5 Great Reasons to Become a Physical Therapist Assistant

A physical therapist assistant is someone who provides physical therapy services to treat individuals suffering with ailments that hinder their mobility. This can be due to illness, accident, developmental disorder or other health related conditions that limit their everyday activities. Massage, exercises, traction and gait training are few of the many treatment methods used to treat such individuals to restore their mobility. Despite tough educational requirements, it is still considered a solid career choice due to the numerous benefits the career gives. Here are a few reasons to become a physical therapist assistant:

1. Physical therapist assistants are in great demand these days and as per statistics, their job opportunities are expected to continue to increase at above average rate through the next 5 years. There are several ongoing cases of developmental disorders which require physical therapy. Many occupations, such as factory workers are involved in rigorous jobs which often causes injuries, also the growing elderly population require constant physical therapy, hence the increase in demand.

2. They have a lot of options available in terms of area of practice, job location and timings. They can work in various health-care environments such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing clinics, private practices, with sports teams etc. Also, they can find job opportunities practically in any geographic region and that too on a part-time, full-time or temporary basis. They also get a chance to travel around the world while working on a per diem basis.

3. They help patients in their pain and give them as much independence and mobility as possible; making a significant difference in their lives every day. This gives them a great sense of personal satisfaction and confidence, since they positively influence others lives. Working for people and giving them better quality life embeds huge contentment.

4. Physical therapist assistants have a great earning potential. They are high in demand and hence their salary is expected to increase further.

5. It's a challenging, fast paced job where they enjoy vigorous, energetic environment and are physically active throughout the day, which helps them stay fit. Every day, there are new people to meet, new problems to solve and each requires a different approach.

The physical therapist assistant field is a growing career and is being adopted by many individuals. It's an enormously rewarding field within a supportive environment in terms of continuing education and supervision. Except for the initial assessment, a PTA performs the rest of the required treatment, which is the reason for its demand in many facilities.