Hi, I want to become a physiotherapist, but I had always questions about this job, so I answered all these questions in this article. You will learn about this job and its training, dangers, salary and more. It is confusing to know the difference between all the different jobs that treat the human body and its limitations, so I hope this article will help you clarify the different aspects of this job like it helped me. If you ever had questions about this job, or you are are curious, you should read my article to learn more.
Being a physiotherapist is physically and mentally demanding because of the heavy workload, but it is worth it because you feel like you are making a real difference in someone's life. You get to help people heal or reduce their pain and help them regain their happiness which is really fulfilling. You also communicate with many other physiotherapists for their help and learn new skills every day.
Physiotherapists work with injured or disabled patients, and they help them have a better quality of life by reducing their pain and increasing their range of motion. They specialize in muscle, bones and joints problems. They start by evaluating a patient to find the right treatment for them. They do some exercises with them and encourage them to do more at home. They use different techniques such as stretching, hydrotherapy, massaging, taping and many more.
Physiotherapists see around 10 patients per day. With a patient, they start by discussing their symptoms and pain. Then, they evaluate their patient and create a personalized treatment. They do some exercises with them and teach them how to do it at home. They also monitor the patient's progress to be sure that the treatment is helping. They also have a lot of paperwork to do daily, they must fill progress reports and insurance claim forms. Physiotherapists work 40 hours a week, so approximately 8 hours a day.
Physiotherapists can work in different places. They can work in hospitals or private clinics or rehabilitation centers and see anyone who needs help. Working in a more general places like this can be interesting because you see every kind of injuries and person, but it can be difficult to know the treatment for everyone because there are some many options. You can also work with a more specific group of people and work in a school and only treat teenagers or work in a sport organization and treat athletes. You can also work in a patient's home and thoroughly monitor and treat that patient which makes you really close to that person, and it is more rewarding to see their progress because you see them more often.
To become a physiotherapist, you must have a DCS in natural sciences or in physical therapy techniques. If not you must complete some extra courses such as physics, chemistry, and biology. Then, you can enter the physiotherapy sciences in university and complete your bachelor's and master's degree. However, to practice physiotherapy in Quebec you need to become a member of the OPPQ and speak enough French to effectively treat patients in French. If you graduated in Quebec, to become a member you have to pay an annual fee and provide proof of your diplomas and your French proficiency.
In Canada, the average wage for a physiotherapist is $46.15 per hour. But depending on the area it can be higher or lower. You can also benefit life insurance plans, parental leave, sick and vacation days (days off) depending on your employer.
Physiotherapists must continue learning throughout their careers to keep their knowledge up to date. For this, they can attend conferences such as the "Canadian Physiotherapy Association Congress" and the "Physiotherapy 360" that is organized by the OPPQ. They can also take additional courses to learn more about different areas like sports, pediatric, orthopedic and manual therapy. They also must train their English and French because must people speak at least one of these languages. Finally, the can take some course in patient-care relationship, because being a physiotherapist is not just about giving treatments and diagnostic, you must listen to your patients and care for them.
First, the physical dangers, physiotherapists are often standing and moving which can cause physical exhaustion, They can also suffer form injuries because they often stand or help their patients move. They can also suffer from depression because they are sometimes the target of their patient's anger or because of all the stress they can feel when a patient is not progressing. It is also a big workload because of the many patients and all the reports filling. Another underestimated danger is the emotional attachment a physiotherapist can have for a patient they have been seeing for years, and that can lead to a feeling of guilt or even more stress because you really want to help them.
The chances that physiotherapists will be replaced by robots soon a pretty low, because this job needs a lot of human interaction, empathy and human judgment which robots are not quite capable of doing. Robots can help a physiotherapist by assisting them during exercises, but they won't completely replaced physiotherapists.
The median age of retirement for physiotherapists is around 65 years old. However, it depends on their health and financial situation. Throughout their careers, they gain valuable memories and experiences such as seeing a patient progress or heal an injury and experience the joy that they feel. They can also experience crazy stories about a patient's injury and learn new disability. Ending your physiotherapy career to soon might make you regret not learning new techniques and technology that makes it more fun and easier.
Right now, I am in cegep completing my DCS in natural sciences, and hopefully I can enter the physical therapy program in university next fall. I still don't know in which university I want to study, but I don't want to go far away. My goals are to finish cegep next semester and go to university and complete my bachelor's and master's degree in 4 years and a half, so 3 years for my bachelor's degree and 1 year and a half for my master's degree. After, I want to work in a clinic and see patients every day.
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