Rehabilitation therapy is a set of treatments that is given to those who lose their skills of performing daily chores, due to accidents or due to mental stress. A majority of drug abusers also need to undergo rehabilitation care for them to undo the damage done by drugs.
Rehabilitation is a medical procedure, but unlike having a tablet and getting cured, this procedure takes in a lot, both from the doctor as well as the patient. This is a long duration procedure, where, by means of intervention, exercises, and speech therapy, a patient’s mind is slowly brought back to the normal state of mind. This needs too much patience and care.
For example, rehabilitation therapy can be given to those who have sensory losses like the eyes, and also to people like amputees who are grafter with new skin. In the former case, the patient is taught how to survive without the sense of seeing, and in the latter, the patient is made at ease with the newly grafted limb. This helps to reduce the suffering.
Since this therapy can shape an individual’s life, only trained and expert individuals are allowed to perform this, and for certification, they have to complete a course called the Bachelor of Rehabilitation Therapy, which is normally a 3-4 year course, with an internship period of about 12 months. To sit for this course, the minimum requirement is a pass in10+2 under science subjects. There are B.Sc programs in the field of Rehabilitation Therapy, and some colleges even offer an advanced master’s degree.
Rehabilitation therapy students learn about the physical, cognitive and environmental sides of any illness or injury. Students are put through a learning module that teaches them how those patients regain the lost balance of their minds. They also study speech patterns and ways to improve them.
Job opportunities in this sector are many. There are jobs for rehabilitation therapists in private clinics, and big hospitals, and they have the avenue of private practice always open. Special schools and mental hospitals are another place where these professionals are required. If you can be patient, and can use your love and warmth to cure a person, this field is for you. Believe it: there is nothing more satisfying than the smile of a patient you’ve almost brought back into another life.
