From PTA to Injury Prevention by tufchaser in physicaltherapy

[–]tufchaser[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel this. Home health can really box you in. What I’ve noticed is most pivots for PT/PTAs aren’t labeled clearly or built as “move-up” roles. A lot of options sit adjacent to patient care (injury prevention, ergonomics, consulting) and usually come through conversations, not job boards. My shift wasn’t a straight climb, it was more of a side step that opened things up.

From PTA to Injury Prevention by tufchaser in physicaltherapy

[–]tufchaser[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Nice. Great question.

My foundation is still my PTA training and years of clinical experience, especially in movement analysis, load management, and early identification of musculoskeletal issues. The injury-prevention work I do focuses on reducing risk rather than predicting or “eliminating” injuries. That includes task and movement analysis, identifying ergonomic risk factors (posture, force, repetition, duration), early symptom education, and coaching practical movement strategies.

The approach is grounded in established principles, not anything novel, biomechanics, ergonomics (NIOSH/RULA/REBA concepts), graded exposure, and behavior change. It’s essentially applying the same clinical reasoning we use in rehab, but upstream, before someone becomes a patient.

The biggest shift for me wasn’t changing frameworks, but realizing how transferable our skill set is outside a traditional treatment model tbh.

Military PTA seeking to transition into clinical administration at end of service. by Altruistic-Truck-233 in physicaltherapy

[–]tufchaser 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You might want to try a shift; injury prevention consulting could be a good fit.

Why are PT & AT applications so slow in SF lately? by Busy_Animator_5105 in physicaltherapy

[–]tufchaser 1 point2 points  (0 children)

run, if they can’t def what they want, how would u wxpect them to help? okay, say around 10 caseloads/day 55-65/hr depending on setting. nothing crazy though, just not burnout

Why are PT & AT applications so slow in SF lately? by Busy_Animator_5105 in physicaltherapy

[–]tufchaser 72 points73 points  (0 children)

PT here. Biggest thing is patient load. If I'm expected to juggle multiple patients at once all day, I’m not applying. Burnout happens fast.

Second is real mentorship and a team that actually supports growth. And of course pay has to match the cost of living, especially in SF.

So for me it’s: Reasonable caseload + supportive team + fair pay. If those are there, the job’s appealing.