Announcements hit the Internet in June 2009, naming the Top Stimulus Package Jobs for high wages in the USA through 2012, and the list of occupations stated may not include all such positions. In addition, two of these positions will likely remain in high demand and even increase in demand through as far into the future as 2100.

When potential infrastructure and other projects were proposed and highlighted in the media, many Americans envisioned the WPA of The Great Depression and the manual labor jobs it created. Perhaps it was thought that the Stimulus Jobs would all be manual labor and short-term at best. However, neither is the case.

One omission I find is that the Number 1 Top Fastest Growing Job title in America in terms of new openings is Physical Therapist. Indeed.com crawls thousands of websites related to job search and job listings in order to provide employment and job listing trends across the USA. The result of this data shows that Physical Therapists are in highest demand nationwide (see graph below). The general upward motion of the line on the graph, moving form lower left to upper right indicates that increase from 2005 – February 2009.

Increase in PT demand continued to the point in mid-to-late June 2009 that Physical Therapist became the Number 1 Job Opening across America. The highest concentration of openings being in Texas over all and most highly concentrated in three large cities.

Americans waited for the new Stimulus Package Jobs beginning in January of 2009, besieged by escalating layoffs, company closings, bank failures, mortgage death, and rising Unemployment rates to 9.4% on average by the end of May.

Two pieces of legislation set to combat all of this negative curve were the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Making Home Affordable program. They created new jobs, some requiring advanced education beyond high school and some requiring none beyond the High School Diploma or GED – and no experience. The complete list of new jobs would/could emerge over 2009 – 2010 as Stimulus-funded projects got underway, designed in improve American economically and help the unemployed and underemployed to gain full-time employment and benefits more quickly in the US Economy from 2009 – 2012.

Physical Therapist

Median salaries, as reported by Salary.com in conjunction with Job.com, Indeed.com, and Absolutely Healthcare in June 2009 range from $68,800 to $74,000 per year across America.

Physical Therapy Assistants [No experience, no degree]

Pt Asisstants enjoy a range of median salaries from approximately $35,000 - $52,000 annually without a 4-year degree. While many US States require no training other than on-the-job, certificate programs are available (see linkns above).

Both of these occupations are increasingly very useful to the American population, because physical therapy is used to help many people return to an active lifestyle and to work: the injured, the developmentally disabled, Workers Compensation claimants, stroke victims, senior citizens. Not only this, but physical therapy can help some individuals maintain health and not decline in old age and during illnesses. Combined with Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy is instrumental in aiding Head Trauma and Stoke victims as well. The fact that a high proportion of wounded individuals return from wars such as the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars with limb injures rather than death, indicates a growing need for physical therapists and assistants to help rehabilitate these people. These healthcare professionals are very important in the effective use of artificial limbs.

Having worked in a Workers Compensation rehabilitation clinic for a few years, I appreciate the care and effective techniques that the physical therapists and assistants provided to their clients. Electronic limbs helped some individuals to return to a more active meaningful life after their injuries and the innovation of building individually designed arms and legs was miraculous. As medicine advances further along these lines, physical therapists and assistants will likely enjoy even higher demand through 2020 and to the end of the 21st Century.

PT and OT in Spaceflight and Return to Earth

Spacefarers must exercise many hours per day or at least sleep on a low-frequency vibrating pad in order to avoid calcium loss and bone destruction on lengthy journeys to and in space. Upon return to Earth, these long-term travelers to beyond must learn to function once again in high gravity and may require the services of some physical and occupational therapists and assistants in this regard. Considering commercial space travel for research, freight and recreation; and a NASA vision to return to the Moon and then venture to Mars, all beginning in 2020, these healthcare services may become much more important. Than we imagine today.

EDUCATION

All US States regulate Physical Therapists practice with licensing that requires a 4-year accredited physical therapist education program and passing a National and State license test. Check your local state for more information.

NO EXPERIENCE

PT Assistants need not be licensed in all US States, so check with your local licensing authority. States that mandate licensing require specific education, certifications, and examinations needed. Many PT Assistants are trained completely on-the-job, with no more than a high school diploma going in.

In the last 10 days of Jun 2009, over 106,000 jobs were listed under Physcal Therapy on Indeed.com, which examines thousands of sites for jobs and trends.

Physical Therapist Assistants were needed in over 48,500 job openings, largely located in St. Louis, Albuquerque, Jacksonville and North Fort Myers FL, Louisville and Lexington KY, Colorado Springs, and Memphis. Salaries have increased by a larger percentage for these assistants than for physical therapists (see graphs below).

Physical Therapists were required in over 121, 8000 jobs heavily concentrated in Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth, Texas, Albuquerque, Jacksonville and North Fort Myers, St. Louis, Louisville and Lexington, Memphis, Colorado Springs, and Chicago.

Texas is the Number One Top State for Physical Therapist jobs, but not for PT Assistants.