Physical Therapy Colleges

At Physical Therapy Colleges, Learn To Help Pain Sufferers Fight Back

If ever you've had an accident, woken up with a sore back or twisted a muscle at the gym, you have a small idea of the pain your muscles and joints can bring you. For some people, this pain is chronic, and the only thing that helps is slowly working the muscle back into shape.

It is the same case if you have broken any bones or have a disease that prevents your full mobility. Without physical therapy education, many people's ability to move, and therefore their independence would be gone. If you want to help people gain their strength, enrol in one of the physical therapy colleges today.

Job Description

A physical therapist works with a client to slowly regain full mobility, alleviate pain and gain muscle strength. This is done with a variety of physiotherapy techniques, including hydrotherapy, electric pulses and regular exercises. You will work with clients who have had strokes, have injuries, abdominal or back problems, are rehabilitating after surgery or have neurological problems or mental illness. The most common environments for a physiotherapist to work in are at a hospital, health center, private clinic or sports club.

Career Outlook

For a career in the field of physical therapy, you have many choices. You can study for an associate's degree at one of 224 accredited colleges in the country to become a physical therapy assistant. As an assistant you will help by instructing clients how to use the exercise equipment properly, monitor their progress, set up the machinery and prepare the clients for therapy and a variety of administrative duties. All of this is under the direct supervision of a licensed physiotherapist.

Becoming Licensed

To become a licensed physical therapist, you will need to study at any physical therapy colleges offering the degree at the master's or doctoral level. There are currently 199 accredited institutions across the country that provide this training.

You must have a 3-4 year bachelor's degree to pursue your master's. Your curriculum will include training in anatomy and physiology, psychology, and pathology. You will also have to complete clinical studies to have hands on training.

Online Training and Schools

You can opt to take physical therapy training at physical therapist schools online, but most programs you will find will be for a physical therapy aide, which is a position under the assistant. It is however, possible to do master's and doctoral courses online through schools like Boston University and Utica College.

When you have completed your physical therapy programs at colleges apprived by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, you can then sit your licensing exam, which is mandatory for all physical therapists. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy offers the National Physical Therapy Examination for both physical therapists and physical therapy assistants. You will need to pursue continuing education courses once you are licensed in order to renew it and to keep up to date on the latest techniques.

Salary Pay Scale

Now is a great time to join the career of physical therapy since the estimated job outlook is that the field will increase by 27% by 2016. That, coupled with the fact that average salary for a physical therapist is about $74,000 and an assistant's is about $43,000, makes it a great time to go out and pursue your education at physical therapy colleges.

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