Physical Therapist (PT) Guide: School, Degree, Internship, Jobs and Salary

Physical therapy is a very important field when it comes to issues with the body such as pain or after surgery. The student's guide to becoming a PT:

Job description and Degree requirements

Physical therapists are someone who is there for people who are hurt or have surgery. For example: you have had a pain in your leg for a long time and have tried everything to get it to go away. Another example is; you tore a tendon in your foot and had to have surgery to repair it. Going to physical therapy will strengthen that tendon and get it back to normal.

Go to school and Get a PT Degree

There are many different regulations from each state and each country to become a certified employee. Generally to becoming a PT, you need to become a doctor and specialize in PT field. There are a lot of schools to choose from depending on what students are looking for in a college but, all states require you to have a doctorate in PT or DPT. There are many choices but my recommended school is University of Colorado Denver.

Association and Internship

After you attend college you have to do a lot of in house training. By this I mean you will be required to complete so many hours in a clinic with another physiotherapist. Some colleges require that you do more hours in other places such as at a hospital or other facility. The only down side to this is most people do not get paid to do these hours within the facilities that are required to work in. The upside to your internship is that the school will lead you where you need to go to take it done.

Get a job and Enjoy Competitive Salary

Getting a job can be the hardest part of being a registered therapist due to getting your name out to clientele. If you want to work in your own practice you have to find a way to get the word out and market what you are offering to people in the community. In some places it is easier to acquire a job in an already established place and move up to your own after you accumulate some clients.

Physical therapists aren't billionaires but, they definitely well off. The average pay for PT in the United States is $86,520 a year which ends up being $41.59 an hour which is just a median. These numbers can go up or down and they will still end up being well off at the end of the year.

Final Words of Advice

The best thing you can do is always think the best. Never let yourself get down. School is hard, working to get where you want to be is hard, but don’t get down on yourself. Push yourself to do what you are working so hard to be and all of your dreams will come true.