Vault Career Guide to Physical Therapy

75 Pages·1.115 MB·English

by  Burch А.

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PHYSIC
THERA
VAULT CAREER GUIDE TO
PHYSICAL
THERAPY
CAREE
DR. ANNLEE BURCH
AND THE STAFF OF VAULT
© 2007 Vault, Inc.
Copyright © 2007 by Vault Inc. All rights reserved.
All information in this book is subject to change without notice. Vault makes no claims as to
the accuracy and reliability of the information contained within and disclaims all warranties.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Vault
Inc.
Vault, the Vault logo, and “the most trusted name in career informationTM” are trademarks of
Vault Inc.
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, contact Vault Inc.,
150 W. 22nd St., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10011, [phone].
Library of Congress CIP Data is available.
ISBN 13: 978-1-58131-449-6
ISBN 10: 1-58131-449-3
Printed in the United States of America
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Annlee Birch’s acknowledgments: Thanks to my husband Steve.
Vault’s acknowledgments:We are extremely grateful to Vault’s entire staff for
all their help in the editorial, production and marketing processes. Vault also
would like to acknowledge the support of our investors, clients, employees,
family and friends. Thank you!
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
THE SCOOP 3
Chapter 1: What Do Physical Therapists Do? 5
Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Diagnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Chapter 2: Jobs in the Industry 11
Where do Physical Therapists Work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Interdisciplinary Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Chapter 3: Industry Trends 17
Starting at the Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
The Physical Therapy Industry Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Code of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
GETTING HIRED 25
Chapter 4: Education 27
Where to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Admissions and Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Hands-On Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter 5: The Hiring Process 31
Cover Letter and Resume Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Resume Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Sample Resume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
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Vault Career Guide to Physical Therapy
Table of Contents
The Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Sample Interview Question and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
ON THE JOB 39
Chapter 6: Career Paths 41
The Acute Care Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
The Rehabilitation Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Fitness Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Nursing Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Private Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Chapter 7: A Day in the Life 47
ADay in the Life: Outpatient Rehabilitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
ADay in the Life: Hospital, General Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Chapter 8: Final Analysis 53
Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Salaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
APPENDIX 55
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Major Employers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Helpful Web Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Journals/Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Accredited Physical Therapy Education Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 67
x LCIABRRAEERRY © 2007 Vault Inc.
Introduction
Physical therapy is a growing profession with four areas of practice:
examination of individuals with impairment, functional limitation and
disability; treatment of impairment and functional limitation through
therapeutic intervention, which includes exercise, patient education and
application of modalities; consultation; and research. Physical therapists
evaluate ill or injured persons to determine what functional limitations are
present. For example, a young man who suffers from spinal cord injury will
have strength and flexibility limitations in various muscle groups depending
on the level of injury. A young woman with multiple sclerosis may have
functional limitations in balance and coordination.
Initial evaluations performed by the physical therapist include measurements
on a wide battery of abilities. Physical therapists measure an individual’s
capability in domains including strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination,
balance, gait, skin integrity and ability to perform simple activities of daily
living. After initial evaluation of a patient, the physical therapist will identify
a set of problems with physical function and assess how these problems may
best be approached through exercise, massage or a modality (treatment
applications other than exercise, such as hot/cold packs, ultrasound—healing
through deep sound technique—or electrical stimulation).
Physical therapists today also act as consultants through their knowledge of
exercise, and those in clinical and academic settings are also involved in
research projects to determine whether the treatment interventions they are
currently using are grounded in theory and to determine how best to improve
upon interventions. In today’s health care arena, physical therapists must be
patient advocates—that is, balance the dual roles of providing expert
information to patients on all types of disease and injuries, allowing the
patient to play an active role in choosing options for treatment.
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PHYSI
THERA
THE SCOOP
CARE
Chapter 1: What Do Physical Therapists Do?
Chapter 2: Jobs in the Industry
Chapter 3: Industry Trends
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What Do Physical
Therapists Do?
CHAPTER 1
Students of physical therapy are taught that their patients will not achieve
maximum functional capabilities unless the physical therapist listens to the
patient, advocates for the patient and stays current in all aspects of practice.
It's a common public misperception that the doctor is the diagnostician and
the physical therapist follows his directive for treatment. This is ancient
history; nowadays PTs are expert evaluators and clinicians for all physical
diagnoses. Amedical doctor may refer a patient suffering from a cerebral
vascular accident (CVA) or a stroke to a physical therapist, but it is the PT,
then, who evaluates strength, range of motion, balance, gait and coordination
and documents what variations from normal expectations are found.
In other words, PTs look at a whole battery of parameters to see whether or
not the person has a functional limitation. Some evaluations are quantitative
(using measurements that are numerical and objective) and some have a
qualitative element (based on therapist's opinions and perceptions). Some
involve manual measurement; others, measurement using technical
equipment. The manual muscle test is an example of a manual battery used
to measure a patient's strength. The physical therapist applies manual
resistance to all muscle groups and grades the deficits on a scale of 0-5. The
BIODEX is an example of a technological evaluation and treatment tool
where muscles are evaluated for strength by a machine set to read force
output. Acritical evaluation tool is simply the ability to listen to the patient
and her complaint.
Evaluation
Physical therapists evaluate patients for functional problems, designing
treatment plans for patients with a specific outline of short- and long-term
goals. Cases might include learning to walk again, increasing muscular
strength of any weakened musculature, decreasing pain that is interrupting
enjoyment of life, increasing range of motion of joints, improving balance
and increasing coordination, and often these goals are achieved through the
collective efforts of an interdisciplinary team (a team of different medical
professionals), patient and family members.
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