5 Comments so far

1. mistify on November 8, 2009 8:25 am

   It really depends on where you live and what type of patient population you are trying to serve. Obviously, the more in demand the position, the more financially rewarding it tends to be. In my area, the nursing home and home health settings tend to pay the most (except for agency jobs, but I’ll talk about that more later). In these settings, you will often work with patients who are elderly.
   If you really want to make yourself marketable, find something you like to do, not just with a specific patient population, but a special technique that is hard to come by and requires speciality training or certification beyond your entry level education. This could include women’s health/pelvic floor/incontinence training, lymphedema management, vestibular rehabiliation, manual therapy certifications, etc. These advanced certifications are often things clinics are looking when trying to fill a “niche” position.
   The final thing to consider is an agency job. This usually means you are contracted out to different facilities. You might be at one job site one day and another the next. It is not the ideal setting for new graduates since you cannot develop a mentored relationship with anyone. It also requires you to be very flexibile. In as such, agency PTs tend to be very well paid.
   Sports physical therapy and pediatrics often do not pay as well as one might hope…mostly because these are the “popular” settings…everyone seems to what one.

2. Fergus The Funboy® on November 8, 2009 8:39 am

   General PT is not only lucrative, but the patient population is much easier to cope with than paediatric or geriatrics, even though you’ll encounter both. In terms of money, they’ll pay about the same. The issue is which will be less taxing on you, and in my humble opinion, PT post trauma will have the least emotional toll on you.

3. prettyparadoxal 1 on November 8, 2009 8:50 am

   lucrative can mean many things- if you are interested in your job it then becomes a hobby rather than “job” this will be lucrative emotionally for the rest of your life any of these jobs are high pay so pick the one that suits you emotionally and mentally- that is the truly lucrative part.

4. liz on November 8, 2009 9:25 am

   Sports physical therapy is a good way to go and build on that geriatrics, pediatrics, all are eventually going to be beneficial.. Go into it for the right reasons and help from the heart not from the wallet.. Then rest will fall in to place.

5. Ms Merlin on November 8, 2009 10:03 am

   Intensive care PT