Is physical therapy a good job? The inside scoop from actual PTs

There are hundreds of career paths that you can explore, but it’s not always easy to determine which job is the right fit for you. The first thing you should consider is what long-term goals you hope to achieve in your career. Many people want to have a job that helps people, which often points them in the direction of the medical field for careers like physical therapy.

Physical therapy is a field within health care that focuses on alleviating pain and helping the function of a patient’s body to improve their overall quality of life. Being a physical therapist means having a positive impact on a person’s health and wellness. But you may be asking yourself, “Is physical therapy a good job?” While the simple answer is yes, we’re here to dive into the question from every angle. 

We’ll talk about what it means to have a “good job” and gain the insight of physical therapists about how physical therapy fits the bill. We’ll also discuss the skills that are required to be successful in physical therapy. Then we'll discuss the steps required to practice in your state. 

What does it mean to have a good job as a physical therapist?

It’s impossible to call a job “good” if you don’t enjoy it. When it comes to picking a good career, passion is the most important thing to take into account. People always say that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Since a job takes up such a large portion of a person’s day-to-day life, it’s essential that you have genuine interest in the field.

While your interest in a job like physical therapy is important, it shouldn't be the sole factor in your decision. As you’re exploring your options, you should look at every aspect of the job before starting your journey as a physical therapist. 

Deeming a career as a “good” job is a matter of opinion. But here are many aspects of a job that can objectively determine whether it’s an option worth pursuing. When people talk about “good jobs,” there are many different points to consider, including:

• Salary — There’s no denying that the size of your paycheck plays a large role in your career path decisions. But it shouldn’t be the leading factor. It’s important that your job provides you with the financial means required for your lifestyle, bills and long-term goals. Job salary in most health care fields, including physical therapy, tends to lean on the higher side when compared to non-health care jobs.
   
• Work-life balance — An average work schedule for most jobs, including physical therapists, is 40 hours per week. While work is a major component of your lifestyle, it’s important to make sure that you still have time and energy for your personal life and mental health to avoid burnout. Since many physical therapists work in a clinic that’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, it’s possible to have a healthy work-life balance. 
   
• Variety — On top of a lack of work-life balance, repetitiveness is another common reason for burnout because it leads to boredom. While many jobs require doing the same exact thing, day in and day out, physical therapy is not one of those. Every patient is unique and has different needs, so you can explore a variety of treatments and techniques that keep your days from feeling monotonous. 
   
• Security — When considering career paths, it’s important to consider job security. You don’t want to pursue something that doesn’t have a high demand and will require you to seek other options in the future. A good job like physical therapy can provide you with long-term opportunities. There will always be people living with pain, healing from an injury and wanting to improve their overall mobility.
   
• Purpose — For many people, their passion is helping people improve their day-to-day lives. That's why physical therapy is a popular sector of health care. Having a job with a purpose results in job satisfaction that keeps you going throughout your workday. A good job, like physical therapy, should bring you personal fulfillment. Then you don’t feel like you’re spending eight hours a day doing something meaningless.

4 real PTs sharing why they believe being a physical therapist is a good job 

It’s easy enough to hear about the positives of seeking physical therapy as a good job when you do your research. But you shouldn’t just take the information at face value without hearing from people who have already gained experience in the field.

There are more than 200,000 physical therapists located throughout the United States, which means that there are plenty of people you can turn to who have worked in the industry and can provide you with a realistic insight into the field. By hearing about it from the experts, you can develop a better understanding of what to expect in the future.

Here is some insight from four real PTs about why physical therapy is a good job:

1. Eric Robertson, director of Kaiser Permanente Northern California Graduate Physical Therapy Education: "It offers a meaningful and positive alternative to pharmaceuticals or surgery."

There are many different health care fields that you can explore, but they vary in stress level, educational requirements and risk. For instance, being a surgeon often means working excessively long hours in a high-pressure environment. This often leads to burnout. A physical therapist can help improve a patient’s health through a slow-and-steady treatment plan as opposed to a high-risk situation that takes place at one time.

2. Tim Fraticelli DPT, MBA, CFP®: “There’s nothing more fulfilling in my work as a PT than hearing a heartfelt thank-you from a patient newly able to walk with less pain, or watching an amputee who thought they’d never walk again take laps around the clinic.”

For many patients, physical therapy can be life changing. It allows them to accomplish many long-term goals. As a physical therapist, you’re able to see the impact that you’ve had as you work with patients. You can see how your expertise has partnered with their hard work to result in improved strength, mobility and function. The pride that you gain for yourself and your patient can’t be overstated.

3. When asked about the future of PT in a podcast, Brandon Gerardy, physical therapist and regional director of clinical operations for Alliance Physical Therapy Partners at the time, said he was optimistic: “The reason why I am optimistic is, first and foremost, we have an aging population, so the demand for PTP services is going to increase.”

Aging is inevitable, and many people develop painful medical conditions that affect their mobility and function as they get older. As we mentioned, job security is essential for a good job. There will always be someone who can benefit from physical therapy, especially the older generation. The consistent or increasing demand for physical therapy services will provide job security as well as variety in your daily schedule.

4. Jody Frost, PT, DPT, PhD, spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA): “People go into this field because they want to help people get healthy and live better,” Frost said. “But unlike other health professions, where you might interact with patients for just five minutes, a PT works with people over an extended period of time. It’s a real relationship.”

Connecting to patients in a medical field isn’t always possible. A person’s physical therapy treatment can take weeks, or even months, meaning that you’re seeing the same people on a consistent basis. You’re learning their life stories, celebrating their progress and forming true connections. That’s what makes you stand out from other health care professionals who only have a short time with each patient.

How to know if physical therapy is a good job for you

While physical therapy is a good job, it’s important to determine if it’s the right fit for you. What may work for other people might not work for you, and that’s OK. But if you’re unsure about whether physical therapy is the best career option to pursue, it can be helpful to learn about the personality traits and skills that are often required to be a successful, effective physical therapist.

Physical therapy may be a good job for you if you have:

• An interest in how the human body moves — The systems inside the human body are fascinating, especially the musculoskeletal system. It has bones, muscles, tendons, joints and more, all of which work together to help your body complete the simplest physical tasks, from walking to sitting. Physical therapy allows you to learn about how these components affect one another and how you can boost their function in patients.
   
• Desire to constantly learn — Continuing education is essential in physical therapy. Many therapists decide to pursue a specialization through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, such as pediatrics or sports, which require a residency program and clinicals. There are also opportunities to become certified in specific treatments, such as dry needling and Mulligan concept manual therapy.
   
• Empathy — Compassion for your patients is vital to be good as a physical therapist, because they need to know that you understand their concerns. It’s important to actively listen to your patients as they talk about their symptoms, how it’s affecting their life and what they want to improve. By showing empathy for their issues, you can provide encouragement and validate their feelings to build trust during treatment.
   
• Communication skills — While physical therapy focuses on physical techniques and treatments, talking to your patients and their loved ones is just as important. Having interpersonal and communication skills means that you’re able to educate your patients, be honest about expected results, and make them feel safe enough to discuss their insecurities or concerns with you. 
   
• Critical thinking skills — There’s not one exact way to help a person’s pain, and a person’s medical history or physical capability may prevent them from being able to safely complete certain treatments. A good physical therapist must have critical thinking skills because you have to be able to evaluate your patients’ progress and symptoms throughout treatment to adjust their plan as needed. 
   
• Physical capabilities — During physical therapy sessions, your patients aren’t the only ones moving. The job often requires standing on your feet for extended periods of time as well as walking your patients through an exercise or movement by showing them how to do it yourself. That’s why overall fitness, stamina and strength are important to maintain as a physical therapist.  

The first steps to start your physical therapy career

Now that you’ve read insight from physical therapists about why it’s a good job, and how to know if physical therapy is the right fit for you, it’s time to look at what to do next.

If you decide that physical therapy is a good job for you, there are several steps required to start your career in the field. By learning about what’s involved in the process of becoming a physical therapist, you can determine if it works with your particular circumstances, such as financial stability, family responsibilities and projected time frame. 

To become a licensed physical therapist, here are the steps that you need to follow:

1. Earn an undergraduate degree — Education is the first stepping stone in any career. When your end goal is to become a physical therapist, the first step on the path is to earn a bachelor’s degree in a field that will provide a foundation of knowledge for physical therapy. Many physical therapists hold a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or kinesiology. 
    
2. Complete a DPT program — The next educational milestone for a physical therapy career is completing a Doctor of Physical Therapy, or DPT, program. Most accredited DPT programs take three years to complete and usually include courses such as anatomy, biomechanics and imaging. 
    
3. Pass the NPTE — Once that you have the knowledge and experience needed to become a physical therapist, you have to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination, which is designed by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. It includes 250 multiple-choice questions. The scoring range is 200 to 800, with 600 and above counting as a pass.
    
4. Become licensed — On top of passing the NPTE, you’ll need to become licensed to practice in your state. The licensure criteria looks different for each state, such as continuing education requirements that must be met every two years. Obtaining a physical therapy license in the state where you want to practice will often include background checks and compliance training. 

Ready for a new and exciting career opportunity? You’ll find it at Alliance PTP 

Once you’ve decided that physical therapy is a good job for you, we’re here to provide you with opportunities to help people with your education and training.

Alliance Physical Therapy Partners firmly believes that partnership means creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Alliance PTP is proud to bring together physical therapy clinics around the nation to help people get the kind of treatment they’re looking for and then exceed their expectations. 

But we realize that our partners can’t serve the people in their communities with exceptional PT without amazing PT team members and admin staff. That’s why we’re always on the lookout for hardworking individuals who want: 

• A less hectic daily schedule than most PT providers require. 
• Exceptional health, retirement and wellness benefits. 
• Readily available mentorship and professional development opportunities. 
• To be part of a team that’s committed to caring for its patients and the local community.

Want to learn more about the current career opportunities available at Alliance PTP’s partnership in care? Check out our Careers page.