Many people think of physical therapy as what happens after a person is wounded or injured on the battlefield. This is true, physical therapy is very valuable for people who have been injured or wounded. But there are a number of other physical therapy roles, which many people are not aware of. Physical Therapists deal with many different people who are experiencing a variety of pain or immobility. With treatment, soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and other military personnel are able to resume duty and continue with their careers.
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Serving in the Navy as a physical Therapist is a very comprehensive job. You can be stationed anywhere that the Navy serves, from a small duty station to a large military base with several thousand personnel. The role of a physical therapist in the US Navy is very important, they help personnel overcome pain and recover from injuries of different degrees. In so doing they assist in returning personnel to their duty stations and able to complete their assigned missions.
You will practice orthopedic care and comprehensive physical therapy in clinics, hospitals and other facilities both overseas and in the United States. You will practice on shore-based stations, or on vessels such as aircraft carriers at sea, and also in pediatric in school situations at defined stations overseas. As a Naval Physical Therapist you will work to help prevent injuries and assist recovery for all military uniformed men and women under your care. You will participate as one link in the recovery chain, and assist patients and their families with recuperation and recovery.
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You will partner with top rated physicians, occupational therapists, health care providers and rehabilitation staff to make a difference in the lives of patients with all different types of recovery and rehabilitation needs. You will work one on one with patients to achieve treatment goals, and also in small groups directing exercise and ambulatory treatment activities.
Your first duty station will likely be on a large base, to help familiarize you with working as a team member and to assist in your apprenticeship into the occupational therapy field. As you gain in experience and rank, you will assist in training more junior members of the treatment team, and instruct and teach procedures to other members of the treatment team. This is a specialty requiring a degree in physical therapy, or to enlist and be within a year of graduating with a degree in physical therapy from an accredited school or university.
I am a junior in high school, and I am looking into going to college to major in physical therapy, then join the Navy after I graduate from college. I’ve been researching on this a lot recently, and I’ve learned many new things, but I want to know.. How much will you be able to communicate with family back home, considering you will be traveling all over the place?
I didn’t know that there were physical therapist jobs available at military stations. I have some similar questions to what Chelsea was asking. Are there required lengths of time that you must serve, and, if so, how long are they? Finally, if I were to sign up for an agency (eg: http://www.jacksontherapy.com/therapy-opportunities/traveling-therapist-opportunities/ ), would they have an option for serving the military?