hi

To be qualified to be a PT you must have at least Master's degree in Physical Therapy and also a valid license to practice Physical Therapy.

Opportunities to get experience in the field of Physical Therapy and decide whether or not to pursue the career include Volunteering, Shadowing, or being a PT Aide. I volunteered at a hospital over the summer and I worked with some PACU nurses, I learned a lot about what they did and what the job had to offer. If you apply for a volunteer position in the PT department of a hospital you can work alongside real PTs and learn about what they do. You can also shadow a PT just like you can shadow a doctor, of course that means you can't touch the patient which means you aren't getting the full experience of a PT. Being a PT Aide is interesting, there are no qualifications and you usually receive training on the job. That means you can have zero experience in Physical Therapy and still work alongside a PT with patients. It's like being a PT with no education, less pay and less responsibilities.

Institutions that need PTs include Schools, Clinics, Hospitals and Sports Facilities. These places are good places to start working and get experience. Further down the road you can specialize in a certain field e.g. Sports injuries.

After getting a job as a PT some physical therapists opt to concentrate/specialize on something they find enjoyable to them such as working with the elderly.

More and more PT jobs open all the time. The baby boom generation is getting to the age where their bodies don't move the way they used to. The demand for PTs will increase as these baby boomers get older.

The median pay for PT's in 2012 was $82,390 per year and $39.61 per hour. Not the highest salary in the healthcare field, but it's still a good amount of money.

If you are interested in being a PT you need to have good social skills you work with many people everyday. Also, it takes a while for patients to get a hold of what you are trying to teach them so you also need patience. Physical Therapists also have to move around a lot so you need to also be able to be very active.