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

 

Who is a Physical Therapist?

Physical therapists are healthcare professionals that provide therapeutic treatments to individuals with acute or chronic physical problems as a result of an injury or disease. Physical therapy’s general and universal goal is to uncover and maximize human movement potential in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. This includes, for example providing services in situations where mobility and function are endangered by age, injury, disease, or environmental conditions. Furthermore, physical therapy always entails collaboration between the therapist, the patient, other health professionals, families, caregivers, and communities to assess mobility potential and set goals.

Physical therapists may be involved in a range of contexts with any of the following purposes, according to the World Confederation for Physical Therapy’s position statement: Individuals and the broader public and health society’s and well-being are promoted by emphasizing the value of physical activity and exercise. Preventing impairments, activity limitations, participative restrictions, and disabilities in people who are at risk of changing their movement patterns owing to health or medical causes, socioeconomic pressures, environmental variables, or lifestyle factors. Providing interventions and treatment to tackle the integrity of body systems is important for movement, maximizing function and recovery, reducing incapacity, and raising the quality of life, independent living, and workability in individuals and groups with altered movement behaviours due to impairments, activity limitations, participatory restrictions, and disabilities. Modifying access and barriers in the environment, at home, and at work to allow for complete participation in one’s regular and expected societal roles and functions.

As a result, a physical therapist is a healthcare professional who focuses on human mobility and how it affects one’s health. Furthermore, physical therapists are trained to recommend safe physical activity even to the sick and frail. As a result, physical therapists are excellent at motivating clients to participate in safe and healthy physical activities.

 

Physical Therapist Job Description

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

Physical therapists evaluate, assess, diagnose, treat, and educate patients in a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and community-based settings, as directed by a trained medical practitioner and in line with the Physical Therapy Practice Act and Title 16 standards. They are also in charge of the following duties:

• Treats patients by teaching them various exercises to strengthen and stretch their muscles while also relieving pain.
• Discusses patients’ complaints in other to create an appropriate rehabilitation plan.

• Ability to give medical directions, operate medical equipment, and create treatment plans.
• Assesses patients, treats them, plans their release, and collaborates with other healthcare specialists.

• Timely and in compliance with department standards, documents patient care, and billing information.

• Communicates with co-workers and other professionals, such as physicians and nurses, to ensure that patients receive the best possible care.

• Works as part of a team in the treatment of patients and mentors other professionals.

• Provides essential communication and supervision while delegating parts of patient care to support staff in accordance with PT/PTA MI Licensure Administrative Rules.

• Maintains a high level of clinical productivity.

• Maintains technical clinical expertise through continued clinical education.

• Attends in-services, staff meetings, quality activities, and program development activities.
• Maintains a high level of awareness of patient safety in the clinic and when using the equipment.

• Assists with the maintenance of patient care equipment as needed

• Maintains patient confidentiality in accordance with HFHS HIPAA standards,

• Follows all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations, as well as APTA standards of practice, License requirements, the HFHS Integrity/ Compliance Program, Code of Conduct, and other HFHS rules and procedures.

• Attends community and professional events on behalf of Henry Ford Health System.

• Participates in educational programs for students.

• Additional responsibilities may be allocated as needed.

 

Essential Skills

Aptitude and attitude

Students interested in pursuing a Physical Therapy degree should have an interest in human movement and health, as well as a desire to help others improve their mobility, function, and life participation. They must show sensitivity, compassion, honesty, and care for others. Students must possess the cognitive abilities necessary to comprehend and acquire theoretical knowledge and technical expertise in order to collaborate with their peers, patients, and co-workers.  They must appreciate individuality and diversity, establish trusting connections, use great interpersonal skills to engage and motivate patients and families, solve problems creatively, and handle many, potentially competing requests.

Information gathering skills

Students must be able to participate in learning circumstances that necessitate the ability to obtain information about a patient during an assessment. This information is usually gathered by looking at, listening to, and palpating different regions of the body. Reading charts or other written documents, as well as the usage of evaluation instruments, are all part of gathering information.

Communication skills 

Students must be able to speak, hear, and observe patients in order to properly and efficiently elicit information, describe mood, activities, posture, and perceive nonverbal communication. Students must be able to communicate with patients, families, and other members of the medical team in an effective and sympathetic manner. Students must be able to effectively summarize a patient’s condition, evaluation, and action plan verbally and in writing to meet regulatory and organizational record-keeping standards (handwritten or electronic). Students should be aware that communicative fluency is often higher than what is measured on traditional language fluency tests. Students who do not speak fluently the primary language of the physical therapy curriculum are responsible for developing the high level of communication skills required for patient safety, informed consent, and entirely independent and ethical interaction with patients.

Critical thinking skills 

In order to evaluate, integrate, and synthesize information, students must display the cognitive abilities and memory required to measure, calculate, and reason. Students also need to be able to understand multidimensional and spatial relationships. These extensive problem-solving activities must be completed in a reasonable amount of time in comparison to their classmates. Students must also be able to accurately analyze their own performance in order to better direct their studies. To address patient requirements and engage the patient in a safe and efficient manner, effective problem solving and judgment are required. In order to lay a basis for evidence-based practice, students must be able to critically appraise information. Students must display these critical thinking skills in their university coursework as well as in the clinical setting.

Psychomotor and Physical skills 

Students must show adequate motor function to safely undertake initial and ongoing examinations and interventions on a patient, including data collection and assessment measures.  Physical therapist job description demands that students must be able to use common diagnostic aids or devices (e.g., sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, goniometer) either directly or in an adaptive form, and give the appropriate physical guidance for exercise and/or functional movement through instruction or demonstration. Students must be able to perform motor movements that are reasonably required to guarantee patient safety and treatment effectiveness, either by their own movement or by guiding or directing the movement of others.  Positioning patients in bed, balance, gait, or transfer training, mobilization procedures, therapeutic exercise, or maneuvering in limited places are all examples of scenarios that necessitate such movement. Furthermore, students are required to be physically capable of participating in all aspects of the educational program (for example, clinical skills laboratory work) and should be able to sit, bend, reach, and/or walk or stand for most of the day.

Emotional Health

In the context of the program’s physical, emotional, and mental demands, students must consistently demonstrate the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities. Students must demonstrate their ability to adapt to changing environments as well as their ability to function effectively under pressure. It’s also necessary to cultivate mature, compassionate, and productive relationships with patients, families, and other members of the healthcare team. Students must display emotional resilience and balance in order to deal with a variety of emotionally charged or ethically demanding events that emerge often in all professional contexts.

 

How to Become a Physical Therapist

It will take years of college and practical training to become a physical therapist, but as long as you know what to expect and are prepared, you’ll grow closer and closer to your goal. To get there, follow these eight steps.

Excel in High School

If you already know you want to be a physical therapist after you graduate from high school, there are several things you can do to put yourself in the best possible position to advance your career. Taking the appropriate high school classes is the most crucial thing to do during this period. Mathematics and science classes will be the most important to take. Take the required biology, chemistry, and physics subjects, as well as electives such as anatomy or human physiology, if your institution offers them. Take a math class every year, aiming to finish at least pre-calculus, if not calculus. Statistics classes might also be highly beneficial. Aim for the highest level (honours or Advanced Placement) in these classes that you are able to take, and strive for the best grades possible (ideally nothing below a B). Make sure you satisfy your high school graduation standards as well as the expectations of the universities you’re applying to for your other classes. Four years of English, two or three years of social science, and at least two years of a foreign language are required or recommended by most colleges.

Once you’ve finalized your class schedule, strive for high grades in each of them. A high-Grade Point Average will increase your chances of being accepted into your dream school. Similarly, aim for excellent Scholastic Aptitude Test or American College Test (ACT) scores. Your first SAT or ACT should be taken at the beginning of your junior year. This should give you enough time to retake the test in the spring, as well as a third time during the summer before or after your senior year. Check out our guides on what a wonderful SAT/ACT score is for more information on how to set a goal score.

During this time, you might choose to volunteer to get a flavor of what it’s like to work as a physical therapist. Volunteering might be difficult for high school kids at times, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t find something. It also doesn’t have to be directly related to physical therapy; anything that involves assisting others can help you develop the abilities you’ll need to become a physical therapist. Nursing homes, hospitals, and food banks are all places that frequently accept volunteers.

Take Important Courses in College

College is where you’ll begin to focus on the things that a physical therapist must be knowledgeable about. The majority of physical therapists major in science. The most common majors are biology, kinesiology, exercise science, and human biology. Majors in psychology and chemistry are also popular.

Most physical therapy doctorate programs, on the other hand, do not require applicants to have a specific degree. All that is expected of applicants is that they have completed the qualifications. Of course, majoring in a physical therapy-related discipline ensures that you will complete the prerequisites, but you could conceivably major in Italian Literature or Political Science and still be accepted into Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs if you also completed the prerequisites. Specific courses will vary depending on the programs you’re applying to, but most DPT programs need applicants to have completed classes in the following areas:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Psychology
• Statistics
• Human Anatomy
• Human Physiology
• Calculus
• Writing and Composition

Many DPT programs also demand laboratories for all or most science classes so that you can gain hands-on experience and so you must keep your grades up no matter what major you choose. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for many DPT programs. Also, because many schools require letters of recommendation, make sure you maintain good ties with at least a few of your instructors, especially those who teach in disciplines connected to physical therapy.

Get Physiotherapy Observation Hours

A lot of DPT programs also demand or strongly advise you to complete a certain amount of Physiotherapy observation hours (often ranging from 25-100 hours). PT observation is exactly what it sounds like: you get physical therapy experience by witnessing a physical therapist or volunteering or working at a health-related facility. This criterion exists to assist you to feel more confident that physical therapy is the correct career choice for you, as well as to ensure that physical therapy programs know you have the knowledge and passion to be a successful physical therapist.

Different DPT programs have different requirements, so always double-check the information for the schools you’re applying to. In general, you can complete these hours under the supervision of multiple physical therapists and in a variety of settings, such as a private practice, a hospital, or a nursing home. More diversity is often beneficial because it might help you figure out what type of physical therapy career you want to pursue. Some schools may allow observation from other health care professionals, even if they aren’t physical therapists, but double-check before making assumptions.

Even if PT observation hours are optional rather than required, we strongly advise you to complete them. They’re an excellent approach to distinguish yourself from other applicants and demonstrate that you have real experience and understanding in physical therapy. If you can, get up to 100 hours of observation, even if schools only require or recommend less. Having more hours demonstrates your motivation, which physical therapy colleges value.

Some programs require you to enter your hours into PTCAS (Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service) with the physical therapist you’re observing. We encourage that you do this regardless because if you subsequently decide to apply to schools that require your observation hours to be validated on PTCAS, you will already have done so and will not have to search down any information.

Take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

GRE results are required by most DPT schools, and even if they aren’t, having strong scores can help your application stand out. There is no minimum GRE score to be admitted into a program, and most DPT schools will accept you with below-average GRE levels provided the rest of your application is strong. However, you should strive for the highest possible score. Accepted students at the University of Delaware (which offers the number one ranked DPT program according to US News) have average GRE scores of around 155 for Verbal and 157 for Math. If you can hit those numbers, you’ll be in terrific shape.

Submit an application to doctoral programs in physical therapy

You will start applying to the doctor of physical therapy schools in the fall of your senior year of college (assuming you plan to go to graduate school right after graduation).

You’ll need to include the following in your application for various DPT programmes:

• College transcripts
• Physical Therapy observation hours
• GRE scores
• A personal statement describing your reasons for wanting to be a physical therapist. Some of these may need to be obtained from your teachers, while others include:
• Letters of endorsement (2-3 are often required and may need to come from the physical therapists you worked with).
• Conduct an interview (only required by some programs). Your application will most likely be completed and submitted through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service.

PTCAS allows you to submit a single application to numerous DPT programmes. Consider it a physical therapy version of the Common Application as PTCAS applications are accepted by the vast majority of DPT programmes.

• Know the deadlines for each of the schools to which you’re applying, and make sure you submit all of your materials on time. This includes GRE scores and letters of recommendation, so you’ll need to start planning at least a few months ahead of time.

Finish your Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program

Congratulations, you’ve been accepted! When you start your DPT programme, you’ll concentrate only on the skills and information required to work as a physical therapist. The average duration of a DPT programme is three years. Physical therapy will be the focus of all of your classes. Biology, anatomy, physiology, communication, behavioural sciences, biomechanics, kinesiology, pathology, sociology, and other areas will be covered.

The majority of your time will be spent on coursework, but you will also have clinical encounters. Most DPT programmes include multiple multi-week or multi-month sessions to provide students with hands-on experience as physical therapists. You’ll have hundreds of hours of experience by the end of them (and sometimes even more). You may choose where your clinical experiences take place, or you may be allocated, or a combination of the two. At least one inpatient and one outpatient clinical experience are required by some programmes. Because each programme is distinct, you can be taking classes and doing clinical work at the same time, or you might spend weeks on clinical experiences before returning to coursework.

A DPT programme is a significant time commitment that will most likely consume the majority of your time. You’ll learn everything you need to know to become a successful physical therapist in the programme, so as long as you’re taking the required classes, getting excellent grades in them, and completing any work experiences or training you need to graduate, you will be fine.

Acquire Your License

You’ve finished all of your schooling and practical requirements, and you’ve arrived at the final phase! You can now apply for your license. The requirements to get licensed varies from state to state. However, you must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination in order to practise in all states (NPTE). The NPTE is a computerized standardized test that you will have to take. The test might be scary, but if you did well in your DPT programme, you can be fairly confident that you will pass the test. For the past several years, students from recognized US DPT schools have had pass rates exceeding 90%. Some states may require additional examinations in addition to the NPTE; your DPT programme will be aware of these requirements and will assist you in preparing for them while still in school.

It can take several weeks to receive your scores and another few weeks to process your license, but once that is done, you’ll be allowed to work as a certified physical therapist!

Participate in a Residency Program (optional).

You can work as a physical therapist once you get your license. Some new physical therapists, on the other hand, decide to spend an additional year in a residency programme. This can help you earn more money, open up additional job prospects, and prepare you for more specialized physical therapy jobs. Consider it an apprenticeship in which you gain new skills by assisting more experienced physical therapists. A residency is not required, and it is not something you must undertake immediately after completing your DPT programme, but it is something to consider if you want to advance your PT skills.

 

Where You Can Work as a Physical Therapist

Physical therapists work at hospitals, outpatient clinics, people’s homes, schools, sports and fitness facilities, businesses, and nursing homes, among other places.

 

Physical Therapist Salary

How much do Physical Therapists make? The median compensation for physical therapists in 2019 was $89,440, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. In addition, from 2019 to 2029, the field is predicted to grow at an average of 18 percent. Physical therapists are predicted to see a robust and continuous increase in demand, despite the fact that average career growth is just approximately 3-5 percent.

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Tags: Career advice, Job Description, Physical Therapist