29-1123.00 - Physical Therapists

Updated 2010

Summary Report for:
29-1123.00 - 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.

Sample of reported job titles: Physical Therapist (PT), Staff Physical Therapist, Home Care Physical Therapist, Outpatient Physical Therapist, Pediatric Physical Therapist, Registered Physical Therapist (RPT), Rehabilitation Services Director

View report: Summary Details Custom

Tasks

Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
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.
Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation.
Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.
Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.

Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy — Balance beams; Balance boards; Bolsters/wedges

Cognitive or dexterity or perceptual or sensory evaluation or testing products — Digital inclinometer range of motion measurement instruments; Electronic manual muscle testers; Muscle testing equipment

Pivotal traction therapy supplies — Cervical pivots; Lumbar pivots; Occipivots; Thoracic pivots

Reflex hammers or mallets — Babinski hammers; Neurological hammers; Percussion hammers

Work tables or stations or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy — Axial-resistance shoulder wheels; Shoulder wheels; Traction and mobilization physical therapy tables; Upper body ergometers

Technology used in this occupation:

Accounting software — MediGraph software

Action games — Biometrics video game software

Medical software — Advantage Software Physical Therapy Advantage; Clinicient Insight; Hands On Technology TheraWriter.PT; Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite

Office suite software — Microsoft Office software

Word processing software — Exercise routine creation software

Knowledge

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.

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.

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.

Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

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.

Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

Abilities

Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Work Activities

Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Work Context

Physical Proximity — To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?

Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Frequency of Decision Making — How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

Deal With External Customers — How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?

Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

Job Zone

Title	Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Education	Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related Experience	Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training	Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Job Zone Examples	These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, wildlife biologists, school psychologists, surgeons, treasurers, and controllers.
SVP Range	(8.0 and above)

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
51	Master's degree
27	Doctoral or professional degree
21	Bachelor's degree

Interests

Interest code: SIR

Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Work Styles

Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.

Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Work Values

Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Recognition — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Related Occupations

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Wages & Employment Trends

National

Median wages (2011)	$37.63 hourly, $78,270 annual
Employment (2010)	199,000 employees
Projected growth (2010-2020)	Much faster than average (29% or higher)
Projected job openings (2010-2020)	100,600
Top industries (2010)	Health Care and Social Assistance

State & National

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 wage data and 2010-2020 employment projections . "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2010-2020). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Sources of Additional Information

Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

Physical Therapists . Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition.
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) , 1111 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1488. Phone: (800) 999-2782. Fax: (703) 684-7343.

Summary Report for: 29-1123.00 - Physical Therapists