Physical Therapists

Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and decrease or prevent deformity of patients suffering from disease or injury.

Job Task

• Direct and supervise supportive personnel, assessing their competence, delegating specific tasks to them and establishing channels of communication.
• Administer treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet and infrared lamps, and ultrasound machines.
• Teach physical therapy students as well as those in other health professions.
• Evaluate, fit, and adjust prosthetic and orthotic devices and recommend modification to orthotist.
• Provide educational information about physical therapy and physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics and ways to promote health.
• Refer clients to community resources and services.
• Conduct and support research and apply research findings to practice.
• Participate in community and community agency activities and help to formulate public policy.
• Construct, maintain and repair medical supportive devices.
• Direct group rehabilitation activities.
• Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating the data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
• Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• Administer manual exercises, massage and/or traction to help relieve pain, increase the patient's strength, and decrease or prevent deformity and crippling.
• Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
• Confer with the patient, medical practitioners and appropriate others to plan, implement and assess the intervention program.
• Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
• Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
• Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
• Discharge patient from physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate followup care or referrals.
• Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, and respiratory and circulatory efficiency and record data.
• Identify and document goals, anticipated progress and plans for reevaluation.
• Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits and any reasonable alternatives.
• Inform the patient when diagnosis reveals findings outside their scope and refer to an appropriate practitioner.
• Plan, prepare and carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain and prevent physical dysfunction in patients.

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