Activities	According to the American Kinesiotherapy Association (AKTA), "Kinesiotherapy is the application of scientifically based exercise principles adapted to enhance the strength, endurance, and mobility of individuals with functional limitations or those requiring extended physical conditioning."
Outlook
Median Income	According to the AKTA, "projected starting salary for registered kinesiotherapists is $34,000 to $40,000 annually."
Work Context & Conditions	Registered Kinesiotherapists are employed in Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, public and private hospitals, Medical Fitness Facilities, Rehabilitation Facilities, Colleges and Universities and as Exercise consultants for individuals with physical limitations.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Learning Strategies, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Active Listening, Writing, Service Orientation, Time Management, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Science
Abilities	Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Written Expression, Oral Comprehension

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		According to the AMA and the AKTA, the kinesiotherapist is a health care professional competent in the administration of musculoskeletal, neurological, ergonomic, biomechanical, psychosocial, and task-specific functional tests and measures. The kinesiotherapist determines the appropriate evaluation tools and interventions necessary to establish, in collaboration with the client, a goal-specific treatment plan. Kinesiotherapists utilize two fundamental modalities, exercise and education to enhance and regain function through improved mobility, strength, endurance and flexibility. Their interaction with the patient/client typically is holistic and occurs following the acute stage of an illness and/or disease. Kinesiotherapists are the bridge between acute illness and physical wellness. Their intervention process includes the development and implementation of a treatment plan, assessment of progress toward goals, modification as necessary to achieve goals and outcomes, and client education. The foundation of clinician-client rapport is based on education, instruction, demonstration, and mentoring of therapeutic techniques and behaviors to restore, maintain, and improve overall functional abilities. The types of treatments carried out by kinesiotherapists focus on but are not limited to: therapeutic exercise ambulation training geriatric rehabilitation adapted fitness and conditioning prosthetic/orthotic rehabilitation adapted exercise for the home setting Kinesiotherapists administer treatment upon receipt of a prescription from physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants who have legal privileges to make such referrals. . Kinesiotherapist are involved in all levels of patient care, but work most extensively with patients who are medically stable but who have not yet reached their optimal level of functional capacity.
Working Conditions		Areas of employment for Registered Kinesiotherapists include but are not limited to: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, public and private hospitals, medical fitness facilities, rehabilitation facilities, colleges and universities and as exercise consultants for individuals with physical limitations.
Salary Range		Kinesiotherapists employed within the federal government are graded at the GS 7 to GS 10 levels, giving a salary range of $34,149 to $59,806.

Education Required		The Kinesiotherapy major is a baccalaureate program that can be completed in 4- 5 years. The total minimum requirements are 124-128 semester hours. Applicants should meet university requirements for admission. The program has a comprehensive academic and clinical curriculum plan that fulfills or exceeds the minimum requirements for Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accreditation. The curriculum plan includes an organized and sequential series of integrated learning experiences designed to achieve or exceed minimum competencies. All academic and clinical courses are guided by written measurable behavioral objectives and use case-based, patient-centered problem-solving activities. Basic courses in the KT curriculum include: human anatomy and physiology kinesiology biomechanics exercise physiology neurology and pathology evaluation and assessment of Injury manual muscle testing therapeutic exercise adapted physical education growth and development motor learning/control/performance tests and measurements, statistics clinical neurology rehabilitation procedures abnormal psychology or mental health physiological psycholog exercise testing and prescription gerontology medical ethics medical terminology health education patient assessment and management therapeutic activities.
Recommended High School Courses
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Education and Training, English Language, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Therapy and Counseling, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		According to the American Kinesiotherapy Association (AKTA), "kinesiotherapists, while not licensed in any state at this time, are credentialed by the Council on Professional Standards Board for Registration of Kinesiotherapists. “ The Kinesiotherapy Registration Examination is offered to those eligible on a semi-annual basis. Registered Kinesiotherapists must conform to specific criteria for ethical, safe treatment of patients within the Scope of Practice and Standards of Practice for Kinesiotherapy. Graduates of Kinesiotherapy programs that are accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs are eligible to take the Kinesiotherapy Registration exam.

Interest Area		Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Independence Work alone. Advancement Opportunities for advancement.
Skills		Learning Strategies Use multiple approaches when learning or teaching new things. Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Instructing Teach others how to do something. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Writing Communicate effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Complex Problem Solving Solving novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Written Comprehension Able to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Written Expression Able to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Social Worker, Child, Family, and School, Therapist, Physical, Trainer, Athletic, Therapist, Occupational, Therapist, Respiratory
Job Outlook		According to the AKTA, employment opportunities for kinesiotherapists should continue to increase over the next decade as the demand for adapted exercise interventions continues to rise. Job opportunities for kinesiotherapists in hospital settings should remain stable while opportunities in wellness and medical fitness facilities are expected to expand. This increased demand will be fueled in part by the increasing emphasis on preventive measures to offset the potentially catastrophic risks associated with various diseases and medical conditions. The increasing base of the elderly population and their associated debilitating conditions will also increase the demand for the type of exercise interventions that are indigenous to this population.
More Information		Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, American Medical Association - Health Care Careers, American Kinesiotherapy Association (AKTA)
References		O*NET OnLine, on the Internet: Physical Therapists at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/details/29-1123.00 American Medical Association - Health Care Careers online at http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/16039.html American Kinesiotherapy Association online at http://www.akta.org/faq.shtml