Keeping the elderly moving

Deborah Sarro wakes up each day not knowing what her workday will bring. She relishes the variety and spontaneity that her job as a physical therapist offers. There is one constant, however: Sarro's days always involve problem solving.

For example, an elderly patient may mention to Sarro that she fell the day before. The therapist's carefully planned treatment for the day will be discarded in favor of more specific work on the patient's balance and gait. She may decide to send another patient to the emergency room after checking his vital signs and detecting an irregularity.

Sarro discovered her career through personal experience. A high school athlete who threw shot put and discus, she suffered a knee injury that required orthopedic physical therapy. She was intrigued by the treatment and soon after volunteered as a rehabilitation aide at a local hospital. "By the end of high school," she says, "I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist." Graduating in 1994 from Virginia's Shenandoah University with a master's degree in physical therapy, Sarro moved to Boston and began her practice.

After stints in sports medicine and general physical therapy, Sarro decided her niche was the geriatric population. She moved to Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston in 2004 because it offered her the ability to focus exclusively on geriatric patients. "The difference you make in their lives is amazing," she says. "I can empower older patients…. With my help, they're able to stay in their homes and live independently for a longer time."

A broader role
In the last quarter century, the role of physical therapist has broadened and claimed increased responsibility in healthcare management.

Twenty-five years ago, physical therapists worked only under the direction of a medical doctor with specifically prescribed orders for a patient's treatment. Now, a physical therapist is far more likely to provide the initial clinical assessment for a patient and to determine the course of treatment. She's the one who tells the doctor what to do.

With the added responsibility come increased educational requirements. Susan Lowe, associate chairperson of the physical therapy program at Northeastern University, says that the educational requirements for physical therapists changed in 2000 to require a master's degree in physical therapy.

Learning the body
For those thinking of a career in physical therapy, the job outlook is promising. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of physical therapists is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2012. Lowe says that last year's graduating class at Northeastern had a 99 percent employment rate. She knows some students who are courted by prospective employers a year before graduation.

The annual mean wage in 2003 for physical therapists in the Boston area was estimated by the labor department to be $58,420. But for Sarro, it is the work itself that provides the main draw. "I never watch the clock except to ask it to slow down," she says. "I'm never bored. The work changes so much every day."