Working as a physical therapist assistant could meet your needs as a busy parent who wants to make a difference with your career. What’s more is that your preexisting parenting skills may have already given you a jump start in the job!

1. They thrive in a team setting

Everyone knows it takes a village to raise children. From teachers and coaches to carpools and play dates, you are constantly coordinating your kids’ activities, plus keeping track of your own! The organization and communication skills you use to keep your family up and running on a daily basis will come in handy as a physical therapist assistant.

2. They’re master observers

You can tell as soon as your kids hop in the car whether they’ve had a bad day at school, and you love noticing your toddler learn new skills and milestones as he plays. You may not think this is anything special, but the truth is that it takes serious observation skills and attention to detail to pick up on these things.

3. They’re incredible listeners

Your kids know they can always come to you with questions big or small. That’s because you’ve always got a listening ear. You instinctively know when to let your kids talk through something on their own, and when it’s time to speak up and offer advice or suggestions.

4. They’re always concerned with safety

You can walk into a room and immediately pinpoint choking hazards for your baby. When your little monkeys start jumping on the bed next to the sharp fireplace hearth, you can anticipate the accident waiting to happen. And when one of your kids does come running with tears and an injury, you can quickly assess how serious the situation truly is.

5. They’re no stranger to sports injuries

You’ve watched enough dance practices and coached enough baseball games to tell when a child has an injury that should put them on the sidelines. You also have a smart sense for teaching kids how to prevent these injuries in the first place. Your wisdom as a parent keeps kids on the bench recovering until they’ve healed instead of playing through an injury that could wind up getting worse.

6. They give clear directions

You do everything you can to make sure your kids follow directions, but you know it doesn’t all come back to them. You put forth a lot of effort to make sure instructions are as clear and easy to understand as possible. You know it will take plenty of reminders for your toddler to remember to use the potty, and you’ve spent days patiently working with your kindergartner to teach her how to tie her shoes.