At the American Physical Therapy Association's National Student Conclave on a Friday morning early last November, Philip Goldsmith, PT, MSPT, EMT, DScPT, took a few minutes to prepare for the day ahead. He was there to represent APTA's Home Health Section, he explained, and over the course of the next 36 hours he'd share his experiences as a home health physical therapist (PT) with anyone who asked. He'd focused on this niche of the profession for the majority of his 20-year career and recently had taken a new position with Southeastern Home Health Services in Pennsylvania.

The students, if they were like those he'd met before, would have questions about potential opportunities in home health, but they'd also want to know about the practice setting's particular challenges. He'd be ready, Goldsmith told them, with an honest assessment of the home health career path and a pitch he hoped would persuade them to join the section and give it a try.