Any Physical Therapists?

I'm looking to hear about some first-hand experiences working as a physical therapist. I'm currently in IT, and industry that in my opinion has been commoditized. Hence, I'm looking at possibly making a career change. I enjoy working with people, and I would enjoy working in a field that deals with health and fitness as I have many years of personal experience and a great deal of passion for this discipline. Any thoughts on how on gets started (particular degrees / certifications / years of schooling required), what type of salary range can realistically be expected (I'm in the mid-west here in the 'nati) and what a typical day in the life of a PT is like?

Thanks.

Peace.

-Savage

JRS is around here somewhere...

Thanks Jonwell.

TTT for JRS input.

NbleSavage, I saw that on the Otherground your questions were answered except for what is a typical day like.

That varies a LOT depending on a few factors. Do you know what type of PT you want to do? There is a wide range of options. Some are: Neurological, geriatric, pediatric, outpatient orthopedic, acute care, home care, traveling PT, etc. Also, depending on the facility you work in there will be different responsiblities. Some clinics will have aids or assistants that may help with some of the mundane things like modalities, cleaning the treatment rooms/areas, laundry, exercise, etc. In some smaller clinics the therapist will be responsible for all of these activities.

I work at an outpatient orthopedic clinic. A typical day for a therapist will include about 15% of the day spent doing paperwork. The rest is doing initial evaluations, lots of therapeutic massage, stretching, joint mobilizations, PNF, strengthening exercises (although a lot of this is done by our exercise physiologists), patient education, gait training, balance activities, etc.

Let me know if you have other specific conditions.

Best in Health and Training, J. R.

JR,

Thanks man. Could you tell me what the difference is between a PT and an exercise physiologist? I recently started looking into the academic requirements for the masters PT program at the local university & I would apparently need to pick-up 5 full-year sequences (Chem, Physics, Biology, Phys & Anatomy and Exercise Physiology) - that's a bit more by way of pre-reqs than what I was hoping for given my schedule (and that's all just to APPLY for the master's program), but I'm still considering going for it.

-Savage