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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Acute Care PT (Acute Care Physical Therapist); Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT); Home Care Physical Therapist (Home Care PT); Inpatient Physical Therapist (Inpatient PT); Outpatient Physical Therapist (Outpatient PT); Pediatric Physical Therapist (Pediatric PT); Registered Physical Therapist (RPT); Therapist

Tasks

• 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.
• Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
• Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
• Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
• Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
• Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
• Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
• Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.
• Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.
• Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
• Identify and document goals, anticipated progress, and plans for reevaluation.
• Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits, and any reasonable alternatives.
• Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health.
• Inform patients and refer to appropriate practitioners when diagnosis reveals findings outside physical therapy.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Medicine and Dentistry
• Therapy and Counseling
• Psychology
• Education and Training
• English Language
• Biology
• Administration and Management
• Physics
• Administrative
• Sociology and Anthropology

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Writing
• Monitoring
• Active Learning
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Information Ordering
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity
• Fluency of Ideas
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Near Vision
• Selective Attention
• Finger Dexterity
• Static Strength
• Trunk Strength
• Originality
• Category Flexibility
• Manual Dexterity
• Far Vision