Sacoya Pedersen

03/25/2015
ePortfolio Assignment
ePortfolio Final Paper
Job Description:
Physical therapists (PTs) are health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all
ages, from newborns to the very oldest, who have medical problems or other health-related
conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.

PTs examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment techniques to promote the ability
to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with
individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellnessoriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles. (APTA, paragraph 1&2)

The one thing I learned is the physical therapy field requires a lot of social interaction and communication
skills. Motivation is a much needed skill to be able to learn and do self-development on your own time.
There are so many techniques and exercises, you have to be able to take the time to memorize it all to
better help the patients. Its a great way to get to know every patient on a much more personal level.

General Career Path:

I learned from talking to graduated students that it is a smarter idea to get all my credits done as soon as
possible, which means to take summer classes as well. Therefore, I will be attending this upcoming
summer semester at SLCC. SLCC is cheaper to get your associates degree so it is one of the smartest
decisions to do, to try and eliminate the debt of college. Going to school full-time (12-18 hours) is only
$1,784 at SLCC, whereas UVU is $2,393 a semester. It does not matter from what school you get your
associate degree from, it depends on your grades and test scores.

Each program differs from state to state and each has a specific curriculum that youll need to
take in order to graduate. Before you can be accepted into most curriculums you must first
successfully pass some general education classes that will help you prepare for the physical
therapy program. These classes may include but are not limited to psychology, biology, physics,
chemistry, statistics, English, professional writing, and humanities. (PhysicalTherapist,
paragraph 6)

Another thing to take into consideration is that self educating is one of the most critical parts in this career
field. When starting at a new company you have to learn how their computers work, what machines they
offer for exercises, and the different demographics of people of that area. Most of the exercises need to be
memorized to further help patient needs. Nearly every day a physical therapist keeps progressing within
his/her career as they see new patients.

General Education Experience:

I learned from the SLCC student center that I can finish getting my associates degree from there, then
switch to a University. The U of U is a great school to attend, but Chelsey Bunk states ASU has one of
the best physical therapy programs out there. After a recent research done on the University of Utah,
they are stated to be #48 best school for Medical Research. (U.S. News) This is something that I will keep
in mind. The University of Utah accepts transferring credits from USU. There are prerequisites that must
be taken before attending the doctoral degree at the U of U.

The Department of Physical Therapy is a three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree.
To be eligible to enter the program, you must have completed a bachelors degree prior to the end
of Winter Quarter (if your institution is on quarter system) or Spring Semester (if your institution
is on semester system) in order to begin the DPT program at the beginning of Summer Term
(around the third week of May). (UofU, paragraph 1)

Admissions to get into the University of Utah doctoral program is really competitive, only 48 out of
around 400 students get accepted. They must fulfill requirements like having 3.3 GPA and at least 100
hours of volunteer work. You must be licensed in the state you are working in as a physical therapist.

Average Salary:
The average salary of a Physical Therapist is $81,470. Salaries start from $54,620 and go up to
$108,310. Please note that the average salary for a Physical Therapist may vary depending on
several factors, like level of education, amount of experience, industry, company size and
location. Our source, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, produces some of the United States most
sensitive and important economic information, which is based on their strongest commitment to
accuracy, quality and integrity. (Sokanu, paragraph 1)

Physical therapists will always be needed, so I can have that security of knowing my job will never go out
of business. School debt is something to take into consideration with this job and the salary I would be
making. Each month, I will have to pay my student loans back until they carry a balance of zero.

Career Outlook:
Physical therapy is the chance to give back to the community. They are helping someone regain their lives
back, when something has happened to their body physically. The patients are often quite friendly and
very thankful for the physical therapist that is serving to them. The impact physical therapists have on
patients is tremendous, I know this from personal experience when I injured a disk in my neck.

Being friendly and happy is critical. Most often people come in with pain or are seriously injured. They
need the positive vibes to remember to keep on going because it will take time to heal. The offices are
usually brighter with happy workers. Aides are often hired to help assist the physical therapists

throughout the work day.

Interview of Chelsey Bunk:

Chelsey attended Northern Arizona State University to do her physical therapy program. It was an
amazing atmosphere and she loved every second of it. There was not many people going into this career
at ASU, so there is most definitely room for new people, like myself. There is a ton of job openings and it
is something that will never go out business.

The one thing Chelsey did not want to do is sit at a desk , she wanted to have the opportunity to work
with people. It does take a lot of patience involved and insurance companies are a total pain to deal
with Chelsey stated. Insurance companies are the one thing she would change about her profession if she
could.

A typical work day is about eight hours long. Working Monday through Friday, 8am to 3pm. Typically
she can get a day off if needed, but it is to be called in ahead of time so it can be arranged with the
patients. Around two new patients are scheduled at her office daily. Those appointments are an hour long
because they need to be assessed and evaluated with what exercises need to be performed with them.
Existing patients have thirty minute appointments, therefore she is able to do two an hour. On average,
Chelsey sees fourteen patients a day that she gets to spend time and interact with.

The main reason she chose this certain career is because she did not want to see a ton of people every year
for just five minutes a visit, instead she wanted to really get to know these amazing patients who needed
help. Since graduating college, she has had the opportunity to work at two different jobs. Within a few
days of submitting a resume, she got a call and came in to have an interview. She immediately got the job
because physical therapists are needed constantly for new businesses. Chelsey says she chose the right
career that fits her.

Pros and Cons:

There are many pros to being a physical therapist. You are able to have an extensive knowledge of the
human body, not only for yourself, but to help others too. Its a chance to connect with individuals and
help them regain their strength to live a healthy life. The job opportunity is endless because physical
therapists are in high demand.
The cons to being a physical therapist is the amount of money it takes to go to school. It can be very
costly and can take a long amount of time to finish schooling. Physical therapists have to stay after their
eight hour day to finish paperwork from all the patients from that day. Notes are to be added from each
visit so they can see their progress and the physical therapist known what to do for their next visit. The
paperwork is a very critical part in this business, but can take up many hours after a long day.

My Fit With This Career:

Through my research, I found the information I was seeking about a physical therapists career. When
speaking to new people, I am frequently very outgoing. Chelsey was someone I knew, so I could easily
talk to her and create a deep flowing conversation. Physical Therapy is just one of the career choices I
wanted to learn about. During the interview, I learned that physical therapy would definitely be a job I
enjoy. Social interaction is something I am very good at.

Physical therapists help patients who have recently been injured or are having problems with their
muscles, to try and regain that strength in their body. This seems like the perfect fit for me because I love
to help people. The hours are very reasonable as well. Typically Monday thru Friday, 8am-5pm. This
would be suitable, especially when I decide to start a family and have kids of my own.

Opening my own clinic can bring in an entire new revenue into my household. My mothers friend,
Rachot, is a doctor and owns thirteen Urgent Cares here in Utah. While speaking with him, he informed

me of just how important it is to start your own business. I love business and marketing too, so this seems
like a perfect fit for me. By interviewing Chelsey and during further online research, I really learned quite
a tremendous amount of information because I had no idea what the life of a physical therapist was like.

Sources
Role of a Physical Therapist. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
http://www.apta.org/PTCareers/RoleofaPT/
Salary in Salt Lake City, Utah (Annual). (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
https://www.sokanu.com/careers/physical-therapist/salary/Utah/
Bunk, C. (2015, February 2). Physical Therapist [Telephone interview].
Become A Physical Therapist - PhysicalTherapist.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
http://www.physicaltherapist.com/resources/become-a-physical-therapist/
Physical Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from
http://admissions.utah.edu/apply/undergraduate/transfer/guides/usu/ph_th.php
University of Utah. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://gradschools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/university-of-utah04117
Physical Therapists. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from https://collegegrad.com/careers/physicaltherapists