what is a physical therapist? and what is the avg pay in IL? how many years of schooling is needed?

Answer 1

Physical therapist and assistants help those that are injured or have some sort of disability to get back strength and endurance and perhaps balance (problems) thru recommending exercises, heat and cold therapy, therapeutic massage and gait (walking) training. One must be very knowledgeable about the body and how it works to work in PT. The physical therapist must have at least a master's degree and then sit for the registration exam to hopefully become a registered physical therapist (RPT). **Physical therapy school is highly competitive with those looking to enter needing a 4.0 GPA (grade point average) in their prerequisite courses (and perhaps even their overall). Pre-pt courses include chemistry, physics, biology and statistics. Some say that pt school is even more difficult to get accepted into than medical school!

Physical therapist assistants need a two year associate degree, and they don't evaluate the patient as the therapist (pt) does. They do treatment on or with the patient. PT can be a very stressful job both physically as well as mentally and emotionally. Patients may have had a stroke ('brain attack') which can cause balance problems as well as many other difficulties such as speech. Some patients have mental health problems such as bipolar/manic depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, ocd, depression. It's not quite as simple as it may sound, giving someone exercises and such just fyi :)

Answer 2

jannsody has most of it right...Physical therapist are health care professionals who assess and treat people with functional limitations. Understanding of the neuromusculoskeletal system is needed to perform examination, take objective measurements, analyze the information for goal setting in order to help the patient overcome or adapt to their functional limitations.

At this time, in the US, all accredited PT programs are either Masters or doctorate level taking 6-7 years to complete. The PTA programs remain an associates level program.

PT is a competitive entry program...at one time 300-400 qualified applicants were applying for 36 or so slots in accredited programs. Minimum GPA requirements are typically 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; but since so many qualified applicants were applying, those with extremely high GPAs were usually given first priortity. Enrollment in PT programs has dropped significantly, making it theoritically "less competitive" entry the last couple of years. However, minimum GPA, prerequisite and volunteer hours must still be met.

Upon completing the PT program, one must sit for the national licensure examination which results in licensure, not registration...registration for PTs is outdated since licensure is required by all states (I believe).

A 2005 survery by PT advance magazine revealed that the national average for PT salary for a NEW graduate came it at just under $43,000. National median salary for all PTs has been rated by other sources at about $60,000/year. Yet, your experience, the region in which you live, your setting and any certifications you hold will influences your salary.

I live in IL, I would say that average salary is pretty consistent with the national average...mostly between $50,000-$60,000 for someone with at least a couple years experience.