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What is the working environment of a physical therapist?

I am a senior in high school and am interested in this particular branch of medical science. #physical-therapy #medicine #therapy #physical-therapist #occupational-therapy

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Donna’s Answer

As a physical therapist for 35+ years in several different settings, I found each setting had its own rewards and challenges. PT's can work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities,home health, school systems, etc. In each setting, it was extremely rewarding to work with patients to achieve their highest level of independence, improve their function or decrease their pain. A typical day had regularly scheduled patients for the PT to see, either for an initial evaluation or ongoing treatment. Some settings have PT Assistants or aids to help with aspects of treatments; others the PT does the entire treatment themselves. As patients improve, you change their treatment goals and set up a new program for them to work on, so the work is ever-changing and can be very challenging when a patient isn't improving or cooperating. Most patient interactions are very enjoyable.
There is always the paperwork/computer charting aspect of the job and that can be exasperating some days, but it is necessary to do that well so someone else can step in to work with your patient if you can't. Also, there are opportunities to work both full and part time in PT, as your own life events change.
PT is an excellent field and the demand will continue into the future as higher numbers of the population age.
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Casey’s Answer

First of all, Donna's answer is right on. She describes the different environments well. To add to the idea of the culture of the environement, I'd like to say a little bit about the general person that goes into this profession.

In most all cases, you will be working with other therapists/ support staff and definitely with patients. (An exception would be home health, where you do not see your co-workers very often.) The nice thing about this is that PTs are good people. Everyone gets into the profession to help others. And most get into it because they have the personality and traits to make the patient feel encouraged while doing challenging activities/ exercises that can cause discomfort or pain.

Getting back to the work environment, the culture is usually great. You will be working with like-minded healthcare workers who want to help others and have fun doing it. This breeds a lot of smiles and fun-loving interaction from the support staff to the clinicians delivering the treatment. This type of environment is also great for the patients, because they feel the positive energy and want to be a part of it and come back for more.
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