Physical Therapists' Personality

Physical therapist personality traits are helpful to understand. As people who try to identify the traits that drive success for professionals in various health care careers, we wondered what personality or behavioral traits would make a Physical Therapist successful. Several authors suggested that these skills were learned as part of patient care because Physical Therapists must repeatedly problem-solve, teach, and collaborate with their patients. But WebPT enumerated some other general non-clinical skills and traits that Physical Therapists should have. Caring, empathy and communication skills are what drive many people to become care providers, but WebPT’s list of successful traits includes effective writing, to help provide clear instructions and treatment plans. They also suggest effective marketing skills to attract patients and help keep clinics open. Time management and leadership skills are also on WebPT’s list.  

The most important traits in most articles were interpersonal in nature. Someone who has the unique ability to really listen and show concern for others seems to be a natural skill for Physical Therapy.  It is also critically important that a Physical Therapist has the ability to be patient and not to get frustrated, since treatment results can be slow. Some call this perseverance or determination or the ability to stay cool under pressure.  Others mention the need for tenderness or supportiveness to handle heart to heart conversations about sensitive topics with patients. The ability to serve as a role model for a healthy lifestyle is one-way Physical Therapists are able to have the physical strength to be safe and effective with patients and to avoid causing them injury them during treatment.

If you naturally possess these skills, you may want to consider a career in Physical Therapy.  If you do not possess these skills naturally and are still interested in becoming a Physical Therapist, there are workshops and courses to help you further develop your interpersonal skills as well as the other skills mentioned above.