Official Therapist Blog

Author Healthcare Jobs Blogger | 10.23.2009 | Category Allied Healthcare, Occupational Therapy, Respiratory Therapy, Therapist Jobs, Therapy Jobs, Travel Therapist, Traveling Therapist, physical therapist licensing, physical therapy, rehabilitation therapy

While unemployment rates around the country seem to be sky-rocketing, physical therapists are in increasing demand, and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the physical therapy profession is expected to grow by 27% in the next 7 years. Business Week recently cited a survey conducted by SimplyHired.com, which ranks physical therapy as one of the top 3 careers in 29 of 40 metro areas.

As the baby boomer population ages, the need for physical and occupational therapists continues to increase. Julie Keysor, associate professor of physical therapy at Boston University, describes physical therapy as a profession with opportunity. She says, “The large U.S. population of aging baby boomers ensures demand for physical therapists - who, through one-on-one interaction, help patients reclaim musculoskeletal abilities impeded by illness, surgery, or injury - will stay strong.”

In 2008, the mean annual salary for physical therapists was reported at $74,000, but with the increased demand, salaries are also increasing. Physical therapists also receive “additional pay based on performance and productivity,” according to Jennifer Gamboa, owner of a physical therapy clinic in Virginia. Travel therapist jobs report even higher salaries with stronger benefits.

“Travel therapists enjoy forging new friendships and professional relationships in various geographic locations, earn up to 20 percent more than traditional permanent jobs and receive free private housing and free health insurance,” said Vice President of Recruitment, Mark Kay Hull, for The Joint Commission certified Travel Force Staffing.”

Gamboa explains that physical therapy is not a career for everyone. Physical therapists need to be able to reach out and form professional relationships with people who are in chronic pain and who can, therefore, be difficult to work with. Tolerance and patience are key traits for any physical therapist. Physical therapy is also an analytical field that requires therapists to examine and understand the puzzles that each patient presents.

In addition, Hull says that compassionate people with tolerance and patience are well suited for a career in Physical Therapy. These traits are essential to forming professional relationships with patients in chronic pain. Chronic pain can make even the most mild mannered seem very difficult. Physical Therapists must also easily be able to work closely with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. The Physical Therapist must understand how the physical challenges of their patients affect the whole patient.

Those interested in beginning a physical therapy career should know that educational requirements for physical therapists are stringent. A three-year doctoral program is now the standard, and each state has its own licensing requirements beyond the National Physical Therapy Exam, which can sometimes dissuade potential physical therapists from starting their career. Those who have followed the physical therapy path, however, report high job satisfaction and good benefits.

For more information about physical therapy jobs, visit Travel Force to sign up for to receive therapy job updates from the RSS feed.

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Occupational Therapy Jobs and Career Outlook

Author Healthcare Jobs Blogger | 10.19.2009 | Category Allied Healthcare, Occupational Therapy, Therapist Jobs, Therapy Jobs, Traveling Therapist, physical therapy, rehabilitation therapy

Like physical therapy, occupational therapy is a growing field. The occupational therapy job market is expected to grow much faster than the national average for all other professions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that this is especially true for those who work with the elderly, but occupational therapists who work in hospitals or with school-aged children will also see an increase in opportunities.

So, what exactly is occupational therapy? While physical therapists tend to focus on the general health and strengthening of an individual, occupational therapists have more specific goals. Occupational therapists help patients in their ability to perform specific tasks and actions related to their everyday lives. These tasks could involve anything from putting on clothes or using a computer to memory-recall and abstract-reasoning needed for interpersonal relationships.

Occupational therapists work with patients who have any number of difficulties. Patients who have suffered a physical injury may need to adjust how they perform certain activities. Elderly patients suffering from arthritis need help learning joint protection techniques and other ways to ease pain while performing day-to-day tasks. Children with developmental disabilities benefit from similar adaptive learning, while patients with mental disabilities may learn life management skills, like preparing a budget, sequencing events, or cooking meals.

In all of these instances, the occupational therapist assesses the difficulties of his or her patients and finds modifications to ease those difficulties. Occupational therapists may work with an employer to adjust a patient’s work-space to be most effective or with a teacher to determine classroom modifications that would benefit a child’s ability to participate. Occupational therapists assess homes for safety hazards and provide any number of ways to make the home more accessible for the individual, while working with the patient to adjust his or her approach to daily tasks.

Occupational therapists are required to complete a Masters or Doctoral program in occupational therapy and pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam to obtain state licensure. If you are a student interested in pursuing an occupational therapy career, visit the American Occupational Therapy Association for more information.

Once certified, occupational therapists can find job opportunities in hospitals, rehabilitative clinics, schools, and individual homes, providing personal home care. For more information about occupational therapy jobs that might be right for you, visit www.travelforce.com.