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Date: 10/25/2026

Physical Therapists

Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

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

    Skills

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    6
    Graphic Literacy
    5

    Abilities

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    Knowledge

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 103050/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 49.54/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 9,170
    • Yearly Projected Openings 420

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Optimism
    • Sincerity
    • Perseverance
    • Empathy
    • Self-Control
    • Social Orientation

    Tools

    • Back or lumbar or sacral orthopedic softgoods
    • Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Biofeedback devices
    • Blood pressure cuff kits
    • Canes
    • Cardiac output CO monitoring units
    • Cervical collars or neck braces
    • Cognitive or dexterity or perceptual or sensory evaluation or testing products
    • Continuous passive motion CPM devices
    • Crutches
    • Diathermy units
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Digital cameras
    • Dynamometers
    • Electric vibrators for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Electromyography EMG units
    • Electronic blood pressure units
    • Electrotherapy combination units
    • Exercise trampolines
    • Extremity hydrotherapy baths or tanks
    • Force or torque sensors
    • Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks
    • Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Galvanic or faradic stimulators
    • Goniometers or arthrometers
    • Grip strengthener
    • Infrared lamps
    • Knee therapeutic brace or support
    • Laser printers
    • Lower body resistance machines
    • Lower extremity prosthetic devices
    • Mats or platforms for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Medical acoustic stethoscopes
    • Medical hydrocollators
    • Neuromuscular stimulators or kits
    • Notebook computer
    • Ophthalmoscopes or otoscopes or scope sets
    • Orthopedic traction hardware or weights
    • Orthopedic traction softgoods for general use
    • Orthotics or foot care products
    • Parallel bars for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Patient care beds for general use
    • Patient care beds for specialty care
    • Patient lifts
    • Patient shifting boards
    • Pedal exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Pelvis or back traction supplies
    • Personal computer
    • Pivotal traction therapy supplies
    • Powder boards for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Pulleys for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Reachers for the physically challenged
    • Reflex hammers or mallets
    • Resistive exercise bands or putty or tubing for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Rowing machines
    • Stair climbers
    • Therapeutic balls
    • Therapeutic cryo compression therapy systems
    • Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
    • Therapeutic paraffin baths
    • Training stairs for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation units
    • Treadmill exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Ultrasonic therapy apparatus or supplies
    • Ultraviolet UV lamps
    • Upper body resistance machines
    • Upper extremity prosthetic devices
    • Vascular or compression socks
    • Vestibular motion devices for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Walkers or rollators
    • Walking braces
    • Weight machines for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Weights or sets for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Wheelchairs
    • Work table or station for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Wrist exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Action games
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software
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