Physical Therapists
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Examples
These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.
Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $63K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $75K
Median Salary: $91K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $106K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $126K
Demand
Core Tasks
Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.
Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.
Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation.
Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits, and any reasonable alternatives.
Inform patients and refer to appropriate practitioners when diagnosis reveals findings outside physical therapy.
Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health.
Discharge patient from physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate follow-up care or referrals.
Administer treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet or infrared lamps, or ultrasound machines.
Refer clients to community resources or services.
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices.
Evaluate, fit, or adjust prosthetic or orthotic devices or recommend modification to orthotist.
Teach physical therapy students or those in other health professions.
Conduct or support research and apply research findings to practice.
Participate in community or community agency activities or help to formulate public policy.
Direct group rehabilitation activities.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
93%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Medicine and Dentistry
92%
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Therapy and Counseling
92%
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Psychology
83%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Education and Training
80%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language
80%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Biology
74%
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Administration and Management
64%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Physics
64%
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Sociology and Anthropology
63%
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
80%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
80%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation
80%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
80%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking
80%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring
78%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Writing
78%
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Judgment and Decision Making
75%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
73%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension
80%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning
78%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
78%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering
78%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Problem Sensitivity
78%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Written Expression
78%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech Clarity
75%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
75%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Top 10 Work Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
94%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Documenting/Recording Information
94%
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
91%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Getting Information
89%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
89%
Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
86%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
85%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
82%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
82%
Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
80%
Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Detailed Work Activities
Develop medical treatment plans.
Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
Record patient medical histories.
Enter patient or treatment data into computers.
Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Treat patients using physical therapy techniques.
Process healthcare paperwork.
Test patient heart or lung functioning.
Supervise medical support personnel.
Establish treatment goals.
Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
Fabricate medical devices.
Adjust prostheses or other assistive devices.
Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
Train medical providers.
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
Design public or employee health programs.
Advise others on matters of public policy.
Direct healthcare delivery programs.
Work Context
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Deal With External Customers
How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
Coordinate or Lead Others
How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
Education
Interests
Social
100%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative
81%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic
62%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
43%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising
39%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Artistic
34%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Top 10 Work Styles
Concern for Others
96%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Integrity
96%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability
94%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Social Orientation
94%
Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Cooperation
93%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Self Control
93%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility
90%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
89%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Initiative
89%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Independence
88%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Work Values
Relationships
96%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Achievement
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Independence
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Support
67%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
