3 answers
Christian
Student
Kerrville, Texas
6
Questions
Asked
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Why should someone become a therapist?
#physical-therapist #therapist #therapy
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3 answers
David Thomforde
retired occupational therapist
15
Answers
Athens, Tennessee
Updated
David’s Answer
I became an Occupational Therapist because I enjoy working with people and helping them solve the problems that keep them from enjoying life to the fullest. as an OT, you can work in all sorts of setting including schools, geriatric facilities, hospitals, rehab center, the military, peoples homes, hand clinic and many more. You look at the entire individual and their home and their family to help them determine what problems they are facing and what would help, and then prescribe exercises or hobbies that could make them stronger or equipment to make their lives easier or home changes to make the home more accessible. I worked mainly in home health where you see the reality of a persons condition and, in many cases, are responsible for your own schedule so you can spend as much or as little time with the patient as needed.
People often ask what the difference between Occupational Therapy and Physical therapy is. PT focuses on the whole body, on strength and endurance, walking, balance, etc, improving these; OT focuses on the activities that a person needs to do during a day (eating, dressing, cooking, using the toilet, working, gardening, etc) and helps the individual gain greatest compentence and independence in these by modifying the activity or by improving the person's physical function. An example I like to use is that after a hip replacement, a PT will teach strengthening exercises so that a person can walk again using a walker; the OT will teach the person who to cook, dressing, do dishes, get in and out of the shower, carry items around the house while using the walker. In general, PTs focus on large muscles and movements and OTs focus on small muscles and coordinating movements, although both should be looking at the whole person.
According to government statistics, OT is one of the fastest growing fields in the US and I get constant job offers unsolicited. You can live just about anywhere.
The website of the American Occupational Therapy Association (aota.org) will provide more info on what OTs do and where you can get training
People often ask what the difference between Occupational Therapy and Physical therapy is. PT focuses on the whole body, on strength and endurance, walking, balance, etc, improving these; OT focuses on the activities that a person needs to do during a day (eating, dressing, cooking, using the toilet, working, gardening, etc) and helps the individual gain greatest compentence and independence in these by modifying the activity or by improving the person's physical function. An example I like to use is that after a hip replacement, a PT will teach strengthening exercises so that a person can walk again using a walker; the OT will teach the person who to cook, dressing, do dishes, get in and out of the shower, carry items around the house while using the walker. In general, PTs focus on large muscles and movements and OTs focus on small muscles and coordinating movements, although both should be looking at the whole person.
According to government statistics, OT is one of the fastest growing fields in the US and I get constant job offers unsolicited. You can live just about anywhere.
The website of the American Occupational Therapy Association (aota.org) will provide more info on what OTs do and where you can get training
Rachel Liu, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
6
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Rachel’s Answer
Hey Christian,
Good question! I became a PT because I knew that I wanted to work with patients and make a difference in their lives long-term. Medical school seemed too long and doctors don't usually have time to establish relationships with their patients since they see them a couple times a year. As a PT, you get to work with somebody anywhere between 1-12 weeks, or longer, depending on what kind of clinical setting you work in. You get to know your patients really well and see their functional improvement over time!
If you enjoy exercise and coaching people about movement and living a healthier life, PT would be a great career for you! There are many different clinical settings you can work in, with several specialities to consider. Orthopedics, Sports, Neurology, Oncology, Pediatrics, Geriatrics to name a few.
You can check out the website I listed below - there are many opportunities to learn about the PT profession and attend free webinars about PT school. Hope this helps!
Shadow a PT in a local clinic
https://www.apta.org/your-career/careers-in-physical-therapy
Good question! I became a PT because I knew that I wanted to work with patients and make a difference in their lives long-term. Medical school seemed too long and doctors don't usually have time to establish relationships with their patients since they see them a couple times a year. As a PT, you get to work with somebody anywhere between 1-12 weeks, or longer, depending on what kind of clinical setting you work in. You get to know your patients really well and see their functional improvement over time!
If you enjoy exercise and coaching people about movement and living a healthier life, PT would be a great career for you! There are many different clinical settings you can work in, with several specialities to consider. Orthopedics, Sports, Neurology, Oncology, Pediatrics, Geriatrics to name a few.
You can check out the website I listed below - there are many opportunities to learn about the PT profession and attend free webinars about PT school. Hope this helps!
Rachel recommends the following next steps:
Lauren Ellis Triemstra
Physical Therapist Assistant
19
Answers
Joliet, Illinois
Updated
Lauren Ellis’s Answer
Someone should become a therapist if they want a satisfying job physically helping people. This can apply to almost any field of healthcare or medicine. When it comes to physical therapy, I enjoy it because you can easily see improvement/progress in patients which is extremely rewarding. Whether it's a big one like, this patient couldn't walk before they came to PT and now they can! Or the little wins like, your range of motion has improved 5 degrees this week.
It's also fun to interact with patients. The day is pretty fast paced and goes by quickly. And it's never boring. As the years go on, I am still learning new things all the time because each patient responds a little bit differently, there's still diagnoses I haven't seen yet, or we're required (and I enjoy) to take continuing education classes to keep our license active, and there's new research coming out all the time. You constantly get to meet new people and the co-workers are normally all pretty great, because we all share the common goal of wanting to be there and wanting to help people.
I became a PTA after a career change to leave the business industry. I didn't like sitting around at a desk all day and felt like I was just spinning my wheels. I made money by helping my company make money by helping our clients make money. It was completely unsatisfying. The day dragged on, the weeks and months dragged on. I have not felt like this since I became a treating PTA. At the end of the day if I'm physically or mentally tired, or I feel stressed about overwhelming demand or pressure to take on increased volume of patients, I still feel like I made a difference that day. I have not regretted leaving my desk job to become a PTA. I may not always like my job, but I LOVE what I do!
It's also fun to interact with patients. The day is pretty fast paced and goes by quickly. And it's never boring. As the years go on, I am still learning new things all the time because each patient responds a little bit differently, there's still diagnoses I haven't seen yet, or we're required (and I enjoy) to take continuing education classes to keep our license active, and there's new research coming out all the time. You constantly get to meet new people and the co-workers are normally all pretty great, because we all share the common goal of wanting to be there and wanting to help people.
I became a PTA after a career change to leave the business industry. I didn't like sitting around at a desk all day and felt like I was just spinning my wheels. I made money by helping my company make money by helping our clients make money. It was completely unsatisfying. The day dragged on, the weeks and months dragged on. I have not felt like this since I became a treating PTA. At the end of the day if I'm physically or mentally tired, or I feel stressed about overwhelming demand or pressure to take on increased volume of patients, I still feel like I made a difference that day. I have not regretted leaving my desk job to become a PTA. I may not always like my job, but I LOVE what I do!