Want to become a physiotherapist? Learn everything about this career, including the education requirements, salary, and outlook.
Becoming a physiotherapist is no small feat. You’ll need to complete 3-4 years of college and graduate school in order to learn how to provide therapy for patients from all walks of life.
But, if you have a passion for helping others heal from injury or illness and have the willingness to put in the time and effort, it can be an incredibly rewarding career.
In this article, we will go over what physiotherapy is, how you become a physiotherapist, details about this profession, and some tips on whether or not it might be a good fit for you!
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What is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapists are healthcare professionals who provide physical therapy and exercise-based rehabilitation to individuals who have suffered an injury or illness.
The goal of physiotherapy is to restore a person’s physical health and help them return to their normal daily activities as quickly as possible. It can be used for patients of all ages, including children, adults, and the elderly. A physiotherapist may work in a hospital, private practice, or other healthcare environments.
Physiotherapy can also be used to treat pain and other issues related to poor physical health in addition to injury or illness. Physiotherapists work with patients in order to help them develop the strength and endurance they need for daily living.
They teach patients how to maintain their health by performing simple exercises at home so that they don’t develop further problems down the road. As you might imagine, this line of work is incredibly rewarding for those who have a passion for helping others.
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What does a Physiotherapist do?
Physiotherapists work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat issues related to physical health and movement. They are responsible for developing treatment plans that are tailored to each patient’s unique needs and circumstances.
They also work with patients in order to help them maintain their health through exercise and physical activity.
How to Become a Physiotherapist: Step by step Guide
STEP 1: Get a Bachelor Degree in Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists must first complete a bachelor’s degree, generally in physiotherapy. Most physiotherapy programs take 4 years to complete. However, some can be completed in 3 years if the student has an appropriate undergraduate degree.
Some schools offer accelerated programs that allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree in other fields and then complete a two-year or three-year program in physiotherapy.
STEP 2: Pursue a Master’s Degree
After completing an undergraduate program, most physiotherapists attend graduate school where they earn a master’s or doctoral degree. The length of these programs varies significantly, but most of them take at least 2 years to complete.
Physiotherapy students are typically required to complete internships during their studies as well. These internships are designed specifically for the student’s field of study and provide them with hands-on experience with patients and other healthcare providers.
STEP 3: Pass National Board for Certification in Physical Therapy Exam
Once they have completed their education, therapists must pass the National Board for Certification in Physical Therapy (NBCPT) Exam to become licensed to practice.
This exam is designed to test the candidate’s knowledge in many areas of physiotherapy including:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Diagnostics and treatment of injuries and diseases
- Patient management skills
- Therapeutic exercise and modalities, such as massage therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and heat/cold therapy.
STEP 4: Complete a Licensure Application & Pass a Criminal Background Check
After passing the NBCPT exam, therapists must complete a licensure application and submit it to their state’s board of physical therapy. After this, they must pass a criminal background check.
Some states may require additional testing or continuing education hours before granting a license. This license is required in order to practice physiotherapy in any state.
STEP 5: Apply for Physical Therapy Jobs
The final step is applying for physical therapy jobs. Physical therapists have many job prospects that they can pursue after earning their degrees.
Physical therapists can find jobs in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, and schools. Some physical therapists work in private practice seeing patients on a one-on-one basis or in group sessions.
Some physical therapists are even self-employed, running their own clinic or business. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for physical therapists was $85,400 in May 2017.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of physical therapists will grow by 37 percent from 2016 to 2026. This is much faster than average.
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Skills to become a Physiotherapist
One of the major skills that employers are looking for in physiotherapy is excellent communication skills. They want to know whether you can effectively communicate with both patients and their families.
Salary of a Physiotherapist
Many people ask “What is the salary?” It’s difficult to give an accurate answer because it varies so much depending on what type of facility or organization you work in, where it is located, your qualifications, etc.
A person working as a Physiotherapist in United States typically earns around 176,000 USD per year. Salaries range from 95,300 USD (lowest) to 266,000 USD (highest). [Source: Salary Explorer]
If you want to know hour based salary of a professional Physiotherapist, It’s around $42.61 per hour.
Some professionals earn significantly more than this amount; others make less due to lower qualifications or locations in rural communities.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, becoming a physiotherapist is not too simple but it is little bit hard. Because vacancies of physiotherapist are very less and the competition are very high. So, anybody who becomes a physiotherapist then achieves huge success.
A physiotherapist is not therapist only although he teaches youth body care and youth is the future of any country. In the same vein, the prophecy decides the future of any country, society and culture. In our life, everybody finds a teacher to guide us in our body care.
In the same vein, after completing a physiotherapy degree. The life of a man is changed because a physiotherapist’s life is full of responsibilities.
So if anybody has no passion for physiotherapist life then do not try for a physiotherapist.
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