A construction worker with an injured back...a senior citizen with arthritis...an infant with a birth defect...an Olympic athlete...a person who has had a stroke...a child with a disability...a pregnant woman...an overstressed business executive...a diverse group of people, yet each can benefit in some way from physical therapy.

Physical therapists have the rewarding opportunity to make a positive difference in the quality of people's lives. Their work involves extensive contact with people-with both patients and other health care professionals.

Physical therapy takes a personal and direct approach to meeting an individual's health needs and wants, whether a patient's goal is walking independently or breaking a high-jump record. Along with the patient and other health care practitioners, the physical therapist shares the hard work and commitment needed to accomplish each individual patient's goals.

For people with health problems resulting from injury or disease, the physical therapists assists in the recovery process to make them stronger, relieve their pain, and help them to regain use of an affected limb or to relearn such activities of daily living as walking, dressing, or bathing. Because recovery does not end for patients as soon as they are out of the physical therapist's direct care, physical therapists must teach patients and their families what to do so that healing continues through self-care at home.

Physical therapists also seek to keep people well and safe from injury. They do this by teaching the importance of fitness and showing people how to avoid hurting their bodies at work or play. By designing and supervising individualized conditioning programs, physical therapists promote optimal physical performance and help health-conscious people to increase their overall fitness level and muscular strength and endurance.

A Variety of Responsibilities and Settings

Physical therapists are respected members of the health care team. They work with other health care providers, such as physicians, occupational therapists, rehabilitation nurses, dentists, psychologists, social workers, podiatrists, and speech pathologists and audiologists.

Although a large number of physical therapists work in hospitals, now more than 70 percent can be found in private physical therapy offices, rehabilitation centers, community health centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, corporate or industrial health centers, sports facilities, research institutions, schools, pediatric centers, and colleges and universities. Some physical therapists work as employees in these settings, while others are self-employed as owners or partners in private practices. Indeed, settings, employment arrangements, career responsibilities, and career opportunities depend on the interests and skills of each practitioner.

Physical Therapist Education

Physical therapists attain their prerequisite skills through extensive academic and clinical education. Preparation for entrance into a physical therapist education program includes courses in psychology, biology, physics, chemistry, statistics, English, professional writing, and humanities. In other words, the pre-physical therapy college curriculum should include a strong background in liberal arts and general education. All professional programs include basic and clinical medical science courses and emphasize the theory and practice of physical therapy. The curriculum includes opportunities to apply and integrate theory through extensive clinical education in a variety of practice settings.

The Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical therapist assistants work under the supervision of a physical therapist. Their duties include assisting the physical therapist in implementing treatment programs according to the plan of care, training patients in exercises and activities of daily living, conducting treatments, using special equipment, administering modalities and other treatment procedures, and reporting to the physical therapist on the patient's response.

Physical therapist assistants must complete a 2-year education program, usually offered in a community or junior college. The course of study includes 1 year of general education and 1 year of technical courses on physical therapy procedures and clinical experience. Graduates receive an associate's degree.

Licensure or registration is not required in all states for the physical therapist assistant to work. The states that require licensure stipulate specific educational and examination criteria. Complete information on practice acts and regulations can be obtained from the state licensing boards.