Potential Career In Pet Physical Therapy

More and more people are willing to spend huge amount of money to ensure their pets’ well-being. There’s nothing wrong with that. For some people their pets are part of the family. It is very normal to take care of your family members, right?.

As a pet physical therapist you will provide rehabilitative care to pets to have been injured, had surgery, or in chronic pain. Your goal is to boost their recovery and also improve their overall well-being.

If you are interested in a career in pet physical therapy you should and learn more about this career path.

Education and Training

If you want to be a professional animal physical therapist you need to complete a physical therapy graduate program. At the minimum this will take two and half year to complete. In the program you will learn animal physiology and anatomy, physical therapy techniques, neurological rehabilitation, therapeutic exercises, the business aspects of PT and many more.

Certification

Certification is an important credential to have in PT world. People will be more willing to have their pet taken care by you if you have the skills represented by the certification or certifications you have under your sleeve. One certification you may want to go after is the Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT).  This certification program will cost you about $7,000 but if you are serious in chasing this career it’s well worth it.

Volunteering and Internships

If you are not interested in certification yet or you simply don’t have the money to pay for it you should put more time in volunteering and internships. These will ensure you have the necessary hands-on experience and give you plenty of opportunity practice your PT skills. Internships and volunteer work also allow you to learn from professionals. On-the-job experiences are valuable in any kind of work field.

Improved networking is also a beneficial result of volunteering and internships. As you immerse yourself in this field you will realize just how important it is for your career growth. 

Employment

Before starting you will need to acquire state licensing. The method of licensing may be different from state to state so you may need to follow the procedures specific to your state’s law.

Basically you need pass the national physical therapy examination and then provide proof that you have completed all the necessary courses and proof that you have clinical experiences. Once you get your license you can work in hospitals, veterinary clinics, or open your own practice.

Salary

Animal physical therapists enjoy the same high salary as the human physical therapist. The median annual salary is about $81,000. You may get higher or lower but this number serves as a proof that this career path is indeed lucrative. 

Career Outlook

A career in pet physical therapy remains to be promising in the foreseeable future. It has been shown over and over again that pet owners are willing to spend money on their pets. As this trend continues the need for animal PT will continue to rise. If you are a high school graduate who is interested in following the route of becoming an animal therapist you are making a great choice.

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