Physiotherapy degrees center around the study of the human body, focusing on anatomy and physiology. This is a broad topic, and students can expect to study a variety of modules covering human anatomy, biology, biomechanics, pathology, and elements of medicine.
Job prospects for physiotherapy graduates are strong, with a projected 15% growth of physical therapy roles between 2022 and 2032. Although most roles involve delivering hands-on physiotherapy to patients and clients, there are also non-clinical jobs available. Let’s take a look at five industries you could go into with a physiotherapy degree.
Healthcare
The vast majority of physiotherapy graduates work in the healthcare industry. Jobs can be found in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, but some roles involve traveling to patients’ homes to deliver care. Physiotherapists in healthcare usually focus on rehabilitation for patients who have sustained injuries, or whose mobility is affected due to disease or other health issues.
Sometimes the work involves preventative care, such as helping elderly patients learn how to improve their strength, flexibility and balance to reduce their risk of falls. After working as a general physiotherapist for some time, it’s common to specialize in a specific area of healthcare such as pediatrics, pain management, cardio-pulmonary, or neurology.
Sports
Sports physiotherapy is a popular specialty, but it can be competitive, particularly when it comes to working with elite athletes. For many graduates, the dream job is to work directly with a sports team delivering preventative care, diagnostics and treatment plans to help athletes stay healthy and recover from injuries.
These roles often involve travel, and they can be very physically demanding. Similar work can be found at sports centers and gyms where physiotherapists work with visitors and clients who need additional support to meet their fitness goals.
Entertainment
Professional performers such as singers, dancers, and actors often work with physiotherapists to help them prevent and recover from injury. Working as an entertainer can be very demanding on the body, and injuries can make it difficult for entertainers to perform to the best of their ability.
Physiotherapists in the entertainment industry can work on a self-employed basis, traveling to the homes of their clients to administer care, or they may find employment directly with theaters, dance companies, or entertainment agencies.
Leisure
Physiotherapy degrees equip students with strong clinical reasoning and decision-making skills which can be incredibly useful in business and management roles. Given that physiotherapy studies tend to cover lots of content around sports, fitness and recreational exercise, it makes sense that graduates can find managerial positions in the leisure industry.
Leisure centers, holiday parks, and outdoor activity centers all value strong candidates with expertise in health and wellbeing in addition to their business and management skills.
Education
Physiotherapy graduates can share their knowledge of the body and health when they work in education. They might find work visiting businesses, schools and organizations to teach classes and courses which help people take better care of themselves and prevent injuries.
There are also lots of opportunities for experienced physiotherapists to work at universities and teach physiotherapy to future generations.
Which industry will you choose?
The average salary of a physiotherapist in the USA is $82,453, but earnings can rise to six figures with experience, and they’re highest for those with specialist expertise. Now that you’re familiar with the five most common industries for physiotherapy graduates, you can get started planning your next steps and look forward to a lucrative career.