How to Find Physical Therapy Jobs

Physical therapy is an in-demand career. With an increasing number of athletic people in this country, there has been a corresponding rise in the incident of sports-related injuries. Also, as the population ages, orthopedic surgery becomes more common. These kinds of events require physical therapy for the patient to regain his former range of motion and endurance. If you want to find physical therapy jobs, there are many different places to look.

Instructions

Find Physical Therapy Jobs

1. Ask your college's career placement office for assistance. This is often the best place to go first when you're nearing graduation. The office will typically have current listings of physical therapy jobs nationwide.

2. Examine the newspaper classified ads. Physical therapy jobs will usually be listed under the "medical jobs" heading or something similar. If you can, try to locate local papers in all the towns you are interested in working in.

3. Search for physical therapy jobs online at TherapyJobBoard.com (see Resources below). This website has updated listings for physical therapy jobs throughout the United States. You can search by type of physical therapy job as well as by region.

4. Mail out your resumes to the places you'd most like to work. Include a cover letter talking about your experience and your goals.

5. Make some cold calls to local hospitals and private physical therapy clinics. Ask whether they are hiring and to whom you should send your resume.

6. Volunteer in a physical therapy clinic or in the physical therapy department of a hospital. You'll gain valuable experience in the field and be in a prime position to hear about job openings as they occur.

Tips & Warnings

• Education requirements for physical therapists vary from state to state. However, every physical therapist in the United States must take and pass a national licensing exam in order to practice.

• Some colleges offer degrees in physical therapy. If yours does not, you can still get adequate preparation for the national licensing exam by majoring in something like sports medicine or rehabilitative medicine.

• You'll need to be in good physical condition yourself to be a physical therapist. Physical therapists often have to lift clients or support them while they walk. You will have to be on your feet for much of your workday, performing moderately demanding physical tasks. It is important for you to be physically able to do these things.

Resources

• Physical therapy jobs on TherapyJobBoard.com