Welcome to your first Physical Therapy lab. Over the next ~30 minutes, you'll explore what PTs actually do, how they're trained, who they work with, and where the profession is heading. Every section is graded; your final score will appear on the last page.
Physical therapy (PT) is a healthcare profession dedicated to restoring movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness, or disability. Physical therapists, also called PTs, are highly trained clinicians who use exercise, hands-on care, and education — not medication — to help patients move better, manage pain, and prevent future injury.
To become a PT in the United States, students must first complete a bachelor's degree, then earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, which typically takes another three years of graduate study. After graduation, candidates must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and obtain a state license before they can practice. Many PTs also pursue board certification in a specialty area such as orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, sports, or geriatrics.
PTs do not work alone. The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) holds an associate's degree and works under the direction of a licensed PT, delivering treatment that the PT has planned. Other professionals on the rehabilitation team include occupational therapists (OTs), who focus on daily-living skills like dressing and feeding; athletic trainers (ATs), who specialize in preventing and managing sports injuries on the field; chiropractors, who emphasize spinal manipulation; and physicians, who diagnose medical conditions and prescribe medication. Understanding the scope of practice — what each professional is legally and ethically allowed to do — is essential for patient safety.
Physical therapists work in many settings. Outpatient clinics serve patients who live at home but need regular treatment for orthopedic or sports injuries. Hospitals provide acute care for patients recovering from surgery, stroke, or major illness. Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) treat older adults recovering from hip fractures, falls, or complex medical conditions. Home health PTs visit patients who cannot easily leave the house, while school-based PTs help children with developmental conditions participate in classroom life.
Modern PT is grounded in evidence-based practice — clinical decisions that combine the best available research, the therapist's expertise, and the patient's own goals and values. A PT begins every patient's care with a thorough evaluation, then writes a plan of care that includes measurable goals, a prognosis (the predicted outcome), and specific interventions. These interventions may include therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, gait training, and modalities such as heat, ice, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physical therapists is projected to grow much faster than average over the coming decade, driven by an aging population, increased survival from serious injuries, and rising awareness of how movement supports lifelong health.
Tap any card to flip it. Only one card stays open at a time, and each card auto-closes after 8 seconds — you can reopen as often as you need.
Click a term, then click its matching definition. Correct pairs lock in green. 10 points total.
Physical therapy is one of the most flexible careers in healthcare. A single license unlocks more than a dozen distinct work environments — and PTs often move between them across a career. Where you work, who you treat, and what you focus on shapes both your day-to-day life and your paycheck.
Major practice settings. Outpatient orthopedic clinics are the most common starting point: weekday hours, sports and post-surgical patients, and steady caseloads of 10–14 patients per day. Acute-care hospitals are the opposite pace — short patient stays, complex medical pictures, and tight collaboration with surgeons and nursing staff. Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and inpatient rehab hospitals serve patients in extended recovery, often older adults after strokes or hip fractures. Home health PTs drive from house to house with a smartphone EMR and a small bag of equipment, working largely independently. Pediatric and school-based PTs help children meet developmental milestones, often as part of an IEP team. Sports performance PTs work with athletic teams, while industrial PTs embed in factories and warehouses to prevent workplace injuries.
Specialty paths. After graduation, PTs can pursue board certification through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). Recognized specialties include orthopedics, neurology, sports, geriatrics, pediatrics, cardiopulmonary, women's health, oncology, and wound management. Certified specialists often earn more, build expertise that opens leadership and teaching roles, and become go-to consultants on their teams.
What PTs earn. Using approximate national data, the median full-time PT salary lands around $95,000–$100,000 per year, but the spread is wide. Home health and SNF roles tend to pay the most — often $100,000+ — because of patient acuity, mileage demands, and reimbursement rates. Hospitals pay competitively and add strong benefits. Outpatient orthopedic clinics pay slightly less but offer predictable hours. School-based PTs fall at the lower end of the range but trade pay for school-calendar time off.
Travel and contract work. "Travel PTs" sign 13-week contracts in different cities and often earn premium pay plus housing stipends. Early-career PTs sometimes use travel contracts to pay down student loans faster before settling into a permanent job.
The bigger picture. Pay climbs with experience, specialty certification, geography (California, Alaska, Nevada, and parts of the Northeast pay higher), and ownership. PTs who run private practices or build cash-based clinics can earn well above the median — but they take on the responsibilities of running a business. The takeaway: "physical therapist" is one license, but it opens onto more than a dozen real career paths, each with its own pace, patient population, and pay structure.
Now use what you learned in Part 1. Click on each word in the paragraph below that names one of six key PT concepts. Correct words turn green; wrong picks turn red and count against you. 6 points total (1 per correct word, −1 per wrong pick, minimum 0).
Answer each question in complete sentences. Aim for 2–3 sentences per response. 4 points total (1 per response that meets the minimum length).
Complete each stem three different ways using because, but, and so. Each completion should make a true, full statement. 9 points total.
Directions: A patient or scenario lands on the rehab department's desk. Your job is to route each one to the correct professional. Read each scenario carefully and click the role you'd send it to.
Why this matters: Real rehab teams only work safely when every role stays inside its scope of practice. Sending a patient to the wrong professional wastes time, can delay diagnosis, and in some cases is illegal. Knowing who does what is the first clinical skill you'll need.
Follow-up Question (1 pt): In 2–3 sentences, explain why a PT cannot prescribe medication even when they think a patient would benefit.
Name: Maria Garcia, 68 y/o female, retired teacher.
Admission: Hospital — Day 3 post-op right total hip replacement (THR) following a fall at home.
PMH: Mild bilateral knee osteoarthritis; well-controlled hypertension; early memory changes noted by family in the past year.
Social: Lives alone in a two-story home; widowed; was independent in all ADLs before the fall. Daughter lives 20 minutes away.
Today's status: Stable, alert but slow to respond, hip-precaution restrictions in place, pain controlled.
The rehab team meets to plan Mrs. Garcia's care. Answer each question below. 5 points total.
The charts below use approximate published projections adapted for this lab. Study them, fill out the data table, then answer the questions.
Fill in one typical patient type and one defining challenge for each setting. Each completed row = 1 point.
| Setting | Typical Patient (1 example) | Defining Challenge (1 sentence) |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatient Clinic | ||
| Hospital (Acute) | ||
| Skilled Nursing Facility | ||
| Home Health |
10 questions, drawn randomly from a larger bank. Choose the best answer. 10 points total.
Click Calculate Final Grade to grade every section, then click Print to PDF to submit your work.