Licensing
Depending on the state in which a job is located, you may need to obtain a state license in order to practice as a professional physical therapist. There may be additional requirements beyond the completion of a degree, so it is important to contact the relevant state licensing authority and request information. Once you have your degree and your state license you can begin to seriously look for work.
Experience
One of the hurdles college graduates often have to overcome when applying for their first physical therapy job is lack of experience. You can circumvent this situation by undertaking internships during your college years. If you choose your internships wisely you will be able to gain valuable experience which can make the difference between landing a great physical therapy job and not even getting an interview.
Entry-Level Jobs
The first jobs physical therapy graduates will most likely obtain are known as entry-level positions. They will usually be training positions under experienced professionals and will generally last one to two years. These junior positions are an important stepping stone in careers physical therapy as they give you a settling-in period and provide you with senior staff to guide and direct you.
Responsibilities
As you develop experience and competence, you will move into a more autonomous physical therapy role. You will be required to develop and implement physical therapy plans and supervise physical therapy aides or assistants. Physical therapists are also responsible for recording, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of their physical therapy programs. Although physical therapy is heavily hands on, it is important to remember there are a lot of regulatory requirements that demand solid administration skills in a physical therapy career.
Demand for Services
The demand for healthcare services generally stays high even when the economy declines. However, physical therapy offers even greater job opportunities than many other healthcare roles. There are increasingly more jobs for physical therapists in aged-care environments as the population ages and their muscular health declines. Elderly people are also more prone to accidents which require physical therapy than most of the population is. Physical therapy services are also used to help people rehabilitate and recover from illness and accidents.
Where the Jobs Are
Physical therapy jobs are primarily located in hospitals, medical centers, aged-care facilities, and private practice. Most physical therapists do not work privately unless they have had many years' experience. When deciding on your ideal environment for a career in physical therapy and the type of patients you wish to treat, it is worthwhile to take the time to visit different facilities and to get a sense of what it would be like to work there. Slower-paced, aged-care facilities may be more to your liking than time-pressured hospitals or medical centers. It is also important to understand the obligations each institution places on you for paperwork and reporting as these can be very time consuming.
Where the Jobs Are Advertised
You can find these positions advertised on specialist online job sites for healthcare jobs and some job sites are specifically related to physical therapy jobs. These smaller sites are beneficial in that they target the jobs you are looking for, however they tend to be regional in nature and will only benefit you if they advertise jobs in your general area.
The larger, generalist job sites can be highly effective ways to locate physical therapy jobs in specific locations. Although you may browse these sites by category, you can search by location and salary to narrow down the jobs to the ones you are really interested in. Furthermore, you can request email alerts to let you know when new jobs become available which suit your specific requirements. To make the process even easier, large online job sites allow you to apply online for open positions.
If you are seeking work as a new graduate, do not forget your college's career office. Many organizations have created positive relationships with universities in order to have access to high-quality candidates.
Internship Contacts
If you have worked in physical therapy internships during college, do not forget to contact your former supervisors. They can be excellent sources of jobs for new graduates. Even if their organization does not have current vacancies, they may know someone else who can help you. When it comes to getting a physical therapy job, who you know can make a big difference.
Employer Web Sites
As part of your job search strategy, you can also visit the Web sites of potential employers or you can contact them directly. This includes hospitals, medical centers, aged-care facilities, and private physical therapy practices. Most of these Web sites will advertise vacant positions; however, there is nothing stopping you from personally contacting them as well.
Newspapers
Also keep an eye on your local and regional newspapers. Check out their job ads regularly, because you never know when the right job will be advertised.
If you take these steps you will give yourself every chance of moving quickly from college into a physical therapy career. Make sure your resume is professional and that your letters of application directly address the selection criteria for the different jobs you are applying for. If you do this, you will be among the few who are offered job interviews. Whether or not you land the job, treat every job interview you have as good experience. You will get better at interviews over time and you will get that job.
