Working as a Physiotherapist

Rehabilitation therapy involves working with people that have physical problems caused by accidents or any other form of mishap which results in them not being able to function properly. This field is broken up into two general categories; physical therapy and occupational therapy.

Physical therapy involves assisting patients that have physical problems being able to function and overcome these physical limitations. This generally involves special exercises, movements, massages as well as the involvement of medicine and external therapies to aid the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons to increase functionality. The purpose behind physical therapy is to enable patients some degree of movement and flexibility as well as correct exercises which will aid in the recovery of the injury to the maximum.

Occupational therapy is to assist patients in the aftermath of an injury on an emotional and psychological basis in addition to physical therapy. The objective of rehabilitation therapists is to restore people to a state where they can function as normally as possible and remain self reliant.

Education Required:

A person that is interested in a career as a physical therapist needs to study science in the final years of schooling, this needs to be followed by a degree in bachelor of rehabilitation therapy. The degree is for the duration of four years interested people can also opt to study a master’s in rehabilitation therapy.

A point to be taken into consideration is all degrees and courses must be undertaken at nationally recognized universities. Physiotherapy is usually studied alongside medicine and degrees are usually awarded by medical colleges, along with this a physiotherapist also needs to spend a certain amount of time working as an intern at either a hospital or rehabilitation centre.

Earning Potential:

Depending on which fields the physiotherapist chooses to work in, their income can greatly very. A physiotherapist working with a top sports team is likely to get paid a huge amount of money, the entire team’s performance and at times the careers of sports people lie in the hands of their physiotherapist.

A physiotherapist working with a top hospital in a permanent position with a few years of experience can comfortably earn 50,000 to 70,000 rupees a month. Just like any other profession the career decisions of a physiotherapist have a massive impact on the earning potential of that particular individual.

Physiotherapy being a field that is closely related to medicine has potential to be a very powerful source of income. Depending on where a therapist’s chooses to specialize the overall income of eight physiotherapist could range from an average of 35,000 rupees a month to over 100,000 rupees or more a month, depending on which field the therapist chooses to work at.

Work Opportunities:

Physical therapists can find work in a variety of places, there is no shortage of jobs for physical therapists. The career prospects available include working at hospitals, old age homes, working with nongovernment organizations [NGO], working with sports teams; (a physiotherapist can get paid very highly if they are working with top athletes and sports teams) and a variety of other places such as schools, rehabilitation centres etc. A therapist can also open their own clinic and this can be very lucrative as well.