Physical Therapist
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.
Educational Requirements
for Physical Therapists
The typical entry level education for this occupation is a doctoral or professional degree.
Knowledge
Examples of the knowledge needed for success in this occupation is listed below, in order of importance.
- Medicine and Dentistry: 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.
- Customer and Personal Service: 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.
- Therapy and Counseling: Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- Psychology: 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.
- Biology: Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Skills
Examples of the skills needed for success in this occupation are listed below, in order of importance.
- Reading Comprehension: Reading work-related information.
- Speaking: Talking to others.
- Critical Thinking: Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
- Monitoring: Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
- Active Listening: Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Abilities
Examples of the abilities needed for success in this occupation are listed below, in order of importance.
- Oral Comprehension: Listening and understanding what people say.
- Written Comprehension: Reading and understanding what is written.
- Oral Expression: Communicating by speaking.
- Written Expression: Communicating by writing.
- Deductive Reasoning: Using rules to solve problems.
Detailed Work Activities
Examples of the detailed work activities involved with this occupation are listed below, in order of importance.
- Develop medical treatment plans.
- Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
- Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Record patient medical histories.