What are the Different Physiotherapy Jobs?

Physiotherapy jobs can be found in a number of different places ranging from hospitals to private practices. The main task of a physiotherapist is to help patients cope with physical injuries, disabilities, aging, or illness. These professionals work with people of all ages from infants to the elderly. This task of a physical therapist is accomplished through training, schooling, and on-the-job experience.

Therapists observe the movements, lifestyle, and overall function of a patient. Through these observations, physiotherapists can determine the best course of treatment for a patient. Treatment can include specialized programs, exercise, manual therapy, movement techniques, and the application of medical technology.

While physiotherapists are not medical doctors, these professionals still go through basic medical training in the form of an undergraduate degree. A university degree in physiotherapy is required in order to become a therapist. In addition, most therapists go through some type of apprenticeship before they can acquire a therapy position.

Most physiotherapy jobs can be found within public hospital settings. Still, there are a number of other employers that seek the skills of a qualified therapist. Rehabilitation centers, private medical practices, and individuals may employ physiotherapists. Physical therapy may seem like a relatively new concept, but the truth is that this form of medical practice has been around for centuries.

It is believed that the first practitioners of physical therapy were the Ancient Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galenus. These founding fathers of the medical profession first began to practice physiotherapy by administering forms of massage, hydrotherapy, and manual therapy to treat patients as early as 460 B.C. Physical therapy as it is recognized today can be attributed to 1894 when the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy was first formed in Great Britain.

Today, physiotherapy jobs are abundant due to the healing qualities of physical therapy. Within the broader category of "physical therapy" some sub-sections of this profession exist. Cardiopulmonary physical therapists work solely with those patients that have suffered heart or pulmonary illnesses, sports physical therapists work exclusively with athletes, and geriatric therapists work with elderly patients.

In addition to the many different types of physiotherapy jobs mentioned above, many new specialized physical therapy fields are developing across the world on a daily basis. In fact, any person seeking to obtain a physical therapy job may want to consider focusing upon one type of therapy, since specialized therapists are quickly becoming sought-after. Physiotherapy jobs are often posted on job placement websites and through placement agencies.