Physical Therapy Schools

Let's Get Physical
No, it's not about Olivia Newton John's 1981 hit song. Physical therapy encompasses the prevention and treatment of conditions associated with loss of mobility. Physical therapists and their assistants provide services that help patients improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities. Patients include accident victims as well as people with conditions such as low-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy.

Care provided in physical therapy may include teaching patients exercises for mobility, strength, and coordination; training for walking with crutches, canes, or walkers; massage; paraffin baths; and the use of ultrasound and electrical stimulation.

Make Their Body Talk
To be a physical therapist assistant, you'll need to earn an associate degree from an accredited physical therapy degree program. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there were 238 accredited physical therapy degree programs in the United States as of 2004. These programs include one year of general education and one year of technical courses on physical therapy procedures and clinical experience.

Academic coursework at physical therapy schools includes algebra, anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology, CPR, and first aid. After that, your clinical experience is integral to ensuring you understand the responsibilities of a physical therapist assistant.

More than 40 states require graduates of physical therapy schools to be licensed, registered, or certified. States that require licensure stipulate specific education and examination criteria -- check with your state's licensing board for its particular regulations.

Bring Out the Animal in Them
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapist assistants held about 59,000 jobs in 2004. Median annual earnings of these physical therapy degree program graduates were $37,890 in May 2004, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $52,110.

And, employment of physical therapist assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2014. That's due to the increasing number of individuals with disabilities or limited function. In addition, as medical developments permit more and more trauma victims to survive, there will be continued demand for physical therapy services.

Say no to BlackBerry Thumb, and learn preventive procedures at physical therapy schools today.

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