How to Become a Doctor of Physical Therapy With a Bachelor of Arts Degree
Concrete therapists aid injured and ill patients manage their pain, amend their range of motion, and become dorsum to operation at their highest potential.
Joining this rewarding career requires years of instruction, mastery of a variety of skills, and both national and state licensure. To help y'all get started on your path to condign a licensed physical therapist, we outline vi steps, plus other requirements to think near.
Table of Contents
- Concrete Therapy Education
- Physical Therapy Requirements
- Afterward Graduation
- Launching Your Physical Therapy Career
Concrete Therapy Education
Whether you're currently in loftier school or college, choosing a grad schoolhouse that offers a robust DPT degree will be an important step along your journeying to condign a practitioner.
Stride 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree in a Related Field
Typically, students volition demand to earn a bachelor's caste in a field related to health science, practice, and/or sports. For some graduate programs, students may besides be required to complete specific prerequisites, such equally courses in physics, kinesiology, biology, chemistry, physiology, and anatomy.
Research the prerequisites of the doctoral degree programs you are interested in and be sure to take the classes yous demand.
Pace two: Complete a Doc of Physical Therapy Caste
Next, students must enroll in and complete an accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. DPT degree programs brainstorm with didactic courses in pathophysiology, imaging, biomechanics, anatomy, and more. During the second yr of the program, students complete their white coat ceremony and enter the clinic for hands-on rotations supervised by a clinical instructor.
More than innovative schools may also include a simulation component. For example, the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS)—the largest PT schoolhouse in the United states of america 1 —features a state-of-the-art simulation eye on each of its five campuses. There, DPT students accept the gamble to practice clinical interactions with mock patients before they enter the clinic.
Some graduate schools also offering innovative scheduling options. USAHS offers its DPT plan in two formats:
- Residential DPT: This format blends online coursework with in-person clinical labs on weekdays. It typically takes less than 3 years to complete.
- Flex DPT: This format blends online coursework with in-person clinical labs on select weekends each month. Designed for working students, it typically takes iv years to consummate.1
Learn More Nearly Our DPT Programs
Physical Therapy Requirements
Afterward you obtain your doctoral degree, you lot must become licensed in the country where you will practice.
Pace 3: Pass the NPTE
In order to become a licensed physical therapist, you lot must pass the National Physical Therapy Test (NPTE), which is given by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). The computer-administered exam consists of 250 multiple-choice questions split into five sections. It is scored on a scale of 200–800; scoring a 600 or to a higher place is considered passing. The NPTE is offered four times each yr: in January, April, July, and October. The FSBPT allows candidates to take it up to three times in one year. In 2019, 91% of first-time candidates who were graduates of
U.Due south.–accredited PT programs passed the NPTE.2
Pace four: Obtain a License to Practice
Licensure looks unlike within each state. Most states require practitioners not merely to pass the NPTE simply also to fulfill additional criteria, such as compliance training, background checks, etc. To maintain licensure, physical therapists must run into continuing education requirements every two years in nearly states. Continuing education courses keep physical therapists current with the wellness professions ' standards and trends.
Bank check with your state board to learn nigh your licensing requirements.
After Graduation for Concrete Therapists
Once you've get a licensed physical therapist, yous may consider furthering your practice with a residency or fellowship program. Or, you lot can go board-certified with a specialty focus.
Step 5: Complete a Residency Program (optional)
A clinical residency is a post-graduate program that includes boosted grooming, coursework, and clinical experiences. A residency is a expert style to begin specializing in your area of greatest involvement. Physical therapy fellowship programs are besides bachelor.
Pace 6: Earn Board Certification (optional)
Subsequently condign licensed and gaining work feel in the field, physical therapists have the opportunity to become board-certified clinical specialists through the American Board of Concrete Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).
There are 10 specialty areas of physical therapy: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiology, Geriatrics, Neurology, Oncology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Sports, Wound Management, and Women's Health.
In social club to become board-certified, applicants must at a minimum pass the National Concrete Therapy exam and complete an American Concrete Therapy Clan -accredited residency program, or at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience . Boosted requirements may apply depending on the specialty expanse .
Launching Your Physical Therapy Career
Physical therapy is a rewarding career path—you'll accept the opportunity to modify people's lives for the better using traditional methods and some non-traditional treatments like cupping therapy. Here are some other aspects to consider as you lot prepare to launch your career.
Which Qualities Should a Physical Therapist Cultivate?
Qualities that will help yous in your PT career include compassion, advice skills, attention to detail, dexterity, physical stamina, creative thinking, and the ability to manage time wisely.
Where Do Physical Therapists Work?
The physical therapy profession will require you to work beyond many different settings with a variety of patient ages and issues, so you will have a wealth of options and opportunities when beginning your physical therapy practise .
Concrete therapy settings include:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient clinics
- Sports training and fitness centers
- Inpatient rehabilitation facilities
- Nursing and extended care facilities
- Patient homes
- Schools and education centers
- Virtually
If y'all have a taste for independence and entrepreneurship, you can cull to start your own private practice. Alternatively, yous could pursue a part in healthcare leadership or join an existing office with other physical and occupational therapists.
How Long Does It Take to Go a Concrete Therapist?
Becoming a physical therapist can have anywhere from three to eight years. Before you tin enroll in a Doctor of Physical Therapy caste programme or DPT program, y'all must first earn a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, ideally with a major in health science . A bachelor's degree typically takes three to iv years to complete for total-fourth dimension students. So you will need to enroll in a Doctor of Physical Therapy or DPT program , which will accept about three to four years to complete.
How Much Do Physical Therapists Make?
The median bacon for a physical therapist was $89,440iii in 2019. Withal, salaries vary widely based on the position, setting, feel level, education level, and geographic location.
At the Academy of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, we offering an esteemed Doc of Physical Therapy programme that challenges students to exist versatile, empathetic, and well-skilled practitioners. Our DPT students learn to assess patients, create handling plans, and apply hands-on therapy techniques in real-world simulations.
The largest PT schoolhouse in the United States,* the University of St. Augustine for Wellness Sciences (USAHS) offers a hands-on Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. Bring together a collaborative cohort of peers who learn under the mentorship of expert faculty-practitioners. Practice with mock and existent patients in our state-of-the-fine art simulation centers and learn anatomy with our high-tech tools. Prepare for clinical practice with a broad range of patients, as well every bit for advanced roles in enquiry, practice leadership, and policymaking. Residential (online coursework + in-person labs on weekdays) and Flex (online coursework + in-person labs on weekends) formats are bachelor.
*Based on total DPT degrees conferred, as reported past the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Arrangement (IPEDS). Information is captured by IPEDS through interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.South. Section of Education'southward National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/
- The program is designed to be completed in this corporeality of time; however, the fourth dimension to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress, credits transferred, and other factors. [↩]
- FSBPT, "NPTE Exam Yr Reports": https://www.fsbpt.org/Complimentary-Resources/NPTE-Pass-Rate-Reports/NPTE-Examination-Year-Reports [↩]
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.Due south. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook , "Physical Therapists," terminal modified Sept. 1, 2020: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/concrete-therapists.htm [↩]
Source: https://www.usa.edu/blog/how-to-become-a-physical-therapist/
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