Physical Therapist

Physical Therapist

The community of Fort Walton Beach Area in Florida awaits you...

Located between Pensacola and Panama City along North Florida's glittering Gulf Coast, Fort Walton Beach offers its powdery white beaches, emerald waters, enjoyable golf courses, and much more. Fort Walton Beach boasts all the fun of the major vacation spots, minus the fuss. Home to family-friendly resorts and attractions such as parks, museums and aquariums, it's not just the calm, green waters and cool, white sand that make this northwest Florida destination a family favorite. The charming little town of Ft. Walton Beach is a favorite of families seeking not just to "get away " but to "get to " something truly wonderful. Here you'll find a quaint seaside downtown area with interesting shops and museums chock-full of fun and local history. A short drive away, there's a big treat waiting for you at the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base. (Want to see what a Purple Heart looks like? How about a jet like the one Tom Cruise flew in Top Gun?) And when the sun goes down on Ft. Walton Beach, the volume goes up. You'll have your pick of an eclectic group of restaurants as well as other exciting nightlife.

Eglin Air Force Base is located in northwest Florida, comprising over 640 square miles. This is a military friendly area and also a major tourist attraction due to the white sand beaches. Eglin is located 60 miles east of Pensacola, FL. BRAC 2005 is expected to make a major impact on Eglin and the surrounding infrastructure as the overall base population will increase to around 38,000 by 2015. Military Construction will total over $732 million.

Requirements

• Perform a full range of physical therapist services in accordance with the scope of clinical privileges granted by the Commanding Officer.
• Provide appropriate therapeutic procedures and provide a full range of therapy services in support of direct access (walk-in) patients and patient referrals from the following specialties: Orthopedics, General Medicine and Surgery, Primary Care Clinic, Rheumatology and other referrals approved by Department Head/Division Officer.
• Test and measure the patient's strength, motor development, sensory perception, functional capacity, and/or respiratory and circulatory efficiency. Record findings to develop or revise treatment programs.
• Plan and prepare written treatment programs based on an evaluation of the patient with realistic and documented treatment goals.
• Administer manual therapy, to include manipulation of the spine and extremities, and provide exercises to improve and maintain function.
• Instruct, motivate, and assist patients in performing various physical activities, such as ambulatory functional activities. Daily living activities, and in use of assistive and supportive devices, such as crutches, canes, and prostheses.
• Administer treatments involving application of physical agents, using electrical stimulation devices, ionospheres/hybresis units, moist heat packs, ice packs, and ultrasound machines. Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
• Administer soft tissue mobilization, as well as joint mobilization and manipulation, applying knowledge of mobilization techniques and body physiology. Administer traction to relieve pain, using traction equipment. Record treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart and/or automated systems.
• Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home. Evaluate, fit, and adjust prosthetic and orthotic devices and recommend modification as required.
• Coordinate treatment with physician and other staff members to obtain additional patient information, suggest revisions in treatment program and integrate physical therapy treatment with other aspects of the patient's health care. Contact referring physicians regarding patient care concerns, as required.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from a Physical Therapy program acceptable to the USAF Surgeon General and accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
• A current, unrestricted license to practice Physical Therapy in any one of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, or U.S. Virgin Islands. License cannot be under investigation nor have any adverse action pending from a State Board or national licensing/certification agency.
• Experience as a physical therapist, licensed practitioner for at least 24 months in an outpatient orthopedic clinical setting within the last 36 months.
• Current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) as approved by the American Heart Association (AHA).