Career roadmap
How to become a Physical Therapist
What you would actually do
The tasks that make up the work of a Physical Therapist, weighted by how central each one is to the job.
- Develop medical treatment plans.
- Enter patient or treatment data into computers.
- Examine patients to assess general physical condition.
- Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
- Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
The skills that actually carry the job
Scored on how much the work depends on each one — not a wishlist, a measurement.
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Time Management3.6/5
Would this suit you?
Every occupation leans on a particular mix of interests. Here is the mix measured for a Physical Therapist — and our free 2-minute Career Match scores you on the same six.
- Social5.9/7
Helping, teaching, caring for and working directly with people
- Investigative4.9/7
Investigating, diagnosing, reasoning through problems with evidence
- Realistic4.3/7
Hands-on, practical, working with tools, machines or the body
- Conventional3.1/7
Ordering, checking, following a precise procedure accurately
- Enterprising2.5/7
Persuading, leading, selling, taking commercial risk
- Artistic2.2/7
Creating, expressing, working without a fixed procedure
Interest profiles from the O*NET 29.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0.
