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Training,
Other Qualifications, and Advancement
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Physical therapists need
a master’s degree from an accredited physical therapy program and a
State license, requiring passing scores on national and State
examinations.
Education and training. According to the American
Physical Therapy Association, there were 209 accredited physical
therapist education programs in 2007. Of the accredited programs, 43
offered master’s degrees and 166 offered doctoral degrees. Only
master’s degree and doctoral degree programs are accredited, in
accordance with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy
Education. In the future, a doctoral degree might be the required
entry-level degree. Master’s degree programs typically last 2 years,
and doctoral degree programs last 3 years.
Physical therapist education programs start with basic science
courses such as biology, chemistry, and physics and then introduce
specialized courses, including biomechanics, neuroanatomy, human
growth and development, manifestations of disease, examination
techniques, and therapeutic procedures. Besides getting classroom
and laboratory instruction, students receive supervised clinical
experience.
Among the undergraduate courses that are useful when one applies
to a physical therapist education program are
anatomy, biology,
chemistry, social science, mathematics, and physics. Before granting
admission, many programs require volunteer experience in the
physical therapy department of a hospital or clinic. For high school
students, volunteering with the school athletic trainer is a good
way to gain experience.
Licensure. All States require physical therapists
to pass national and State licensure exams before they can practice.
They must also graduate from an accredited physical therapist
education program.
Other qualifications. Physical therapists should
have strong interpersonal skills so that they can educate patients
about their physical therapy treatments and communicate with
patients’ families. Physical therapists also should be compassionate
and possess a desire to help patients.
Advancement. Physical therapists are expected to
continue their professional development by participating in
continuing education courses and workshops. In fact, a number of
States require continuing education as a condition of maintaining
licensure.
Physical therapists
held about 173,000 jobs in 2006. The number of jobs is greater than
the number of practicing physical therapists because some physical
therapists hold two or more jobs. For example, some may work in a
private practice, but also work part time in another health care
facility.
About 6 out of 10 physical therapists worked in hospitals or in
offices of physical therapists. Other jobs were in the home health
care services industry, nursing care facilities, outpatient care
centers, and offices of physicians. Some physical therapists were
self-employed in private practices, seeing individual patients and
contracting to provide services in hospitals, rehabilitation
centers, nursing care facilities, home health care agencies, adult
day care programs, and schools. Physical therapists also teach in
academic institutions and conduct research.
Employment of physical
therapists is expected to grow much faster than average. Job
opportunities will be good, especially in acute hospital,
rehabilitation, and orthopedic settings.
Employment change. Employment of physical
therapists is expected to grow 27 percent from 2006 to 2016, much
faster than the average for all occupations. The impact of proposed
Federal legislation imposing limits on reimbursement for therapy
services may adversely affect the short-term job outlook for
physical therapists. However, the long-run demand for physical
therapists should continue to rise as new treatments and techniques
expand the scope of physical therapy practices. Moreover, demand
will be spurred by the increasing numbers of individuals with
disabilities or limited function.
The increasing elderly population will drive growth in the demand
for physical therapy services. The elderly population is
particularly vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions that
require therapeutic services. Also, the baby-boom generation is
entering the prime age for heart attacks and strokes, increasing the
demand for cardiac and physical rehabilitation. And increasing
numbers of children will need physical therapy as technological
advances save the lives of a larger proportion of newborns with
severe birth defects.
Future medical developments also should permit a higher
percentage of trauma victims to survive, creating additional demand
for rehabilitative care. In addition, growth may result from
advances in medical technology that could permit the treatment of an
increasing number of disabling conditions that were untreatable in
the past.
Widespread interest in health promotion also should increase
demand for physical therapy services. A growing number of employers
are using physical therapists to evaluate worksites, develop
exercise programs, and teach safe work habits to employees.
Job prospects. Job opportunities will be good for
licensed physical therapists in all settings. Job opportunities
should be particularly good in acute hospital, rehabilitation, and
orthopedic settings, where the elderly are most often treated.
Physical therapists with specialized knowledge of particular types
of treatment also will have excellent job prospects.
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Projections data from the
National Employment Matrix
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Occupational
title
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SOC Code
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Employment, 2006
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Projected
employment,
2016
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Change, 2006-16
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Detailed
statistics
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Number
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Percent
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Physical therapists
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29-1123
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173,000
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220,000
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47,000
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27
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Median annual earnings of
physical therapists were $66,200 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent
earned between $55,030 and $78,080. The lowest 10 percent earned
less than $46,510, and the highest 10 percent earned more than
$94,810. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the
largest numbers of physical therapists in May 2006 were:
