Becoming a physiotherapy assistant is a difficult but very useful career choice for anyone interested in a much larger number of positions in the field of medical services.
This is an excellent job for those who like to work with the public on an individual basis and offer an excellent salary. To ensure such work, people must be named and (in most states of the United States) obtain a license that can be applied after training a physical therapist.
How to get Associates degree
First you will need to get an Associates Degree of Science degree in physical therapy to get certified and licensed.
This includes a two-year college course on a course that is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation in the Field of Physical Therapy (CAPTA) and included, required extracurricular activities.
Courses for Associates Degree with an emphasis on PTA include basic English courses, mathematics and algebra, anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, rehabilitation, therapeutic exercises, medical terminology, and others. After formal training and passing all relevant exams, students receive a degree.
There are also some online-accredited Associates Degree programs that state that they can prepare an apprentice for teaching and learning PTA; However, despite the fact that most of the course work is done online, students will still need to do external studies and other necessary work on the course offline in order to get a higher education, and be ready for the certification exams.
A license is required separately by the state, although currently 48 of the fifty states are required (Colorado and Hawaii currently do not require licensing if someone has their PTA).
After the PTA has passed the certification exam, they have the right to pass the state licensing exam so they can work only in the PTA in this state. PTAs that change location and want to work in a different state must pass a new state exam for this.
Information on state licensing and National Physical Therapy Examinations (NPTE) for PT and PTA can be found on the website of the Federation of the State Administration of Physical Therapy at http://www.fsbpt.org
Jobs available with a certain degree
Once certification and licensing are completed, SNF can apply for work in various medical institutions, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, sports medicine practice, qualified medical institutions, home helpers, schools and individual companies, and therapy.
Licensed PTAs can also continue their education and receive special training in order to become qualified to work in certain areas, such as postoperative, orthopedic and cardiopulmonary. Many PTAs also continue their college education and are eager to become a real physiotherapist.
Salary after graduation
Depending on location, job experience and job type, salaries for physiotherapy assistants range from $ 31,000 to $ 68,000 (10 percent) as of May 2010, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States.
It is expected that this range will increase in the next 5-10 years, as the field of physical therapy is growing. It is expected that during this time the number of jobs will increase to 46 percent, so it seems that becoming a PTA is a position with a good future and a large number of promises both as far as possible and in terms of salary.
On the other hand, physical therapy assistants (without a license, not students) receive a salary of 17,000 to 34,000 US dollars.
With such statistics, anyone who is interested in the medical profession, where they will assist in the actual treatment of patients and other responsibilities, is likely to be very satisfactory, personally, professionally and financially.
Those who want to become a PTA are encouraged to find the best accredited program to be well prepared to receive a diploma of completion of physical therapy and licensing.
It should also be noted that a change in the course curriculum for SNF from a two-year associate degree to a four-year bachelor's degree, as well as in other medical fields related to increasing schooling requirements, is currently being discussed.
Receiving a degree completed will now allow someone to get to the field faster if these changes occur in the near future.
