The history, mission and role of a physical therapist.

1. Physical Therapy
Lindsay Burton
Health 4190

2. Introduction
 Physical therapists must diagnose and provide treatment
for individuals of all walks of life with any injuries or
other medical concerns.
 Important roles include:
 Rehabilitation
 Injury Prevention
 Health maintenance
 Health promotion/education
 Often work as a team with other physical therapists and
physical therapy assistants in order to provide the best
possible care and treatment.

3. History
 In 1921 the American Women's Physical Therapeutic
Association was formed.
 First professional association for physical therapy
 In 1922, the organizations name changed to the
American Physiotherapy Association.
 In the 1930s the Code of Ethics were added and men
were permitted to join.
 In the 1940’s and 1950’s the field grew dramatically due
to WWII and the polio epidemic.

4. Growth Potential
 The career of physical therapy is expected to grow 36% from
the timespan of 2012 to 2022.
 This is higher than average compared to other occupations.
 Why the large growth?
 There is a high percentage of elders in our population due to
the large “baby-boom” that occurred in the 1950’s after WWII
 Increased chronic diseases due to today’s unhealthy lifestyle
 Increases in technology are saving lives that previously would
have been lost
 Healthcare reform is giving people more access
 The highest growth potential is in rural areas and in
geriatrics. (elderly population)

5. Salary
 Median annual wage: $79,860 in May 2012
 The bottom 10% earned less than $55,620, and the top 10%
earned more than $112,020

6. Education Required
 Bachelor degree:
 Includes core classes such as biology, chemistry, physics,
anatomy and physiology
 Doctor of Physical Therapy required:
 Typically takes 3 years
 Includes core classes such as biomechanics, anatomy,
physiology, neuroscience, and pharmacology
 Residency program:
 Approximately 1 year
 Includes additional hands-on, often specialized training

7. Furthered Education/Programs
 Clinical Residencies:
 Designed to give further training, education, and practice
 Clinical Fellowships:
 Similar to clinical residency, however, fellowships are more
specialized
 Requires at least one of the following:
 Specialist certification
 Completion of a residency in a specialty area
 Demonstrates clinical skills within a particular specialty area

8. Specialization
 Physical therapists can specialize in the
following areas:
 Cardiovascular & Pulmonary, clinical electrophysiology,
geriatrics, neurology, orthopaedics, pediatrics, sports, women
health
 Requirements:
 Current licensure to practice physical therapy
 A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in the specialty area
 25% of these must have been within the last 3 years.
 My goal is to specialize in sports physical therapy.
 Has additional emergency care and CPR requirements
 Direct Patient care requirement

9. South Carolina PT Programs
 Medical University of South Carolina
 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
 Located in Charleston, SC
 Up to 64 students accepted per year
 GRE scores in the 60th percentile range are competitive
 University of South Carolina
 Arnold School of Public Health
 Located in Columbia, SC
 Approximately 18 students accepted per year
 GRE scores above 300

10. Work Environment & Schedule
 Physical therapists most commonly work in private
offices and clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes.
 Physical therapists should be prepared to spend most of
the day on their feet.
 Actively setting up exercises and aiding patients to
complete their routines may be strenuous at times
 75% of physical therapists work full time
 Business hours are typical although some work evenings
and weekends

11. O’Net Profiler
 Physical Therapy Top 3
interests:
 Social
 The “Helpers”
 Investigative
 The “Thinkers”
 Realistic
 “Hands-on” Workers
• My top 3 interests
• Social
• The “Helpers”
• Artistic
• The “Creators”
• Investigative
• The “Thinkers”

12. O’NET Profiler
My top 3 interests according to the
O’NET profiler are social, artistic, and
investigative. The social and
investigative interests coincide with two
of the three main interests of physical
therapy. I thoroughly enjoy helping
people and working in a setting where
you must create solutions to the
challenges presented. I am especially
interested in helping athletes because I
have been in their place multiple times
throughout my high school athletic
experience. I will be able to empathize
with the athletes who are wanting to
get back to their sport. Although my
scores were not high for the realistic
interest, I have always worked and
learned better with hands-on activities.
Additionally, the investigative interest
fits me because I am always curious to
know more and understand the why’s
and how’s behind concepts.

13. Conclusion
 Although it may be a tough role to become a physical
therapist with many years of training and education, the
benefits are well worth it. A few of the benefits include:
 Chance to help others and improve their lives
 Above average salary
 Plentiful job openings and stability
 Continued education opportunities
 Variety of options for work environments and locations

14. Resources
 "Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Specialist Certification."
Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Specialist Certification.
APTA, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 01 Sept. 2015.
 "More Details at O*NET OnLine for Physical Therapists at My Next
Move." More Details at O*NET OnLine for Physical Therapists at
My Next Move. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept.
2015.http://www.apta.org
 "Physical Therapy." Physical Therapy. N.p., 2014. Web. 01 Sept.
2015.
 "Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Sept. 2015.
 "Welcome to DPT." USC Physical Therapy Program. N.p., n.d.
Web. 01 Sept. 2015.