Is Physical/Occupational Therapy Right for You?

Hi guys!

I know a lot of you coming in are Freshmen/Sophomores so you may still be unfamiliar with what PT/OT is. Hopefully this post will give you a better insight into the profession and help you decide if this is the career for you!

Physical Therapist:

• Health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all ages
• Examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability (APTA)

Occupational Therapist:

• Help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations)
• Have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team (AOTA)

Qualities of a Physical/Occupational Therapist:

• People-person
• Our job is centered around patient care, so obviously you should enjoy interacting with people. A therapist's attitude can have a significant impact on a patient's motivation and progression through therapy. 
• Strong communication skills
• After you learn all of the intricate jargon from PT/OT school, you need to be able to break it down and explain it all to patients who might not have any background in anatomy/physiology.  
• Ability to communicate clearly is definitely a skill you need as a therapist. You use it in everything from explaining exercises to telling patients about their rehabilitation progression. 
• No sense of personal space
• By this I don't mean that therapists don't respect the personal boundaries of their patients (they do!). It just means that PTs/OTs are constantly touching and are in close proximity to their patients, so if you are someone who doesn't like to be touched, you might want to start getting used to having less personal space. 
• Creative
• Patients can better connect to an exercise if they can see how it applies to their daily lives. Oftentimes, therapists cater the exercises to what the patient likes; for instance, if a patient enjoyed karate, the therapist can incorporate punches to work on reaching.
• Hard-working
• Not only do you have to work hard academically, you should be driven to keep up with current practices in your field. Because there is so much research happening with therapy, we are continually finding better ways to train/rehabilitate the human body and it is our responsibility to deliver the best known care to our patients. 

Hopefully this gives you a general idea of what being a physical/occupational therapist entails. The best way to gain a deeper understanding of this profession is to shadow! There, you can judge for yourself whether or not you would fit into this type of setting.