Anatomy of a Pediatric Physical Therapist
Written By: Amy Wolcott M.S., CCC-SLP
At the Pediatric Place, we know our physical therapists are special. After all, they make 30 minutes of exercise feel like fun! We decided to take a closer look at this unique skillset, so we asked our physical therapists some questions and developed a list of traits based on their answers. Here’s what we learned about the anatomy of a pediatric physical therapist!
Personality Traits
PLAYFUL
“Kids don’t care about building muscle strength, but they do care about playing games. You have to learn to build strengthening, balance, and motor planning activities into your session that just feel like play to a kid.” – Jessi Frencken
CREATIVE
“Children rarely respond well to repetitive or purely directive exercises, so therapy often needs to be disguised as play. Creativity is also needed to problem-solve when a child has limited attention, communication challenges, or behavioral barriers.” – Paige Gunter
FLEXIBLE
“You have to be able to change activities or treatment ideas on the spot—take a toy the child picked and turn it into a therapeutic activity that addresses their goals.” – Grace Schibi
SPONTANEOUS
“A pediatric physical therapist has to constantly modify activities to match a child’s interests, mood, and developmental level in the moment. This might mean turning a strengthening exercise into a game, creating obstacle courses on the fly, or incorporating a child’s favorite character into a session.” – Paige Gunter
Accessories
We learned from observation that if you are a pediatric physical therapist, these are some of the things you can expect to find in your pockets, hands, or treatment room:
- SCOOTERS
- STOMP ROCKETS
- BUBBLES
- BALLS
- STICKERS
- SWING
- TRAMPOLINE
Motivation
So what really makes a pediatric physical therapist tick? Here are some of the reasons they love their job:
MAKING AN EARLY IMPACT ON A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT
“One of the biggest benefits is the opportunity to impact development early, potentially changing the trajectory of a child’s functional abilities long-term.” – Paige Gunter
HELPING FAMILIES
“I think one of the biggest benefits is that you forever change the child and family you work with. They will always remember your influence and you can provide a level of independence that they may not have achieved without you.” – Jessi Frencken
CELEBRATING MILESTONES
“There’s a unique joy in celebrating milestones—many of which are ‘firsts,’ like first steps or first independent movements.” – Paige Gunter
HAVING FUN AT WORK
“It’s FUN! Every day is different and every treatment session is unique.” – Grace Schibi
FREE HUGS
“The hugs are always free—that’s a big benefit for me.” – Jessi Frencken
Are you a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant who possesses these qualities? We want you to join our team! Learn more about job opportunities on our careers page!
