CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies

Physical Therapists

The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Summary Job Description Tasks
Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury. Plan, prepare and carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain and prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
 
Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
 
Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
 
Administer manual exercises, massage or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
 
Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
 
Confer with the patient, medical practitioners and appropriate others to plan, implement and assess the intervention program.
 
Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
 
Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
 
Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
 
Discharge patient from physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate follow-up care or referrals.
 
Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, and respiratory and circulatory efficiency and record data.
 
Identify and document goals, anticipated progress and plans for reevaluation.
 
Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits and any reasonable alternatives.
 
Inform patients when diagnosis reveals findings outside physical therapy and refer to appropriate practitioners.
 
Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.
 
Administer treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet and infrared lamps, and ultrasound machines.
 
Teach physical therapy students as well as those in other health professions.
 
Evaluate, fit, and adjust prosthetic and orthotic devices and recommend modification to orthotist.
 
Provide educational information about physical therapy and physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics and ways to promote health.
 
Refer clients to community resources and services.
 
Conduct and support research and apply research findings to practice.
 
Participate in community and community agency activities and help to formulate public policy.
 
Construct, maintain and repair medical supportive devices.
 
Direct group rehabilitation activities.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Important Knowledge Competencies Competency Description
Medicine and Dentistry Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
 
Therapy and Counseling Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 
Customer and Personal Service Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 
Education and Training Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 
English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 
Psychology Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 
Biology Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
 
Law and Government Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 
Public Safety and Security Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 
Administration and Management Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 
Sociology and Anthropology Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Important Skill Competencies Competency Description
Active Listening Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
 
Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
 
Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
 
Critical Thinking Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
 
Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
 
Time Management Managing one's own time and the time of others.
 
Writing Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
 
Monitoring Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
 
Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
 
Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.
 
Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
 
Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
 
Operations Analysis Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
 
Science Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
 
Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
 
Instructing Teaching others how to do something.
 
Management of Personnel Resources Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
 
Active Learning Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
 
Learning Strategies Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
 
Systems Analysis Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
 
Negotiation Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
 
Systems Evaluation Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Important Ability Competencies Competency Description
Oral Comprehension The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
 
Oral Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
 
Problem Sensitivity The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
 
Deductive Reasoning The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
 
Inductive Reasoning The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
 
Written Comprehension The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
 
Written Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
 
Speech Clarity The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
 
Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
 
Information Ordering The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
 
Category Flexibility The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
 
Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
 
Multilimb Coordination The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
 
Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
 
Flexibility of Closure The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
 
Arm-Hand Steadiness The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
 
Fluency of Ideas The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
 
Finger Dexterity The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
 
Static Strength The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
 
Trunk Strength The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
 
Perceptual Speed The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
 
Visualization The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
 
Time Sharing The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
 
Manual Dexterity The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
 
Originality The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
 
Dynamic Strength The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
 
Stamina The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
 
Control Precision The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
 
Extent Flexibility The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
 
Far Vision The ability to see details at a distance.
 
Visual Color Discrimination The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Tools/Technology Example Product Category
Advantage Software Physical Therapy Advantage Medical software
 
Biometrics video game software Action games
 
Cedaron Dexter Evaluation & Impairment Rating Analytical or scientific software
 
Clinicient Insight Medical software
 
Exercise routine creation software Word processing software
 
Hands On Technology TheraWriter.PT Medical software
 
MediGraph software Accounting software
 
Microsoft Office software Office suite software
 
Recordkeeping software Medical software
 
Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite Medical software
 
SpectraSoft AppointmentsCS Calendar and scheduling software
 
Above-the-knee prosthetics Lower extremity prosthetic devices
 
Adjusting tables Patient care beds or accessories for specialty care
 
Aquacisers Treadmill exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Arm prosthetics Upper extremity prosthetic devices
 
Axial-resistance shoulder wheels Work tables or stations or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Babinski hammers Reflex hammers or mallets
 
Balance beams Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Balance boards Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Below-the-knee prosthetics Lower extremity prosthetic devices
 
Biomechanical ankle platform system BAPS systems Mats or platforms for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Blood pressure cuffs Blood pressure cuff kits
 
Bolsters/wedges Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Canes Canes or cane accessories
 
Cervical pivots Pivotal traction therapy supplies
 
Compression garments Vascular or compression apparel or supports
 
Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) balance test systems Vestibular motion devices for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Continuous passive motion CPM machines Continuous passive motion CPM devices or accessories
 
Crutches Crutches or crutch accessories
 
Cryotherapy equipment Therapeutic cryo compression therapy systems
 
Diathermy equipment Short wave diathermy units
 
Digital cameras Digital cameras
 
Digital inclinometer range of motion measurement instruments Cognitive or dexterity or perceptual or sensory evaluation or testing products
 
Digital video cameras Digital camcorders or video cameras
 
Digital video equipment Digital camcorders or video cameras
 
Electromyography EMG biofeedback equipment Electromyography EMG units or accessories
 
Electronic blood pressure units Electronic blood pressure units
 
Electronic manual muscle testers Cognitive or dexterity or perceptual or sensory evaluation or testing products
 
Exercise balls Therapeutic balls or accessories
 
Exercise bicycles Pedal exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Fitness machines Weight machines for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Fluidotherapy equipment Extremity hydrotherapy baths or tanks
 
Force sensors Force or torque sensors
 
Functional electrical stimulation FES equipment Neuromuscular stimulators or kits
 
Gait belts Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Goniometers Goniometers
 
Heart rate monitors Cardiac output CO monitoring units or accessories
 
High-voltage Galvanic stimulation machines Galvanic or faradic stimulators
 
Hospital roto beds Patient care beds or accessories for general use
 
Hoyer lifts Patient lifts or accessories
 
Hydraulic hand dynamometers Grip strengthener
 
Hydrocollator heating units Medical hydrocollators or accessories
 
Ice packs Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
 
Infrared lamps Infrared lamps
 
Interferential electrical stimulation machines Electrotherapy combination units
 
Inversion physical therapy tables Work tables or stations or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Iontophoresis equipment Electrotherapy combination units
 
Isokinetic lower body testing/rehabilitation equipment Lower body resistance machines
 
Isokinetic upper body testing/rehabilitation equipment Upper body resistance machines
 
Isotonic exercise equipment Grip strengthener
 
Knee braces Knee braces or hinged knee supports
 
Laptop computers Notebook computers
 
Laser printers Laser printers
 
Low volt muscle stimulators Galvanic or faradic stimulators
 
Lumbar pivots Pivotal traction therapy supplies
 
Massagers Electric vibrators for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Mechanical stethoscopes Mechanical stethoscopes or accessories
 
Moist hot packs Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
 
Multiaxial exercise equipment Weight machines for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Muscle strength dynamometers Dynamometers
 
Muscle testing equipment Cognitive or dexterity or perceptual or sensory evaluation or testing products
 
Neck braces Cervical collars or neck braces
 
Neurological hammers Reflex hammers or mallets
 
Neuromuscular stimulation equipment Neuromuscular stimulators or kits
 
Occipivots Pivotal traction therapy supplies
 
Orthotics Orthotics or foot care products
 
Otoscopes Ophthalmoscopes or otoscopes or scope sets
 
Paraffin baths Therapeutic paraffin baths or accessories
 
Parallel bars Parallel bars for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Pelvic traction equipment Pelvis or back traction supplies
 
Percussion hammers Reflex hammers or mallets
 
Personal computers Personal computers
 
Personal digital assistants PDA Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
 
Phonopheresis equipment Ultrasonic therapy apparatus or supplies
 
Portable cardiac monitors Cardiac output CO monitoring units or accessories
 
Powder boards Powder boards for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Pulley exercise systems Pulleys or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Reachers Reachers for the physically challenged
 
Rebounders Exercise trampolines
 
Resistive exercise bands Resistive exercise bands or putty or tubing or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Resistive tubing Resistive exercise bands or putty or tubing or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Rowing machines Rowing machines
 
Sacro-illiac joint lumbar corsets Back or lumbar or sacral orthopedic softgoods
 
Shoulder finger ladders Wrist exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Shoulder wheels Work tables or stations or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Sliding boards Patient shifting boards or accessories
 
Standing tables Patient care beds or accessories for specialty care
 
Stepper exercisers Stair climbers
 
Surface electromyography equipment Electromyography EMG units or accessories
 
Swiss exercise balls Therapeutic balls or accessories
 
Thoracic pivots Pivotal traction therapy supplies
 
Tilt tables Patient care beds or accessories for specialty care
 
Total lift chairs Patient lifts or accessories
 
Traction and mobilization physical therapy tables Work tables or stations or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Traction belts Orthopedic traction softgoods for general use
 
Traction equipment Orthopedic traction hardware or weights
 
Training stairs Training stairs for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS equipment Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation units
 
Treadmills Treadmill exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Ultrasound machines Ultrasonic therapy apparatus or supplies
 
Ultraviolet UV lamps Ultraviolet UV lamps
 
Upper body ergometers Work tables or stations or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Walkers Walkers or rollators
 
Walking braces Walking braces
 
Wall pulleys Pulleys or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Weights Weights or sets or accessories for rehabilitation or therapy
 
Wheelchairs Wheelchairs
 
Whirlpool therapy baths Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Prerequisite Qualification Category Education and Experience Level
On-the-Job Training Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
 
On-Site or In-Plant Training Up to and including 1 month
 
Required Level of Education Master's Degree
 
Related Work Experience Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
Alternate Job Title(s)
Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist
Geriatric Physical Therapist
Home Care Physical Therapist
Kinesiotherapist
Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant (LPTA)
Orthopedic Physical Therapist
Outpatient Physical Therapist
Pediatric Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist (PT)
Physiotherapist
Pulmonary Physical Therapist
Registered Physical Therapist (RPT)
Rehabilitation Services Director
Sports Physical Therapist
Staff Physical Therapist
Treatment Coordinator
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Health Care
Job Family: Medical Therapists
Benchmark Title: Physical Therapists
 
 
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