Clifford Said:

specialties offered for physical therapy?

We Answered:

First, we should talk about "specialties" in terms of areas of focus practise, and board certified clinical specialists. The former can include anything from the act of staying in one type of practice setting: ie, outpatient orthopedics, home health, sports medicine or a pediatric clinic. One can work in any of these settings without any specific certifications. However, your chances for negotiating for and obtaining the job you really want becomes greater with certified clinical specialties.

The APTA support 8 clinical specialist certifications:
cardiopulmonary, clinical electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurologic, orthopedics, pediatrics, women's health and sports medicine. These are certifications you can apply for after spending at least a year in these specialized settings. Upon passing the exam, you would be recognized as a board certified specialist.

Thereare also residencies (post graduate) and fellowships which are focused didatics of learning designed to greatly enhase one's clinical skills they are available in manual therapy, hand therapy as well as all the clinical specialties listed above.

Finally, there are more informal "specialties", often accredited by an agency outside the APTA...this could be the LANA certification in lymphedema management, certification or diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, etc.


What you should realize, however, is that these things are done AFTER you've completed your PT degree (although few entry level programs exist that contain manual therapy residencies).


I am not board certified, but carry the MDT certification as well as an independent certification in lymphedema management.

Jeanette Said:

Is physical therapy assistant a rewarding job?

We Answered:

PT and PTA is rewarding. There are many different specialties so everyone can fill their niche. The pro are that there are jobs and job security. We can not hire enough PT and PTAs. The PTA salary is decent for a 2 year degree. Cons- RN with a 2 year make more money and have more freedom. A PTA must work under a PT. PTA schooling is not easy. It can be challenging.

Here is a link to the national PT association that can give you a ton of info.

http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Sect…

Gloria Said:

Pros and Cons of Physical Therapy?

We Answered:

First, I wouldn't say PT is "easy." Post surgical rehabilitation for knee surgery and finding out why someone is having back pain are require completely different cognitive processes..."post-surgical" rehab is usually the "easiest" part of my day...but from an observer, I can understand what one would think this. Administering the treatment is the easy part, the critical thinking that goes along with the who, what when where and why is what really takes an analytical mind.

Yet, there are many advantages to this career. First are good job prospects and a historically high rate of job satisfaction (according to a university of Chicago survey). Pay is comfortable, but certainly not extravagant. Benefits are typically good if you work for a health care institution.

Cons require having to work occasional weekends, holidays and evenings...depending on your setting. Flexibility in an emergency isn't always an option, but you can be flexible in how much or how little you want to work. In other words, one cannot typically call in just for the sake of calling in. Finally, the other con (according to some people) is the length of education. For those without any previous college experience, it's a 6-7 year treck...for those with at least a BS degree, it could be as little as 4 or 5 years if you still have some prerequisites to take.

The APTA website has good information for those considering this career under education programs. www.apta.org

Good luck

Erik Said:

I want to persue a career in physical therapy,what king of things should i expect?

We Answered:

Job applications are frequently hard - how should you fill them in? Should you follow them up when there is no answer? I suggest there's no one solution but the website in the box below has some really awesome tips and tricks about this. It definitely helped me when I was filling out job applications recently, plus they have extra stuff on job hunting.

Lester Said:

i dont know whether to major in veterinary or physical therapy?

We Answered:

It depends on what you want to do. Volunteer in some PT clinics and do the same at some vets office. You can get a BS in anything before applying to get your doctorate in PT or in vet school.

Best wishes

PS There is a program where you become a PT and can provide it to animals. (Your become a PT first and then do some training in animal therapy) It is in Tennessee, I believe

I just found this link

http://www.westernu.edu/xp/edu/cahp/msar…

http://www.vet.utk.edu/clinical/rehab/pr…

Peggy Said:

the pros and cons of physical therapy?

We Answered:

There really is no downside to physical therapy depending on the injury that you have sustained, for instance if you have a complete rupture of your biceps tendon all the PT in the world will not reconnect your tendon. But I would recommend PT after the surgery is performed to repair the ruptured tendon.