Physical therapy is an occupation that has progressively grown over time and is continually growing larger and larger in the United States. In fact, by 2022, it is estimated to grow at least thirty-six percent. On average, employees with this occupation make around 79,860 dollars per year. The job of a physical therapist is to help injured or ill individuals improve movement and manage pain. People who provide physical therapy play a crucial role in rehabbing and treating patients that suffer from chronic injuries or conditions. Some of these patients include athletes, individuals in nursing homes, and individuals with birth defects. As a result, physical therapists need a wide variety of skills …show more content…
In the first three to four years of college, students normally spend time in core classes needed to gain admission into physical therapy school, but once they are in physical therapy school, the curriculum becomes more suited towards physical therapy. Some of the classes include pharmacology, behavioral science, cellular histology, neuroscience, exercise physiology, clinical reasoning, and biomechanics. Although the curriculum tends to be a bit more rigorous, more time is spent in a clinical setting. On average, eighty percent of the curriculum takes place in a classroom or lab setting, but the other twenty percent is spent in the clinic. Physical therapy students spend almost twenty-eight weeks learning about different aspects of physical therapy in a clinical setting rather than in a desk. This is enormously beneficial because it provides an actual physical therapy setting, and allows for students to obtain a solid simulation of what physical therapists actually do. (“Physical Therapist (PT) Education Overview”). Most of the classes throughout the first four years of college are extremely rigorous and require a lot of knowledge about math and science, but once students reach physical therapy school, the curriculum can also get very physically demanding (“Guide to College Majors”). Normally, these physical therapy programs typically last about three years. After this period of time, physical therapy students are able to gain the Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (“Physical Therapist (PT) Education Overview”). With a degree in physical therapy, an individual can of course go into physical therapy, but he or she can also become a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), a Chiropractor, or a Recreational Therapist (“Guide to College