Do You Want to Be a Physical Therapy Assistant

Are you taking up physical therapy? Do you want to earn while you're still studying? Why not try to become a PT assistant? A physical therapy assistant is someone who provides care and hands on aid to patient while being supervised by a physical therapist. You have to realize though that this is different from a physical therapy aide as an aide could either work under the supervision of a physical therapist or a PT assistant.

Now, as a PT assistant, what will your job entail? As an assistant you will be helping to make therapy of a patient flow more smoothly and efficiently. You will be dealing with a number of patients from accident and trauma patients as well as to regular individuals, who experience chronic conditions like arthritis, back pains, stroke and hear attach survivors as well as cerebral palsy.

As a physical therapy assistant, it is your job to make sure that your physical therapist has all he needs to better help the patient. As such, you might be asked to perform ultrasounds, exercises with the patients, massages, paraffin baths as well as provide electrical stimulation on patients during treatment. On top of helping out in the actual treatment, you might also need to do certain administrative and clerical jobs like paperwork, setting appointments and organizing the area as well. There is really no one way to point out everything that you'll have to do. In the end, you just have to be very flexible and open as to the many tasks that you might be faced with.

If you are studying to become a PT, then being an assistant to one may just be the best option for you. Not only do you get the proper hands on training under the supervision of a licensed professional, you also get to use the many equipment that are being used in the treatment. However, there are stringent rules applying to PT assistants. You must have a professional certification, a license, as well as knowledge in CPR and other first aid application.

If you want to be one, then you are making a great decision. In terms of salary, the average PT assistant earns around $47,000 a year. The need for physical therapy assistants is also expected to rise as more and more health care organizations and individuals see the need to integrate physical therapy into their list of services.

Jane Sanders writes at Higher Salary about finding a better paying career. Learn more about finding a great career here: http://www.highersalary.com/


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