So clearly we’re in perilous danger as we speak, and we all know of how clumsy even the best of us can be – evidently the equation is not stacked in our favor. All we seem to know how to do is cope with whatever comes our way, and if that may be a serious accident or health and medical emergency, then there are paramedics on standby to aid the cause. Now usually you’d look to the doctors for this type of assistance, but the people who get us to the doctors’ examining rooms and tables is invariably the Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic. Emergencies are, what they are, and by that definition it obviously requires some expediency and simultaneous assistance.

In countless instances it is these people who do the actual saving of lives because it’s on their immediate actions, instincts and training that people depend on most, so often; thus requiring a special skill set and a very particular type of person. Needless to say that apart from doctors, virtually everyone else in the medical fraternity is underpaid; EMT’s and Paramedics are no different. These public servants are on the virtual medical front lines, often putting their own lives in danger to save the stricken person but one would be hard pressed to find a EMT salary to match this kind of commitment and sacrifice.

EMT And Paramedic Workload Expectations

Considering the salary of an average EMT or paramedic, one has to look at the very sort of the work being done and what is required of them. Paramedics often encounter things such as:

• All sorts of accidents (including household and motorcar)
• Typical emergency health problems like heart attacks and seizures
• Childbirth
• Gunshot and stab wounds

The treatment of all this and more is performed to ensure that the patient is transported safely to the particular medical facility for further specialized treatment. Very often they work together or at least side by side with police and firemen and on many occasions have to perform medical procedures on site to stabilize the patient before transportation.

The role of the EMT or paramedic is also to transport the patient into the hospital or clinic and report their findings to the serving doctor, including vital signs and the extent of the wound/wounds as well as what procedures were already carried out prior to that point. All this expedites the process from initial emergency response to specialist care and treatment, resulting in more lives being saved. So, the EMT has to work with all types of people both civilian (patients) and professionals (doctors, firemen, police).

The Office Conditions And Working Times

Most are familiar with EMT’s and paramedics due to the number of medical shows on television, so it’s easy to decipher the type of working environment that the typical paramedic will work in; in or outdoors, through rain, snow or sunshine and any time of day or night. EMT’s work odd hours as it’s a 24 hour job, though between emergencies, it is known to be a tad boring in some places as they’re inevitably waiting for that accident to happen, thus all this presents its own kind of challenges with customary stresses too. One also tends to forget or underestimate the amount that EMT’s see, and the traumatic experiences that their job presents.

With all these requirements and duties, what training is needed to be done?
A simple high school diploma is required to enroll into a Paramedic training program and the subjects on offer usually include treatments for:

• Bleeding
• Fractures
• Obstructions in the airway
• Cardiac arrest
• Emergency childbirth

They’re also trained in operating certain medical equipment and instruments like suction devices, splints, oxygen supply systems, and stretchers. There are written and practical examinations that aspiring emergency medical technicians will be required to pass under state law – such is the basic EMT training.

What Is The Emergency Medical Technician Salary?

The EMT salary mostly depends on the area or specific location of their work, and of course their level of training and experience. The average paramedic and EMT salary and hourly wages were around $14 almost 4 years ago. The annual salary in the USA for emergency medical technicians and paramedics is just under $30 000, equating to $2500 a month. It’s then up to the individual to decide whether or not that salary is worth the sacrifice of every paramedic; nevertheless the earnings would undoubtedly increase with more experience and a higher level of training. Of course there’s plenty of overtime opportunities where the EMT salary ranges between $14 and $32, with an added and similar bonus incentive.

Average EMT Salary:

Potential Job Growth Opportunities

Generally the growth expectation in this job sector is regarded to be the same as all other jobs in terms of job availability and demand, though if the health sector does get its act together as it begrudgingly looks to be doing, then those job opportunities could increase over time with an already aging population. Countries with a good healthcare sector should hence have a higher mortality rate, meaning the population is more likely to grow, and thus have a higher propensity for emergencies.

Recently though, hospitals have experienced an increase in ‘traffic’ hence they’ve been more busy and in many instances have turned ambulances onto different hospitals due to overcrowding. This is a general problem across the board and has resulted in a slowing of the treatment process time. What this means is that it takes longer for the afflicted patient to get from wherever they were to the hospital for treatment, meaning they spend, on average, a longer time with the paramedics and/or EMT’s. So with this general increase in time spent with the paramedics, it also means that there are effectively more, or a higher statistical percentage of ‘occupied’ ambulances driving around, requiring more ambulances and hence, more EMT’s and paramedics.

Furthermore many EMT’s eventually move to associate fields or use the EMT program to prepare them for careers in nursing or any other medical role. Others too may deviate toward the medical assistant or even teaching and training jobs.

States With The Highest Employment Level:

EMT Salary Prospects

So, what can we expect to see in the way of increases in earnings for paid paramedics? Well as we’ve seen, the job is a very taxing one, with long and unpredictable hours as well as potentially traumatic challenges, so it undoubtedly takes its toll; for this reason there’s been a downturn in volunteers, thus paid EMT’s have become something of a sought after commodity. Of course this gives them much more leverage in terms of higher salaries as the demand for emergency medical technicians and paramedics will only increase with time.

Industries With The Highest Paying Wages:

States With The Highest Paying Wages:

The Value Of A Paramedic

Not many will be able to put a price on a paramedic but as we’ve seen they can often be looked down upon by others in the medical fraternity, despite this, the general consensus is that they are indispensable. The need for both paid and volunteer EMT’s and paramedics will increase and so too, logically, should the salary, though most wouldn’t hold out for too much. The emergency medical technician salary is mostly determined by their medical knowledge, as is everyone’s in the medical sector, hence doctors get paid the most because they are the most knowledgeable in their field. Although with the unpredictable nature of the work and unique challenges that so often presents itself on the front lines for medical response units, they are certainly candidates for a risk and service versus reward (salary) review. If the situation is not looked at, and especially since we’re in a recession, more and more EMT’s and paramedics will seek employment in other fields, continuing to drain this one, putting a further strain on the industry and fraternity.

The post What Can You Earn As A Certified EMT appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

The medical assistant is a vital link between the physician and patients and physicians are relying on them more and more to shoulder some of the tasks. Medical assistants work very closely with the physician and other healthcare professionals to ensure the smooth running of the office, practise or clinic. This frees up the physician, allowing him/her to concentrate on providing the best medical care to the patient.

There are many institutions offering accredited courses for those who wish to become a medical assistant. The training for a medical assistant is generic, as they perform a combination of administrative and basic medical or clinical tasks. There are two main medical assistant training programs available; a one year certificate or diploma course and a two-year associated degree program. Approximately 62% of medical assistants hold a diploma or certificate in medical assisting and around 43% have an associate degree in medical assisting.

Medical Assistant Training

Medical assistants perform a variety of clinical and administrative tasks, and as such need to cover quite s few different subjects during their studies to ensure that they are well-trained and can perform optimally on the job.

The typical Medical Assistant Program will cover:

• Electrocardiography and Cardiopulmonary
• Ethics, Medical Law and Psychology
• First Aid, Digestive System, and Nutrition,
• Hands-on Training
• Internship
• Laboratory Procedures
• Patient Care and Communication
• Pharmacology
• Reproduction and Endocrinology

Attributes Of A Good Medical Assistant

As a medical assistant you will need to not only have good training but also many personal character attributes in order to discharge your duties to the best of your ability.

These Attributes Include:

• Being an active listener
• Being an excellent communicator and able to speak distinctly, as patients will have to be able to understand any information and/or instructions that you give them regarding treatment.
• You will need excellent writing skills on top of good reading comprehension.
• Logical reasoning and critical thinking are vital to this career.
• The ability to be empathetic to patients without allowing yourself to be emotionally affected by their plight.
• Flexibility and the ability to switch from administrative tasks to clinical tasks without a pause.
• Having a healthy regard and respect for the confidential nature of the work.
• Good administrative skills.
• A certain amount of visual acuity and physical dexterity.

The Certified Medical Assistant salary in the US in 2011 is showing a sharp upward curve and is currently around $29,000 to 32,000 per annum. This is a generalized figure, as the salary for medical assistant posts differs from state to state and from institution to institution. How much you earn also depends on how many years experience you have as a medical assistant, and which specialties you have.

Medical Assistant Salary

The American Association of Medical Assistants conducted a salary survey in which in excess of 3,800 medical assistants were interviewed about their salaries. This included the clinical medical assistant salary, the medical assistant hourly salary, and the Certified Medical Assistant salary in various states and across different sectors of the healthcare sphere.

A random sampling of more than 20,000 medical assistants was asked to complete the survey questionnaire and 3,898 responses were received. The large number of respondents assures statistical reliability and a very small margin of error. The upshot of this survey is that becoming a medical assistant is an excellent choice as the salary for medical assistant is quite good for the amount of training that is done, and it is growing more year on year as more medical assistants are needed in various healthcare facilities.

Average Medical Assistant Hourly Salary

The survey shows that more than 95% of all full-time medical assistants earn an hourly salary. The average hourly salary differs according to years of experience.

Average Annual Medical Assistant salary

The annual salary for full-time assistants also differs according to how many years experience the medical assistant has under the belt.

Apart from the number of years that one has worked as a Medical Assistant, the salary also depends on whether one has an American Association of Medical Assistants Certification or not. Although Registration or Certification is not required by law, many employers are definitely giving preference to employing those who have passed the AAMA CMA examination and have the right to call themselves Certified Medical Assistants.

The Certified medical assistant salary for full-time medical assistants is also higher on average than the medical assistant salary for those who are not certified. AAMA Certification is discussed a bit further down.

Average Hourly Certified Medical Assistant Salary

The demand for medical assistants to get certified has a lot to do with the fact that there are many online colleges whose curriculum and short medical assistant programs do not fulfill the needs of the physician. Although there is no set legal curriculum for medical assistant training, it is better to do your course through an accredited institution.

How To Become A Certified Medical Assistant

• Attending a medical assistant school which is accredited by either the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools will enable you to sit for the AAMA Certification Exam.

• You can also apply to sit for the AAMA Certification Exam if you have been working as a medical assistant for longer than five years.

• This certification, unlike registration, can be done as soon as you graduate and it is recommended that you do so in order to improve your chances of employment and the improved Certified Medical Assistant salary.

Another possible reason for the increased demand for certification from the physician’s side is the pressure of a potential malpractice suit and certification mandates placed on employers in the healthcare field by managed care organisations. The AAMA Certification assures the employer that you did complete a course which was accredited and therefore did do all the necessary basics required for you to be an excellent medical assistant.

Average Annual And Hourly Medical Assistant Salary Per Geographic Region

Another factor which has a huge impact on a medical assistant salary, whether it is an hourly or annual salary, is the geographical area in which you work. Salaries differ greatly from state to state, as was made very clear from the results of the AAMA Survey.

The Pacific region leads the charge at fairly high average earnings of $16.85 hourly and $32,240 annually. The West North Central region pays the second-best hourly rate at an average of $15.53 per hour. The Middle Atlantic region comes in second for annual medical assistant salary at an average of $30,256.

The following table shows the medical assistant hourly salary and annual salary, including number of years of service, for various geographical regions:

Medical Assistant Workplaces

Medical assistants are an integral part of any healthcare team and work in various institutions. Some medical assistants focus on administrative duties and others do more on the clinical side.

Some of the places where Medical Assistants are employed:

• Clinics
• Home Health Agencies
• Hospice
• Hospitals
• Insurance Providers
• Medical offices
• Medical Supply Businesses
• Nursing Homes
• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Urgent Care Centres

Medical Assistant Salary – Specialty Practice

Medical assistants work in various fields, some in small practises, some in nursing homes and others in public or privates hospitals, amongst others. According to the survey more than 52% of medical assistants work in a specialty practice which has an average of nineteen employees and around 44% of medical assistants are employed in a multi-specialty office which has an average of forty-seven employees.

The biggest employer of medical assistants is physicians, accounting for employment of more than 87% of the respondents to the AAMA survey. The amount of Medical Assistants working in emergency services, outpatient hospital departments and other healthcare facilities such as inpatient hospital care, home and hospice care, ambulatory surgery, nursing homes, and residential care is unknown at this stage.

Average Annual And Hourly Medical Assistant Salary Per Work Setting

The Clinical Medical Assistant salary also depends a lot on which specialties are practised by the medical assistant. According to the AAMA survey, approximately 59% of the Medical Assistants surveyed work in a Primary Care Practice or Office, 25% in practices which have surgical or medical specialties and 16% which fall under the “other” category

Average Annual And Hourly Medical Assistant Salary Per Practice Specialty

According to a report filed by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, geographical location is a huge variable in the salary for Medical Assistant positions, as is the industry in which a medical assistant works. According the BLS report the annual mean Medical Assistant salary by industry is as follows:

• Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities: $34,180
• Insurance Carriers: $34,080
• Offices of Dentists: $36,880
• Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals : $39,220
• Scientific Research and Development Services: $35,550

Medical Assistant Salary – Employment Benefits

One cannot look at the salary for Medical Assistant posts without bearing in mind that the actual hard-cash is only part of the whole package. Apart from the basic medical assistant hourly salary or annual salary there are also many bonuses which form part of the package that is the Certified Medical Assistant salary package. These bonuses can come in the guise of overtime worked, hospital high surplus, achievements in the job, and year-end bonuses.

There are also many added benefits that medical assistants can enjoy as an add-on to the Medical Assistant salary, such a pension, Major medical health insurance, dental cover, vision cover, disability cover, discount prescription cover, basic hospitalization cover, accidental death cover, and professional liability cover. Most full-time medical assistants receive at least some of these benefits from their employers.

Most employers also pay the various an American Association of Medical Assistants expenses for their medical assistants, either in full or partially. This includes AAMA membership fees, AAMA Annual Conference fees and sometimes the employers also pay for travel and lodging expenses for the an American Association of Medical Assistants Annual Conference

Continuous Learning

Most medical assistants thoroughly enjoy their work and find the fact that they are helping both the medical professional and the patient very rewarding. Whether you are looking for part-time work of full-time employment, if you are someone who enjoys working with people, is flexible and enjoys a challenge, this may be the career for you. If you work in a smaller practise or clinic your duties will be more varied and could include administrative tasks such as running the front office, taking down patient histories, and scheduling appointments. You would also have to do some basic medical tasks such as taking vital signs, administering medication, or taking x-rays. In a larger setting you would normally be specializing in just one or two tasks.

One of the great advantages of working as a medical assistant is the opportunity to learn new things and grow as a valuable member of a healthcare team in a professional setting. One of the best ways to learn is to work alongside a professional and be mentored by them; it is exciting and challenging at the same time. This also allows you to experience and learn talents which you may never have thought of until you were put into the situation where they are needed.

Medical techniques, technologies and methods are changing in really innovative ways virtually daily, and by working as a medical assistant you are at the forefront of this all and will continuously be learning new things. Most medical assistants will also normally take part in medical seminars, workshops and meetings which will expand your knowledge even further. You will also learn how to perform new procedures using the latest technological innovations.

Taking all of the above into consideration, you will see that although it is obviously important that we earn sufficient to live comfortably, the medical assistant salary that is offered is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to choosing a career as a medical assistant. All of the benefits that make up the salary for medical assistant positions, the great working environment, the fact that you will be making a difference in people’s lives and the enjoyment of a challenging and never-boring career also carry a great deal of weight.

The post Facts About A Medical Assistant Salary appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Salary Of Social Worker: Facts And Figures

To become a social worker also comes with a reasonable salary, although there is a lot of debate as to whether this salary is worth the time and effort that goes into the job. These problems will be discussed in a lot more detail later in this article. For now, let’s begin with what you can reasonably expect to earn as a social worker. The following is a list of what you can expect to earn as a social worker depending on the exact type of social worker you decide to become. These figures are not exact, but they are a good approximation of a social worker salary.

• A normal Social Service Worker with the basic qualifications earns something around $32,000.

• If you are a Licensed Social Worker you can expect to earn in the region of $47,000.

• A Psychiatric Social Worker can expect a social worker salary of about $54,000.

• As a Social Service Specialist can expect to earn around $56,000.

• A Children’s Services Specialist, who also usually requires to be a social worker with the appropriate qualifications, can expect to earn around about $58,000.

• The social worker income for a clinical social worker can earn something like $60,000.

• If your interest is in the medical arena you can expect to earn about $65,000 as a Medical Social Worker.

• A Supervising Psychiatric Social Worker can earn $82,000.

• A Supervising Counselling Psychologist will most likely earn something in the lines of $91,000.

• At the higher end of the pay scale a Supervising Social Worker can earn about $92,000.

As you can see it depends heavily on the exact line of work you are planning to pursue as a social worker. You can also see that even on the upper limit of the scale, the pay is not that high. However, this is something you are going to have to deal with if you decide to become a social worker.

Child, Family, And School Social Worker Salary

Industries with the highest level of employment:

Top Paying Industries:

States with the highest employment level:

Top Paying states:

Healthcare Social Workers Salary

Industries with the highest level of employment:

Top Paying Industries:

States with the highest employment level:

Top Paying States:

Mental Health And Substance Abuse Social Workers Salary

Industries with the highest levels of employment:

Top Paying Industries:

States with the highest employment level:

Top Paying States:

Social Workers Salary, All Other

Industries with the highest levels of employment:

Top Paying Industries:

States with the highest employment level:

Top Paying States:

Becoming A Social Worker – Motivation

If you are looking to make money, then becoming a social worker is not the career path for you. Although a social worker salary is not at all bad, you will soon realize that all social workers currently in the profession are not in it for the money. They are in it in order to make a difference and to help others. If this is not your primary goal in your studies to becoming a social worker, then perhaps it is not the career path that is most suitable for you.

Issues Related To Social Worker Salaries

It is well-known fact that social workers receive a rather low salary comparatively speaking. This is unfortunate, especially considering the essential work that they do. The service that a social worker provides is an essential one in many areas, and is the glue that holds societies together. However, when it comes to social worker pay, social workers tend to be short-changed.

Luckily in most cases people aren’t in it for the social worker salary, but rather for the inherent rewards that come with doing a job such as this one. However it has been found in several studies that it is not only the social worker that suffers in this situation, but also the client. Lower pay means lower motivation and less devotion to Excellency, at least for most people, and this in turn results in poor quality service being given to the clients in the care of the social worker.

It is a known fact that some very basic professions, such as meter reading, render higher salaries than those paid to social workers. Some people see this as a reflection of how social workers are valued. In short, they are valued very poorly. When it comes to social worker salaries a change in mind-set is desperately needed if the industry is to advance. There have been practically no increases in pay for social workers over the years, and no one really expects there to be any in the future.

There is, consequently, a very low growth in the industry, something to keep in mind if you are looking to begin a career in the social work industry. Fewer and fewer people are choosing this vocation every year, meaning that the profession may well die out. Unless a change in attitude is effected as soon as possible, then this country may find itself in a very difficult situation. In general people do not realize how important the emotional and social well-being of an individual is. They look at the physical comfort and health of a person without taking these equally crucial concepts into account. Consequently people who work to serve this aspect of the country’s well-being are shoved to one side and devalued, making it a difficult profession in which to continue.

One of the reasons for this maladaptive attitude towards social workers is the erroneous belief that this type of work can be done by anyone, that it doesn’t require any special skills or qualifications. This is something every social worker knows to be wrong. This is a profession that requires training and a very specific personality type, and the average social worker salary should reflect this fact sufficiently.

Basically, even though there have been some salary increases, they are not in line with what other health care professionals, such as nurses, are receiving. They are simply related to cost of living, but are not keeping up with the overall inflation rate. Basically things are only getting worse with each passing year, with no sign that anyone is trying to do anything to remedy the situation.

Working For Church Related Agencies

Salaries do vary according to the exact work you as a social worker as well as according to the region in which you work. For one thing, many social workers work for church related agencies, or other practically non-profit organizations, which leaves them in a bad position. This is because such agencies simply do not have the resources to devote to the profession. This once again ties in with the fact that it is not the social worker salary that is the aim of being a social worker, but rather the work itself.

It follows from the above statement that if you wish to earn the highest possible amount as a social worker, you should avoid church-like organizations and focus more on positions in industries, universities, the private sector, and businesses. This however may not always be in line with what your personal intentions as a social worker are, and consequently you may prefer to work in a lower paying job. However, the fact remains that overall there is no infrastructure in place to ensure that social workers are paid adequately.

Even if you have a private practice, usually considered the best paying area to be in as social worker, you will still find that other costs, such as insurance, will take a huge bite out of your earnings, making it difficult to keep afloat. Although this is still a very real option as a social worker, having your own private practice or working for yourself is not as great as it is made out to be.

Gender Related Issues

Another very salient issue related to the issue of the average social worker salary you can be expected to earn is that of gender. Despite a large number of efforts in this area, it still appears that men, who make up a smaller percentage of the social working arena than women, still get higher salaries. They are also far more likely to make it into the superior positions of power and to be hired in the larger and more successful agencies. This inequity is unfortunate, but is also not surprising for this day and age. Despite efforts by many people in many industries, the average salaries of men remain higher than that of women in the same social worker jobs opportunities with the same qualifications. This is another way of thinking that needs to change if we wish to improve the situation related the salaries received by social workers.

Unfortunately there are a large number of individuals with lower qualifications than social workers who are nevertheless hired for the jobs which are meant to be reserved for social workers. The result of this is an unfortunate perpetuation of the situation in that the average salary paid to social workers is not going to increase as long as there are less qualified individuals out there who are willing to work for less money.

Usually wages are increased in situations where there is a shortage of people who can fulfill the position. This is unlikely to happen considering the high number of people who meet the bare minimum requirements to do a social workers job. However, considering that more and more people are deciding to leave the social work industry, this may mean that the shortage required to stimulate a salary increase may eventuate in the future. However, it would be a pity if we have to wait for this situation to take place before anyone took it upon themselves to initiate and increase in the average salary that a social worker receives.

Licensing Laws

In many states there are no licensing laws. This means that you don’t have to have a license to practice as a social worker. Unfortunately this also has a negative impact on the salaries of social workers. Without strict licensing laws the market becomes flooded with people who meet the specifications for being a social worker. A more stringent infrastructure controlling this aspect of social work may go a long way to improving the situation of a social worker’s salary.

Even social workers who are dedicated to their job and love it have trouble with the poor social worker salary that they receive. As a result, they have other jobs. This means that their attention is not limited solely to their job as a social worker, but is instead divided among two or more jobs. They also may be overtired and overworked because of this situation. Unfortunately, however, considering the low salaries that social workers receive, many of them have no choice but to put themselves in these situations.

The social system needs to be stable. Children and other people helped by social workers need stability, but under current conditions, stability is simply not available. Low salaries affect everyone, not simply those working as social workers.

The Positive Side

Although the above information may have put you off the entire social worker experience, it is important to note that there are many people who simply do not share these views, as well as several facts to back up their optimism. Generally speaking, social work is considered to be an industry that is growing faster than other industries, which means that job stability is practically guaranteed.

Social Worker Job Description
Perhaps a more important question than the social worker salary you will receive should you embark on this career is what the actual job description of a social worker is. You need to know whether or not you are willing to actually fulfill the expectations that are inherent in becoming a social worker before deciding whether or not you are willing to become one.

The basic duties of a social worker are as follows:

• You will be required to interview clients and their families to find out the information relevant to helping them with their situation.

• You will have to plan and coordinate any activities or programs that are necessary to meet the emotional and social needs of the client and the client’s family.

• You will have to aid your clients in terms of their mental health in terms of identifying and working through their emotional problems through therapy in either groups or on an individual basis.

• You will need to be able to accurately diagnose the problems that your client may or may not have. You will find it very difficult to treat a patient unless you can be absolutely sure of what is wrong with them. If you feel that you will be unable to do this, then you should consider alternative professions.

• You will need to be open to working with your client rather than issuing them instructions that you expect them to obey. It is far better for the healing process if your client works with you in terms of deciding on a treatment plan and a way forward.

• A very important part of the basic job description is record keeping. This may sound uninteresting, but in all jobs you need to keep accurate records, and this is no exception. Record keeping is an essential part of the social worker job description.

• You will need to be aware of other tools and resources that your client can use in order to speed up their recovery process and you will have to be confident enough in your knowledge to refer your client’s to such resources should the need arise.

• You will need to be willing to work closely with other professionals, such as doctors, in order to ensure that your client receives the best care and attention possible from all areas of the care system.

• You will need to spontaneously initiate and run social service programs in order to serve the wider community.

• You also need to be willing and open to working with the families of your clients as their influence will be crucial in helping the recovery of your client.

There are a few different areas that you may be able to work in as a social worker. The most common areas are the following:

• Child social work
• Family social work
• School social workers
• Medical social workers
• Public health social workers
• Mental health social work
• Substance abuse social work

There are many doors open to you as a social worker. You will be able to help many different people in a variety of situations. Social work is very rewarding, and people who choose this line of work choose it as a vocation. They choose it because they love it. The key question that you have to consider before deciding on a career as a social worker is whether or not you have the drive necessary to get the job done. There is no possibility for you to be in it for the money. The social worker salary you will receive cannot be the basis of your choice of career.

The post What You Can Expect To Earn As A Social Worker appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

A physical therapy assistant will earn a much higher income than that of a physical therapy aide. The reason for this is that the aide takes care of the manual labor only. Some of the manual labor tasks include things such as transporting the patient, making sure that the treatment area is clean and neat, cleaning the modalities as well as maybe being asked to set up the room where treatment will take place.

Salaries of physical therapy assistants do vary depending on where they are working from, how many years of experience they have, any certificates as well as the state they work in. The highest paid assistant will earn anything in the region of $60,000 annually, while the lowest paid assistant can expect an annual PTA salary of around $30,000.

Those physical therapy assistants in the high annual income category are normally paid by the home health service facilities. The middle income category is normally assistants that work in hospital settings and their annual income of around $47,000 is paid by the nursing facilities. The assistants in the low category are normally those working in the offices of the physicians.

There is a yearly increase in this specific field and the salaries also depend on what experience and certification you have received and completed. The more physical therapy assistant training and certificates you have, the higher your chances of receiving an increase in your PTA salary as an assistant. There is a great demand for physical therapy assistants at the moment and you should also know that there are many more assistants than aides at the moment. The big reason for this is the fact that a physical therapy assistant earn so much more than a therapy aide. So, I want to encourage you to complete the special training needed to become an assistant instead of just an aide.

If you are an assistant that have special certification for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR you can expect anything from $18 – $25 per hour which is a lot more than just a normal assistant who no other certification would be able to earn. If you specialize and have received training or certification in the field of sport you can look forward to receiving at around $22 per hour. If you have done a course in massage therapy, you can expect to be paid around $30 per hour.

To try and understand the physical therapy assistant salary we need to look at the history of this specific profession.

Physical Therapy Assistant – From The Begining

Physical therapy came into play during the four wars. Injured soldiers needed assistance when injured during the war and because it was mainly women performing physical therapy on behalf of the military, they were not very well paid. It was only later, during 1946 that the “hospital survey and construction act” was passed by congress. Thanks to the act greater respect was shown with regards to this type of profession. There was also an increase in men joining this profession. However, it was only during the 1950’s that a therapist became a recognized professional practitioner allowing for an increase in wages.

Physical Therapy Assistant Salary Ranges

Salaries of physical therapist assistants had a dramatic increase during the 1990’s and 2000’s. The average physical therapy assistant salary back in 1999 would be somewhere in the range of $30,000 and has since then increased to about $40,000. As far as a physical therapist is concerned, their salary in 1999 was about $60,000 and has now increased to about $80,000. You can see that this is obviously great news for physical therapists as well as physical therapy assistants.

Current Data

In May of 2010 the bureau of labor statistics was able to estimate that there are around 66,000 people earning physical therapy assistant salaries, meaning that the mean hourly wage is around $24 per hour which gives you a mean annual wage of about $50,000. The following breakdown should be able to give you a clear idea of not only where you will be starting off as far as earning are concerned, but also what you will be able to earn if you are prepared to work for it.

Physical Therapy Assistant Salary Per Hour

Starting at the bottom of the income scale and working our way up, you will see that the bottom 10% will be looking at an hourly wage of about $15.00 giving them an annual salary of just over $31,000. The middle 75% can look at a well increased hourly wage of just over $28.00 giving them an annual wage of just over $59,000. As you can see there is quite a significant difference between the wages of the bottom 10% and that of the 75% in the middle.

If you are lucky enough to be one of the 10% of earners at the top of the income scale then you will be looking at an hourly wage of over $33.00 giving them an annual salary of almost $70,000.
Top Paying Industries:

Top Paying States:

Do keep in mind that all the figures given above were compiled over a year ago and are the average income figures for this specific occupation all over the country.

Industries For High Employment

If you are looking to find an industry with high employment and salary figures when it comes to this specific occupation then you should take a look at some of the following industries.

• Offices of Other Health Practitioners. They employ over 26,000.
• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals. They employ over 16,000
• Nursing Care Facilities. They have employed over 7,000.
• Home Health Care Services who employ 5,200.
• Offices of Physicians. They employ just under 9,000.

Of these four, the industry paying the highest wage according to the bureau of labor statistics is the Home Health Care Services. As far as this industry is concerned you can earn an average annual physical therapy assistant salary of over $59,000.

Looking at these statistics I am sure you have realized by now how rewarding a career as a physical therapist or a physical therapy assistant can be.

Increasing Your Salary

There are of course ways to increase your physical therapy assistant salary. Keep on gaining experience and earning your diplomas which in the end will make you the most valuable member of any team. The more experience you have, the more rewarding your PTA salary will become. Get training and experience in other areas as well, some extra physical therapy assistant duties like giving a massage, only if you have a license though, that you can do for bonus payments. By doing this alone, you can easily demand $30 per hour extra. So you see, by continuously gaining experience and earning certificates your earning potential will dramatically increase and you will be able to care for your patients properly making life easier for them while at the same time increasing your bank balance.

Did you know that in the USA, there are about 70,000 licensed physical therapy assistants and because of the ever increasing demand another 25,000 positions for physical therapy assistants will become available over the next couple of years in almost every state which is good news for people who don’t want to move to another state.

As far as physical therapy assistant salary is concerned, it all depends on whether you are working in an upscale area, the years of experience you have, whether you are working in a hospital or a private practice clinic and then of course the lower paying areas such as public schools.

Another way to increase your income is profit sharing. There are some employers that do offer you this option. The profit sharing amount can range anything from a couple of hundred dollars up to and more than $20,000 per annum.

Profit sharing is an option to consider but you need to discuss it in great detail with your prospective employer. Do yourself a favor and, if possible, talk to some of the current employers at the company. Try to find out whether they have profit sharing and what the average annual profit payment have been over the last couple of years.

When a physical therapy assistant salary offer has been made, take your time before accepting or declining the offer. Make sure you know exactly what the salary includes and what it doesn’t include, like health benefits for instance.

Sometimes a smaller salary is the better option if the benefits are worth so much more. Many employers offer benefits such as dental care, eye care, paid leave, health insurance, retirement plan and so forth.

Being a physical therapy assistant is actually very rewarding. People depend on you to make them feel better, heal them and giving them back the life, so to speak, in many instances. As a physical therapy assistant you always have to make sure that everything is set up and ready for treatment. If the therapist has to step out for a minute, you should be able to take over and help out with the remainder of the treatment or exercises provided you have been trained to perform the various exercises and treatments.

As an assistant you might also have to make difficult decisions where the patients are concerned. You will be asked for your advice or opinion in certain cases and you have to be confident when giving your opinions, advice and handing your reports to the therapist because if you for instance said that a person is ready to go back to work and something goes wrong it could become a worker’s compensation case in which you will have to explain your decisions made.

So, as you can see, being a physical therapy assistant can be very rewarding especially if you have the necessary people skills allowing you to communicate with all the patients you come in contact with.

You have to remember that as far as salaries are concerned that it will increase in the future. The demand for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants are increasing in demand and as the demand increases so will the annual wages and hourly rates.

As long as you keep on learning, getting experience and earning your diplomas in all the various fields, you as an assistant will become indispensable and will be able to assist the therapist in more ways than one, which will be even more rewarding and also allowing the therapist to take care of even more patients as she knows that you can be left alone with an injured patient as you have the experience as well as the diplomas allowing you to take care of a patient in need.

You cannot go wrong by choosing a future as a physical therapy assistant as your options, once you have gained all the experience you possibly can, are endless.

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