Physical Therapy a Promising Prospect for Career Changers
RSSWith our country's current economic crisis, many people are turning to the rapidly growing field of health care to look for stable and well-paying jobs. One thing many people doesn't realize, however, is just how many different career options exist within health care, beyond the basics of doctor and nurse. BusinessWeek is reporting a rising demand for physical therapists, in particular, to meet the demands of our aging population.
As the country's generation of baby boomers -- a formidable demographic even to this day -- continues to age, physical therapists and assistants are increasingly needed to provide the care, exercise, and one-on-one interaction that will keep them healthy and help to ward off the symptoms of age-related ailments like arthritis and heart disease. To measure this phenomenon, California-based job search site SimplyHired.com conducted a study in 40 different metropolitan areas. In 29 of those areas, "physical therapist" ranked within the top three for occupations in greatest demand; in nine other areas, "physical therapist assistant" made the top three. These findings support the findings of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which suggest a 27% increase in demand for physical therapists between 2006 and 2016, and an even brighter 29% demand increase for assistants.
It's a career with big opportunities, but being a good physical therapist means more than a physical therapy degree alone. "You have to like to interact with people and have tolerance for those who are in discomfort and therefore unhappy," physical therapy clinic owner Jennifer Gamboa told BusinessWeek. "You need to reach out to people and form a relationship but keep a professional demeanor. Someone who doesn't tolerate ambiguity well is not going to do well in this field. Physical therapy is a science but also an art. You have to interview each patient, and when the patterns don't follow, you have to figure something out. You have to like puzzles."
It may also take patience, depending on the path you are pursuing. A professional physical therapist these days requires a solid doctorate degree on top of undergraduate work, plus hundreds of hours of volunteer work and resident training. "It used to be you needed a master's degree," said Gamboa, "but now it's pretty much a matter of a doctoral degree." That said, for students eager to jump start their careers, physical therapy assistant training can be completed in as little as two years with an associate degree. Also, these days both degree paths are available at online schools, offering a way to earn your degree while still maintaining your current career (an important factor in this rocky financial climate).
For those that persevere and earn that Doctorate of Physical Therapy, however, the outcome can be rewarding. Physical therapists have the freedom to work within the public sector at hospitals, or within the private sector at nursing homes, clinics, or by opening up a solo practice. Physical therapists can also look forward to a a stable and lucrative income -- according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapists can look forward to a mean annual salary of $74,000, and physical therapist assistants do well for themselves with $46,300. For warm, people-friendly, medical-minded people considering a career change, it's an enticing option that's well worth looking into.
