A new law has recently been created and it will have a very strong impact on protecting student athletes from traumatic brain injuries. The main goal is to protect them after injury. This is done by a medical professional with a physical therapy assistant degree attending to them as soon as any concussion is suspected. The therapists will be included in the team’s healthcare providers and decision will be made by them to determine whether or not the injured student can compete. The announcement was made by APTA (American Physical Therapy Association).
The bill that made it official and showed the need for a physical therapy assistant degree to be part of the team of healthcare practitioners was signed by Tom Corbett, governor of Pennsylvania, on 14 November 2011. All potential brain injuries now receive special care. In addition, a holder of a physical therapy assistant degree will need to be included in the team that will make the assessment and not just in one that decides treatment options.
According to Ivan Mulligan, APTA Pennsylvania Chapter President, the law is tailored in order to protect student athletes in Pennsylvania. In addition, a public statement was released in an attempt to encourage other states to follow the example set by Pennsylvania, through the introduction of similar laws. Physical therapists are considered to be really important in the life of an athlete, but they are mainly used in order to aid recovery after an injury. This has now changed and the risk of ending up with a student athlete that competes with concussion is reduced.
What is interesting is the fact that the campaign started in Pennsylvania by the Prevention Control and Disease Control centers had an immediate effect. Since November 2011, 35 US states have introduced similar legislation and in 24 states the law was enacted. The main goal is to reduce brain injury risks when faced with college activities.
The effects of the law are visible in the physical therapist market as the demands are constantly rising. Since the passing of the law, many people that held physical therapy assistant degrees have found very good jobs. Unfortunately, this also created a lack in the system and the demand for physical therapists grew significantly.
The truth is that there are not enough graduates to cover the demand and this immediately impacted on the salaries offered. Different healthcare providers are struggling to hire competent physical therapists and assistants. It is expected that the trend will continue. Now is the perfect time to start your education in this field by attending the courses offered by one of the many schools that are accredited. Accreditation is very important due to the fact that by holding a physical therapy assistant degree you are able to work with students or in any other medical institution.
However, take a close look at extra programs that you can enroll in because this allows you to receive an even higher salary. There are no limits in the earnings and the salary that you receive is higher now than ever.
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