 |
Physical Therapy Education and Career News
A Career as a Physical Therapist Assistant Touted as "Best
Career"
Physical therapist assistants were featured as a "best career" with
strong growth over the next decade in a December 28 US News &
World Report article. Citing its rewarding nature, the article
highlights the educational and physical requirements, as well as the
upward mobility opportunities and earning potential.
Physical Therapists Top "Best Jobs" List, Again...
Physical therapists ranked 7th in a list of 50 "Best Jobs in America" featured in the November issue
of CNNMoney.com. The profile features an interview with APTA member
Jennifer Gamboa, PT, DPT, OCS, and examines education
requirements, job satisfaction, and salary estimates. APTA is also cited
for explanation for the growing demand for the profession.
Aging Population and Injured Military Create High Demand for
Physical Therapists
The high demand for physical therapists was examined in a September 24
article of BusinessWeek. Citing an aging
population and injured military service returning from two overseas
wars, the article described the physical therapy profession as
"soaring." APTA members Julie Keysor, PT, PhD, and Jennifer
Gamboa, PT, DPT, OCS, were cited in the article.
Physical Therapy Jobs Plentiful Despite Economy
Physical therapists aren't among those affected by the economic
downturn, according to a March 4, 2009, Washington Post article. The article features a physical therapist
and emphasizes that careers in healthcare, specifically physical
therapy, continue grow despite the country's employment crisis.
Physical Therapist Remains a Position of Growth Despite Economic
Hardships
The demand for physical therapists remains despite the economic
downturn. An article in the Columbia Tribune notes that
the need for PTs is "growing by leaps and bounds as Missouri's
population ages." An AOL.com article lists the position of physical therapist
among its list of "best jobs in hard times."
U.S. News & World Report Adds Physical Therapists to
2009 list of Best Careers
Citing the two national job satisfaction surveys, U.S. News & World
Report added physical therapists to their list of best careers for 2009. Despite a weakened
economy, predictions see an increase in job supply as the baby boomer
generation ages and physical therapists will be in more
demand.
PTs Among Most Satisfied Professionals, Survey Says
The results are in, and physical therapists report one of the highest
job-satisfaction levels in the country! So says a recent National
Opinion Research Center survey, which was chronicled in an April 17,
2007 article of the Chicago Tribune. With more than
three-quarters of physical therapists polled reporting to be "very
satisfied" with their occupations, PTs were second only to clergy, and
were the only health care professionals in the top 5.
Patient Interaction Among the Positives of Being a PT
APTA member Matt Wanex, PT, was the subject of a May 16, 2007
career profile in the Business section of the Baltimore Sun. A
sports injury was the inspiration for the one-time biology major to
switch to physical therapy. As a staff physical therapist at Greater
Baltimore Medical Center, his work ranges from pediatrics to oncology,
and he helps patients recover from strokes, heart attacks and hip
replacement surgeries. "I liked the interaction you had with patients,
the time you spent with the patient versus the paperwork and getting
someone through the recovery process," Wanex says in the profile.
Patient Interaction a Physical Therapy Hallmark
"The best health care happens when patients, health care professionals
and community groups work together," writes APTA student member Josh
Olinick in a March 30, 2007 commentary for the Burlington
Times-News in North Carolina. Olinick, of the Doctor of Physical
Therapy program at Elon University, describes the thrill of putting away
the school books and getting out in the community to educate the public.
"We spend a lot of time studying and going to class," Olinick says, "but
most of us chose physical therapy because we like working with people.
Being able to share what we know with people in the community is
something that benefits everyone." Click here to read more.
[Last updated: 01/12/10 | Contact: consumer@apta.org]
|
|
|
