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If you are a physical therapist do you only work with older people or with younger people?

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Susie’s Answer

It depends on your location and the coursework/mentorship that you have done after graduating. In order to work in pediatric PT, most employers require some clinical experience, a pediatric residency, and/or an agreement to be mentored until you are able to demonstrate the necessary pediatric competencies. Many of us are trained to work "across the lifespan" and are able to see patients from the tiniest infants to geriatric patients, across different settings, but that takes more time as you have to ensure you are keeping up on the literature for all ages, diagnoses, and settings where you treat. I have worked in a NICU, outpatient pediatric clinic, a local high school, and a critical care unit, caring for patients in their later years, all at the same time in my career, dividing time among the different sites, working 6-7 days a week. But now, I only see infants and children, in one setting, pediatric outpatient. So you can choose where you want to work, but you need to have the skill set, experience, mentorship, and post-graduate coursework up to date in order to maintain your competencies in whichever setting you choose to work. Some PTs go on to become Board Certified in one or more sub-specialities, so that is something you can look into as well. That info is on the APTA website under, "Clinical Specialist Certification" and you could do that in Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Neuro, etc. Good luck.
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Brendon’s Answer

That will depend entirely on you and where you want to practice. I just practice in a rural setting so I can have a mix of both, I primarily work with adults between the ages of 30 and 60 but will also help high school athletes or occasionally older patients that reside skilled nursing homes. There are therapists who specialize to work with children and even those who work primarily with post-partum women. As you go through your PT (or PTA) program you'll learn a little bit of everything and have the opportunity to dive deeper in the areas that interetest you most.
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