Having a career as a Physical Therapy Assistant means two separate things. One, you want to help people feel better or achieve more in their lives and two, that you are not opposed to further schooling later down the road. To stay up to date on the latest treatments and methods to use to help your clients, continuing your education is extremely important. Science is always advancing. Likewise being a Physical Therapy Assistant requires you to also advance your knowledge and experience. Your clients will likely request you to know the latest techniques and if you do not, you will need to go back to school to learn what has developed since you last were in school.
Furthering your education means that you can offer the latest to your Physical Therapists you work with. Being unable to stay up to date can make the difference of you getting a job or not. If you are not current on the different techniques that are offered, a Physical Therapist may choose another Physical Therapy Assistant to work with over you. Likewise, hospitals, clinics, and rehab centers may also be slow to hire you as an assistant. If you plan to continue your education on a regular basis to stay informed on new techniques and treatments, you can expect to return to school at least every two years. It is advisable to take one class (or more) every two years. That is not to say you can only take one class but you should not go more than two years between classes.
Continuing your education has several different benefits to you. The largest and most significant benefit is you can earn more money. The more you know, the more you can expect to earn. It is very fair to say that an educated Physical Therapy Assistant is a person that is in demand. The assistant is the person that assists the Physical Therapist. A therapist is needed to get better after injury or illness. Therefore, the position of Physical Therapy Assistant is not a position that is going to disappear anytime soon. Make yourself more appealing to your prospective employers and continue your education on a regular basis.
All I can say is get ahead on your continuing education. Don’t wait until the last month prior to renewal to cram those suckers in….
Continuing Education is the best investment you will ever make. There are so many changes day by day and with the way technology is going staying educated in this field is extremely important. There are so many people with health issues and injuries that are always looking for a good physical therapist and one that also has an excellent assistant that helps. Many times when the Dr. is out the assistant takes over and if that assistant does not perform pretty close to what they have been use to it can create some serious problems. I agree stay educated in the field you have chosen, it will pay off in the long run!!