Five Reasons to Become a Physical Therapist

I worked not too long ago as a recruiter of students at a small graduate health professions university. The institution trained people to become osteopathic physicians, physical therapists, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists and physician assistants.

CareerJournal.com recently posted an interview with a seasoned physical therapist. It's something of a "day-in-the-life" compendium. What's telling, however, is the fact that

- She hates the paperwork (it's "drudgery")

- But she spends up to an hour or more with a patient the first time she meets him or her and subsequent sessions take at least 40 minutes.

In other words, she gets to spend lots of time with her patients.

Contrast that with your typical nurse or doctor who works for an HMO. Several of the medical grads of my former university have told me they're lucky if they spend 15 minutes with a patient.

My sister is a physical therapist. She tells me it's true - the paperwork is the most onerous of tasks as a PT. It's also true that interacting with her patients - really getting to know them - is the most worthwhile and fun part of her job. It really does make the drudgery all worthwhile.

So that's the number one reason to become a PT - getting to spend quality and quantity time with your patients.

Here are Four More Reasons a Career as a Physical Therapist is Tops

1. As the nation ages, the demand for physical therapists is only going to grow. After all, our joints and muscles don't get looser and lithe as we age. We don't age backwards, growing younger each year. As the big population bubble of the baby boom generation ages, so will we need physical therapists to help us stay mobile.

2. Salary. How does an annual income in the $50-$60K sound? That's what the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) says 43.5 percent of PTs made in 2005, with 11.7 making between $60-70K and 10.4 percent bringing in $80-$100K. Yes, you're going to need a master of physical therapy (MPT) or even a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) to get started as a physical therapist, but training programs are about three years long. Compare that to the four years of medical school to get that degree in medicine. And that's not including the 3-8 years (depending on your speciality) of training after med school.

3. Tons of flexibility in the practice you take on. My sister graduated from her MPT program and immediately signed up with the Navy. She stayed there a few years, then left for the private sector and worked at a hospital for several years. She's now self-employed, one of several therapists who "rent" space in a private physical therapy clinic. How many other professions allow you that much variety while you're still doing the "same" job?

4. Except for the times you do paperwork, you're rarely sitting at your desk. Instead, you're moving with your patients. Helping them walk and stretch. Showing them the proper way to do their therapy exercises (often doing it right along with them, at least for awhile). Work as a physical therapist certainly not a couch potato's dream job. Perhaps that's why so many athletes - or outdoor afficionados, like my sister - gravitate to the profession.

List of Sources

"Physical Therapist Works Hands-On With Patients," by David Patton, August 1, 2006, CareerJournal.com

American Physical Therapy Association (www.apta.org)