What Do Physical Therapists Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Physical Therapists 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. They also 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.

Other tasks include:

• Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
• Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation.
• Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient’s chart or enter information into computer.
• Obtain patients’ informed consent to proposed interventions.
• Test and measure patient’s strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.

We asked Physical Therapists how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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79% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 90% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Physical Therapists 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. They record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient’s chart or enter information into computer.

A typical day for a Physical Therapist will also include:

• Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• 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.
• Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.
• Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation.

We asked some Physical Therapists a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	67% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	74% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	100% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	84% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	14% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	68% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Physical Therapists also discharge patient from physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate follow-up care or referrals. They may also evaluate, fit, or adjust prosthetic or orthotic devices or recommend modification to orthotist.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Physical Therapists Refer clients to community resources or services. They might also Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices.

In addition, they Inform patients and refer to appropriate practitioners when diagnosis reveals findings outside physical therapy.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.

To some Physical Therapists, it is also their responsibility to Review physician’s referral and patient’s medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Physical Therapist, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm

http://www.apta.org/