Duke University
• Durham, NC
• Emory University
• Atlanta, GA
• Wake Forest University
• Winston-Salem, NC

6. Prerequisites for MUSC: College of Health
Professionals
Chemistry with lab 8 hours
Physics with labs 8 hours
Biology 7 hours
Human Anatomy with lab 4 hours
Human Physiology 3 hours
General Psychology 3 hours
Abnormal Psychology 3 hours
Statistics 3 hours
• GRE scores
• Experience with PT
• Reference letters
• Volunteer/Service work
• Honors/Awards
• Challenging coursework
Additional criteria to be competitive for CHP’s Physical Therapy program

7. Obtaining a Physical Therapist Degree
Professional (entry-
level) education
programs in the
United States to
become a physical
therapist only offer the
Doctor of Physical
Therapy (DPT)
degree to all new
students who enroll.
Master of Physical Therapy
(MPT) and Master of
Science in Physical
Therapy (MSPT) degrees
are no longer offered to US
students
To practice physical
therapy, you must earn a
PT degree from a CAPTE-
accredited physical
therapist education
program and pass a state
licensure exam

8. FUTURE PLANS UPON GRADUATION
Since physical therapy can be used to treat such a
wide variety of patients, it is common to practice in a
specialized field. Ideally, I would hope to one day
specialize in treating athletic injuries. A chance to combine
my love for athletics with my future career path would
make for an optimal work environment

9. O*NET RESULTS
Social (23)
Enjoy work activities that assist
others, prefer to communicate,
and enjoy teaching, helping, and
giving advice. They also like to
provide service to others.
Possessing these qualities are
necessary to work in the PT field
since it requires constant
communication and service to the
patients.
Realistic (21):
Enjoy work activities that prefer
hands on work, working with
tangible tools/machinery, and
working outside of an office
environment.
Working in the PT field requires
hands on attention to the
patients, so realistic skills are
very valuable to anyone in this
career path.

10. Personal Skills/Qualities
Personal Qualities
• Patient
• Work well with others
• Organized
• Time management skills
Work Experience
Clemson Athletic Manager
• I have worked 40+ hours a week as an equipment
manager for the Clemson baseball team
• I believe my hands-on experience with these athletes
has given me a lot of exposure to athletic injuries

11. Why Physical
Therapy?
I grew up exposed to the environment of physical
therapy because two of my close family friends are
physical therapists and my mother is an occupational
therapist. As I got older and began my career search, I
began to realize that physical therapy would be a fitting
job choice for me. I have witnessed through my athletics
the positive impact physical therapy can have for injured
or otherwise ailed people, and I would love to provide
such positive results to others in my future.

12. WORKS CITED
• http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763740691/40691_
CH01_FINAL.pdf
• http://www.network-synergy.com/news/the-history-of-
physical-therapy.aspx
• http://www.apta.org/PTCareers/Overview/
• http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/physical-
therapist/salary
• http://www.apta.org/For_Prospective_Students/PT_Educ
ation/Physical_Therapist_(PT)_Education_Overview.asp
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