Physical Therapy Assistants - Why Continue Education?

Physical therapy assistants are generally people that want to help others. They have a job that will help people that are at less than perfect capacity to repair damage that has been caused by accident or injury.

A bodily injury left untreated and unrepaired can seriously hamper the normal life of an individual but luckily, there are physical therapy assistants and physical therapists that not only can but also want to help their patients. However, as an assistant, you will need to further your education on a regular basis.

It is advisable that you take additional educational classes every 2-5 years while you are actively practicing. That is not to say you have to but it is a strong suggestion. Scientists and doctors are consistently looking for new remedies and treatments to make life longer and to help the general public overcome injuries and illnesses.

With the doctors and scientists working to find new ways to help people, doesn't it make sense that you should continue attending classes to learn new techniques? Not only are there new techniques but sometimes the specialists have perfected older methods of treatment to optimize the effect a treatment has on patients.

One other reason that exists for continuing your education as physical therapy assistants is to make more money. Let us face it; money motivates a lot of hard work in many areas of our lives. Would you be happy to make the same salary you made the day you first were employed for your entire career? Of course not. If you continue your education on a regular basis, you will be a fresh source of information and will be able to increase your value to your employer. Therefore, you will be able to increase the money you earn.

The difference between newly graduated physical therapy assistants and those that have many years of experience with continued education is visible to a physical therapist and therefore is rewarded for their knowledge financially. Physical therapy assistants earn between $33,000 and $48,000 annually. Obviously, a new graduate of a assistant program would not make as much as a more experienced assistant. The range is so large because the factors that play into your income level (location, experience, and specialty) allow for such a wide range of income levels. Continuing your education is simply a good practice to be in when you are a physical therapy assistant.