Physical Therapy Salary

The average salary a physical therapy professional practicing in the United States can expect to receive, according to a recent survey by Salary.com, is $69,946. This generous basic compensation along with attractive benefits contributes to the increasing popularity of this profession among people today, aside from the fact that the current lifestyle and population trends warrant an increase in physical therapy services.
The average salary for an entry-level physical therapist position was found to be $54,632, according to PayScale.com. This is quite a respectable amount given the level of education needed before you can practice. Other factors can affect this annual amount though, like where you practice, the facility you are employed by, your level of experience, as well as the credentials you bring to the establishment. So overall, there is quite a bit of room to grow in.
The increased demand for physical therapy services may have given rise to the better compensation packages on offer, which can keep getting better. In addition to better compensation, steps were also taken to fill these positions by opening them up to foreign-trained physical therapists. This means there are truly numerous opportunities out there that are not being locally met yet and are open to those who are interested.
Along with the enticing basic salary, employers put together an attractive benefits package, which can include dental, medical, optical, disability and life insurance; paid vacations; 401(k); stock purchase plan for employees; etc. Physical therapists trained abroad can receive coverage or assistance in airfare costs, board and lodgings, work visas, immigration and moving costs, etc.
Given these enticements, it is still important for you to discern where you will finally choose to practice as different states compensate differently. For instance, while New York and Houston offers the highest average salary by city, California offers the highest salary per state (PayScale research). Also consider the costs of living per area - these three locations are known to have high costs of living so most of your high pay here will still go towards living expenses in the end.
In addition, various types of employers compensate differently. For example, self-employed therapists' average salary come out to be $46 per hour while therapists employed by universities only get $30 per hour. Other facilities, like government and non-profit organizations, private clinics, and hospitals compensate between $30-$40 per hour.
Consider, too, the level of qualification and amount of work experience you bring to your prospective employer. Therapists who have trained longer and get their certificates of specialties will definitely get paid more than those with just a basic level of physical therapy training and education. Also, therapists who have logged in more work experience over the years and have seen and treated more types of patients will definitely be compensated better for the expertise that they bring to their employer's facility.
For instance, a therapist who specialized in Wound Care with 1-4 years of experience is paid around $36.61 per hour while an entry level therapist with less than a year's experience is paid $26.81 per hour. Therefore, you should consider this factor for determining wages carefully during the early stages of your career so you can prepare accordingly and decide on a specialty, if that is what you want to do.
Now, armed with the basic information regarding physical therapy salary, it is up to you to plot out your career chart and take these factors into consideration so you can achieve your career goals.

Top 8 Most Wanted Careers in 2011

Whether you are just going into the job market or you would like to jump-start your existing line of work, you have to explore the 8 most wanted careers for 2011. The choice taps into a range of interests, expertise, experience obligations as well as employment levels. Wages, which mostly rely on experience as well as geographical position, vary from as low as $20s to more than $100,000 per annum.
Here is a list of the top 8 rapidly budding professions in the United States, as defined in the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. These professions are likely to be the preferred jobs during 2016. One of them might be your profession key to achievement.
1. Accountant
The BLS anticipates over 30 % raise in job opportunities for accountants. The emerging prospects for the employment are an outcome of the rising intricacy of financial operations in addition to the comparatively lesser turnover in the job. Salary relies on the kind of firm plus the area of expertise. Those in in-house auditing and tax accounting are normally paid more as compared to their counterparts in public, general and cost accounting. In addition, petroleum producers give higher initial wages as compared to public accounting firms or the government. Key development regions take account of;

• Management consulting
• International business
• Internal auditing
• Investigative
• Environmental and cost accounting
• Estate planning

2. Relationship Manager
The development of the banking business has initiated the materialization of the relationship manager. These experts now recommend customers on savings, cash handling, indemnity selection, security acquisitions as well as credit issues. As a result of deregulation of the financial services business during the 1980s, the products presented by banks, insurance companies as well as brokerage firms are related. Today's banks present an extensive range of services that were customarily confined to other financial institutions.
3. Special Education Teacher
Special education teachers are the educators who plan and revise lessons to meet the requirements of disabled students. Job opportunities for special education teachers are likely to rise considerably, as specified by the BLS.
4. Physical Therapist Assistants
Physical therapist assistants assist physical therapists both in real and managerial Physical therapist job. It is as well a fine method of obtaining something if you had a accredited Physical therapist.
5. Dental Hygienists
Dental hygienists concerns with keeping your teeth as well as gums healthy by means of regular cleaning and protection. They as well come with innovative techniques in encouraging oral health.
6. Health and Aerobics Trainers
Health and aerobics trainers go on to be a requirement in different health centers, particularly at the present because people are so passionate about keeping their body in shape.
7. Veterinary Technicians
Veterinary technicians are considered necessary to offer quality health care for the animals to carry out medical examinations for the diagnosis and cure.
8. Database Administrators
They are in charge for the supervision of database management systems, to maintain and pull out significant information in a comprehensible method. This job is likely to increase by almost 50% during 2016.

Physical Therapist Salary - Income Advice For New Therapists

Injuries are very much part of every professional athlete's life. At certain points in their careers, they may suffer injuries in varying degrees of severity. When this happens, the services of physical therapists are very much needed in order to ensure proper rehabilitation by developing a plan using treatment techniques to restore function, reduce pain, to promote the ability to move and to some extent, to prevent disability. Physical therapy workers are some of the better paid healthcare professionals because of this important role they play in injury treatment. The physical therapist salary is very competitive compared to many healthcare salaries.
Athletes are not the only group of people which need physical therapy services, as virtually anyone who has an unfortunate accident or disease that causes movement dysfunction, limiting the individual's abilities to move and perform functional activities would be a candidate. This type of therapist also develops fitness and wellness-oriented plans for patients to prevent their loss of mobility before this gets out of hand.
Most people that are interested in entering this career may want to know how much money they'll receive per year or per hour. Half of all these types of therapists employed in the United States receive $74,480 a year or $35.81 an hour; translating to $76,220 in mean annual salary, or a $36.64 mean hourly wage. The lowest 10% of therapists earning the least salary receive $52,170 in annual wage, while those upper 10% earning the highest physical therapist salary earn $105,900 a year.
Physical therapists in ALF or assisted living facilities earn the highest salary these days, as of September 2010, with an estimated salary of $99,000. Occupational physical therapists working in correctional facilities on the other hand, earn almost $60,000 in annual physical therapy salary. Homecare physical therapy workers receive $75,000 annually, the same with physical therapists in inpatient and outpatient work setting.
To give you a clearer perspective on the trend of the physical therapy salary, the salary index for this occupation in October 2008 was 1.0 and in July 2010, the salary index is about 1.15 with a high of 1.35 at the beginning of this year.
In relation with this increase in therapist salary, the Bureau of Labor Statistic reported that there will be a growth in the need for physical therapy in the next ten years growing by 30%. There are reported changes in the restrictions on physical therapy service reimbursements by third-party payers that will increase the number of patients with access to services, increasing the demands for physical therapists. This is in addition to the growing number of elderly people who will be needing physically oriented therapy services in the years to come.
Having a job in a physical therapy is a rewarding career in terms of the physical therapist salary one receives and the satisfaction of being able to help an individual survive an accident or a debilitating disease and recover fully again.

How An Occupational Therapist Salary Differs By Location

An occupational therapist salary is quite lucrative in comparison to the salaries of other health care workers. An occupational therapist is mainly concerned with therapy that helps patients regain their motor skills after a physical or mental trauma, or due to old age. The therapist has to plan and execute programs as per the requirements of each patient and it also involves teaching skills for using adaptive equipments.
Although a well paid profession, the salaries are not standard throughout the country and will depend on factors like location and the type of institution you are working for. For example the state of California has the highest average salary at $82,610, followed by Nevada at $81,310. Furthermore, certain cities within the state have higher salary structure then other areas. If we again take the example of California, places like Redwood City and San Mateo pay a salary of around $94,580 whereas areas like Oxnard and Ventura in the same state pay around $89,080.
The second factor impacting the increase of an occupational therapist salary is the type of establishment in which the professional works. These professionals are mainly needed in hospitals, nursing homes, health care centers, schools and other institutions. Therapists in health care establishments and hospitals get relatively better pay than those who work in elementary or secondary schools. If we also see the spread of therapists working in different institutions; hospitals and health care centers account for more than half the total amount of OTs in employment today.
Taking the overall median salary of an OT working in hospitals and health care centers in the country, would be work out to about $70,680 per year; whereas the mean for therapists working in schools would amount to $61,590 in a year. This again is an overall perspective, as therapists employed in specialty schools are able to draw $75,260 annually on an average.
If you are planning to become an OT, these figures should be considered only as a broad guideline. Don't decide to move to another state just because it seems the salaries are better there. You also need to consider the demand in each area for occupational therapists and how fast you can land a job there. Although California is the highest paying state at this moment, the numbers of occupational therapist positions are highest in the state of Massachusetts. Also need to consider the age group of patients you prefer to work with. If you're good with children and younger people, then schools would be the best placement for you.
Considering the overall prospects for an occupational therapist, the picture looks promising. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted that the demand for these professionals is likely to go up. Presently there are about 98,740 salaried therapists across the country and the requirement is going to be beyond 122,000 therapists by 2016.
Although there is a lesser chance of occupational therapist salary rising in the near future, due to the present economic situation, the demand for these professionals is steadily growing and there is good chance of finding employment in this field.

Physical Therapy Colleges

Physical therapy education is offered in many colleges across the United States especially now, with its increasing popularity continuing to rise. There are different types of programs offered catered to meet the differing needs of students all over the world. For example, there are colleges that are mindful of the needs of working students and so these institutions decide to offer online or distance education. Other colleges decide to implement a six-year doctorate program for students straight out of high school.
So what college you go to really depends on your needs and the circumstances surrounding you. The factors you need to look at which may affect your needs include location, tuition fees, school reputation and affiliates (if any), size of the PT department, college ranking, professors, and the overall quality of education offered in that institution. The more meticulous you are with this decision early on in your career, the better off you can start your career when it's time to do so.
Currently, the American Association Of Physical Therapist requires a minimum of a master's degree in physical therapy before you can start a career as a therapist, in agreement with the rules of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. In the coming years, these rules may change to require a doctorate degree in physical therapy instead, as an entry-level requirement for practice. Despite this, the popularity of physical therapy as a career continues to soar among students and even those looking for a career change.
One thing of note is that physical therapists are only allowed to see patients who are referred by other medical practitioners.However, with a doctorate degree, therapists can be independent practitioners, that is, they can diagnose and treat patients who are afflicted with disability, mobility, and motor function problems and do not need referrals from other doctors first to treat patients.
School rankings are a good way to help you choose where you want to go for your PT education. In 2008 the University of Southern Carolina (USC) topped the usnews.com list. The following schools were listed among the top 10 schools for Physical Therapy Program: Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern University in Chicago, MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, University of Pittsburg, University of Delaware, US-Army-Baylor University, University Of Iowa, Arcadia University Pennsylvania and University of Miami.
USC offers a three-year Doctorate for Physical Therapy Program, which requires completion of 115 units in six semesters and two summer courses. The curriculum also requires participation in clinical exposure and experience throughout the three-year program. Finally, the dPT designation is awarded to students who finish with a GPA of 2.75 and who complete all coursework, requirements, and clinical clerkship in the three-year allotted time.
At the time of writing, the estimated tuition fee for this doctorate program in USC is around $120,000. However, this amount is subject to future increases. There are other options available as other mid-sized schools' tuition per year is pegged at around $20,000. This fee does exclude books, allowances and other course supplies though, but an education from a reputable institution does pay off in the long run.
So start your career in physical therapy off on the right foot by choosing among the best colleges around. It may take a bit of sacrifice, but the rewards are more than worth the early sacrifices.