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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a physiatrist. Feel free to use our physiatrist job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a physiatrist.

 

Who is a Physiatrist?

Undoubtedly, injuries, accidents, and wounds have sidelined athletes, actors, and other professionals; this invariably halts the individual’s career for a while. Rehabilitating and recovering from such injuries might take a long time depending on how serious it is. The pain experienced from severe back pain, sprained ankle, or arthritis is excruciating, agonizing, and unbearable sometimes. Also, it inhibits an individual’s ability to function optimally and carry out their daily routine. Often, injured persons seek and book appointments with medical practitioners such as chiropractors, orthopaedic surgeons, and/or sports medicine doctors.

Thankfully, a group of professionals that provide therapy and assistance to accident or injured patients exist; they also attend to individuals with musculoskeletal pain. They concentrate on rehabilitation and physical medicine and are trained to get patients back on their feet. The process is termed physiatry and these experts or professionals are called physiatrists; they can work in health and care settings. Before you seek or consider surgery, it is important to consult a physiatrist first. This article will discuss who a physiatrist is, what they do, and who they work for. Also, the article will provide tips on how to become a physiatrist and elaborate on the qualifications, salary, and essential skills for physiatrists.

A physiatrist can be defined as an individual or professional that uses non-surgical approaches to enhance rehabilitation from injury and provide secondary prevention of disabilities. They avail various treatment options and assist patients or clients to see the big picture and make good choices. Mostly, physiatrists focus on treating musculoskeletal and other injuries. He or she concentrates on physical medicine and body treatment of pain-inducing disorders. The job of a physiatrist entails the diagnosis, treatment, and management of pains caused by injuries, accidents, and other medical conditions. They utilize medicine and physical therapy to mitigate illnesses as well. A physiatrist strives to speed up a patient’s recovery, well-being, and functionality; they ensure a patient returns to his or her functional life. Using their education, certification, and training in rehabilitation and physical medicine, they often practice hospice and palliative medicine and treat brain injuries, neuromuscular disorders, and spinal cord injuries. They also engage in pain medicine and coordinate pediatric rehabilitation as well as sports medicine.

Several parts of the body can be treated by physical medicine, physiatry, or physiatrists; these include bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons, and other structures. Surgery isn’t part of a physiatrist’s duty; they only recommend surgery in severe cases whilst treating disorders that limits an individual’s functionality. Furthermore, these professionals see the bigger picture and look at the entire body and not just an organ or tissue. This enables them to pinpoint, locate, and identify organs that are difficult to diagnose. They perform a total examination of the relationship between different body parts that are responsible for movement and locomotion.

Additionally, a physiatrist is responsible for restoring partial or total functionality among victims and patients with disorders, injuries, or diseases. They are essential health and medical workers who play vital roles in a patient’s recovery. Just like other medical professionals, a physiatrist has a fluctuating work schedule; they may work irregular hours, weekends, and overtime when necessary. Some may travel to meet clients or patients in different locations. Ultimately, pain alleviation and restoration of functionality is the major concern of physiatry.

As a medical practitioner, a physiatrist is employed by clinics, medical and surgical rehabilitation facilities, and hospitals to offer treatment services and guidance to patients rehabilitating from injury and illness. They use non-surgical techniques and strategies to provide therapy and pain management to patients. They can prescribe analgesics and adjuvants to stimulate recovery, functionality, and strength. Also, they enable patients to engage in exercises to make them flexible and supply braces and wheelchairs to help boost recovery. Similarly, they offer consultancy and counseling services to patients before and after surgery to help accelerate recovery.

 

Physiatrist Job Description

Below are the physiatrist job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a physiatrist job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

The duties and responsibilities of a physiatrist include the following:

• Assist in easing worries among patients.
• Give moral support and encouragement to patients and their families during treatment and recovery.
• Diagnose patients, record symptoms, recommend appropriate treatment regimens, and monitor the progress or not of treatment.
• Cooperate and liaise with medical personnel such as surgeons, neurologists, and primary care experts to review a patient’s details and information.
• Determine the role of physical therapy in the treatment plan.
• Direct patients on the appropriate techniques to adopt for exercises.
• Use injections to nullify pain, bring relief, and reinstate functionality.
• Provide nutrition and health advice or counseling to patients undergoing treatment.
• Draft and create a physical exercise plan for each patient.
• Prescribe and handle the patient’s medication and treatment.
• Prescribe complementary therapies such as medical acupuncture.
• Monitor and assist medical personnel and counselors to provide psychosocial support to patients.
• Coordinate and supervise other medical practitioners to optimize patient care.
• Administer treatment, therapy, and care to restore functionality among patients of all ages.
• Provide referrals to specialist clinics, rehabilitation centers, and therapy centers.
• Act transparently with caregivers, patients, and patients’ families and discuss recovery plans and needs moving forward.
• Provide therapeutic intervention to patients by wrapping joints and limbs and fitting braces to support the patient.
• Inoculate, inject, and insert cortisol into injured parts, ligaments, muscles, and joints to minimize swelling.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Physiatrists provide consultancy services to neurologists or primary care physicians sometimes; they may lead a group of medical experts and personnel to augment and enhance a patient’s therapy. While working with patients on rehabilitation, a physiatrist creates a step-by-step plan, enlists the cooperation of other medical professionals (occupational therapists, care managers, psychologists, and physical therapists), and directs the general rehabilitation procedure. To be employed in physiatry, an individual must possess several qualifications such as;

• Certification: Employers and organizations require some form of certification from prospective physiatrists. There are different certifying bodies globally including the international board of rehabilitation and physical medicine. Possessing additional certifications is a bonus during an interview.
• Training and experience: Training and experience are important in physiatry; an individual must be trained and experienced to treat musculoskeletal injuries and other pain-causing disorders. The training regimen provides adequate skills and knowledge on therapy, treatment regimen, exercises, and rehabilitation. Also, it provides strategies and techniques on how to restore the brain’s function and boosts recovery from injuries. Training also provides proficiency in peripheral joint injection, nerve conduction studies, and electromyography.
• Degree requirement: A bachelor’s degree in medicine or a related field is the minimum requirement for a career in physiatry. The individual must complete an undergraduate degree in pre-med, biochemistry, biology, physiology, or anatomy. Usually, these programs last for four years in most accredited universities. Afterward, the individual proceeds to medical school for further training.
• Medical school: A medical school is simply an institution that teaches prospective doctors and medical personnel skills and provides advanced knowledge to medical students. A physiatry must enroll and complete medical school to qualify for the career. Medical school education takes four years and imbibes students’ advanced expertise in physiology, anatomy, pathology, and histology.
• Medical residency: This is the last phase of medical training. After passing the medical examination, the aspiring physiatrist must complete a residency program under the guidance and supervision of experienced doctors. During residency, they practice medicine with a focus on physiatry. He or she will spend the first year studying internal medicine before using the last three years to specialize in physiatry.

                               

Essential Skills

A physiatrist ensures that a treatment regimen or plan is tailored to a client’s particular needs to ensure total wellness and functionality. For example, the treatment plan for a sportsperson or athlete seeking to return to the field will be different from that of a parent that just wants to get back to their feet, climb the stairs, and play with their kids. Regardless of the specific needs of the patient, a physiatrist uses different skills to help them regain fitness and health. Physiatrist’s skills are crucial for recovery, diagnosis, and treatment and include;

• Empathy and compassion: You must be compassionate and empathetic to succeed as a physiatrist. This is because physiatrists meet several patients with different and difficult medical conditions; some may even be life-threatening. Compassion and empathy enable these professionals to support patients emotionally. This improves the patient-physician relationship.
• Communication: A physiatrist must be vast in communication to thrive in the industry. They must be able to use different communication techniques to interact with different patients based on their needs. You shouldn’t bombard the patients with medical jargon that are difficult to comprehend. Rather, use terms that can be understood easily, especially when communicating treatment methods or the nature of health conditions.
• Knowledge of pain management techniques: A physiatrist must ensure pain relief and management while working. They must minimize pain as much as possible. This requires good knowledge and understanding of the various strategies and techniques for relieving and managing pain.
• Transparency skills: An important duty of a physiatrist is to be transparent and truthful always. No matter the severity of the injury or medical condition, he or she must tell the truth to loved ones and caregivers. They must honestly converse and update patients on recovery times, progress or setbacks, and lifestyle changes that must be adopted to ensure recovery. Transparency increases trust and subsequently enhances the healing process.
• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology: These professions must understand and know anatomy and physiology to treat injuries to the nervous and musculoskeletal systems accordingly. Knowledge should include an understanding of best practices, x-rays, and the identification of ligaments and bones.

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How to Become a Physiatrist

Before pursuing a career in medicine, determine and choose the particular aspect or specialty that you are passionate about. If you are fascinated by the prospect of becoming a physiatrist, then you need to know how to become one. A physiatrist diagnoses, studies, and treats several health impairments and injuries to bones, joints, muscles, and the nervous system. Thus, this section will provide a guide on how to start a career as a physiatrist. Follow the tips below to begin your physiatrist career;

• Complete an undergraduate degree: After secondary school, enroll for an undergraduate degree in a medical-related field such as biochemistry, anatomy, pre-med, or biology. This will provide fundamental and introductory knowledge on basic medical skills, the human body, and the interaction between medicine, illness, injury, and the body.
• Enroll for medical school: After your degree, sit for and pass the medical college admission test to be qualified for medical school. Medical school takes four years to complete. The curriculum includes a two-year in-class instruction and a two-year practicum or clinical experience under supervision. Medical school education prepares the individual for residency.
• Complete a residency program: This is mandatory for a career in any medical specialty including physiatry. After medical school, enroll in a residency in a licensed hospital to learn industry-specific skills. It takes approximately 3 to 4 years to complete a physiatrist residency program. In the first year, you will learn the core of internal medicine. Then, you will spend the next three years learning physical medicine and rehabilitation.
• Complete an industry-specific fellowship: You may want to focus on a particular aspect of physiatry such as treating injuries to the nervous system; a fellowship will come in handy. Normally, fellowship programs last for one or two years and cover musculoskeletal therapy, sports medicine, nervous system treatment, and pediatric rehabilitation.
• Be certified and apply for roles: Finally, you can apply for certification from the international board of physical medicine and rehabilitation and other bodies. This is compulsory for all physiatrists regardless of their sub-specialty. To be certified, you must provide proof of residency and pass the certifying exam. After becoming certified, you can start applying for physiatrist positions that suit your career aspirations and goals.

 

Where to Work as a Physiatrist

A physiatrist almost always finds employment after residency. Some may be retained by the hospital or organization where they worked as residents. However, a physiatrist is employed majorly in healthcare settings such as community and private clinics, and rehab centers. Some are hired by private clients while others can work in a sports clinic. Other employers of a physiatrist include pediatric clinics, inpatient hospitals, and outpatient clinics. A physiatrist may also be employed by the government and military to treat injured soldiers and other employees.

                          

Physiatrist Salary Scale

A physiatrist earns an estimated average salary of $243,684 per annum. Physiatrists are among the top 10% highly paid employees. They also enjoy perks and benefits that include medical and health insurance and paid holidays.

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