What schooling do you need to become a physical therapist

What does a physical therapist do?

Physical therapists diagnose and treat patients who have medical problems or injuries that limit their abilities to move or function in their daily lives. Patients will typically come to a physical therapist after being referred by their primary physician. Physical therapists work with people who have experienced an injury or disease that has affected their movement and range of motion.

A physical therapist will examine a patient then create a recovery plan. They often focus on treatments that reduce the need for surgery and prescriptive drugs. A physical therapist uses a combination of exercise, stretches, hands-on techniques, and equipment to restore function or relieve pain.

Scope of practice

Physical therapists work with physical therapy assistants, educators, social workers, nurses, doctors, and surgeons to treat patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Common tasks and duties include:

• Diagnosing patients to determine a level of function by observing them stand, walk, and perform tasks, as well as listening to their concerns
• Designing an individualized care plan based on their observations of the patient, the patient’s goals and expected outcomes, available research on the condition, and their medical expertise
• Evaluating the progress of the patient and adjusting care plans when necessary
• Developing and implementing plans to successfully discharge

Specializations

With certification, physical therapists can specialize in a particular area, including:

• Cardiovascular and pulmonary
• Clinical electrophysiology
• Geriatrics
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Orthopedics
• Pediatrics
• Sports

Work environment

Physical therapists work in hospitals, private practices, home health agencies, outpatient rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, schools, and medical clinics. They are on their feet for the majority of their working day, and often need to use their bodies to work with patients – including needing to lift or move them. A typical day shift, weekday work schedule can be expected, but some work settings may require evening or weekend hours.

Becoming a physical therapist

If you’re looking for a rewarding career and don’t mind six to seven years of higher education, becoming a physical therapist might be a great career choice for you; physical therapists report having a lot of personal fulfillment from their job.

Higher education requirements

To become a physical therapist, you’ll need to complete a physical therapy program. Specifically, you’ll need to either complete a bachelor's degree and then a doctoral program in physical therapy, or you might choose a 3+3 physical therapy program that combines the degrees into a total of six years of higher education.

Once a degree is achieved, some physical therapists choose to enroll in a residency or fellowship program after graduating from their doctoral program. This will provide the physical therapist with advanced training and mentorship; it will also allow them to specialize and develop expertise in a specific area.

Certification process

Certification is not required, but may provide additional opportunities for physical therapists. In order to become board certified, you must have a doctoral degree in physical therapy, must have completed at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience, and must pass a certification exam.

Career opportunities and outlook

Physical therapists can expect a median annual salary of $95,620.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physical therapists in the U.S. is expected to grow much faster than average. This is due to the aging baby-boomer population who are staying active later in life and are more likely to deal with health conditions that can benefit from physical therapy. Secondly, there has been an increase in chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity so physical therapists are needed to help these patients manage the effects of these conditions.

With additional training and experience, some physical therapists move into management roles with more responsibilities or start their own practices. Some therapists become professors while others earn specializations in areas such as pediatrics or sports medicine to increase career opportunities.

By the numbers

In order to become a physical therapist, you need to graduate from a CAPTE-accredited program and pass the NPTE to become a board-certified and licensed physical therapist. The standard DPT curriculum requires about 3 years to complete.

Of course, before you can be admitted into a DPT program, you need to complete an undergraduate degree. In fact, as long as you complete the correct prerequisites for PT school, you can have any college major and you can apply via PTCAS. The main implementation form is PTCAS for physical therapy classes.

High School Students Thinking About Physical Therapy

There’s a special way of accelerating the time it takes to become a physical therapist. Some programs offer what is known as a degree of Freshman Entry Doctor of Physical Therapy.

You might suggest a 6-year Freshman Entry DPT program if you are in high school (or still need to obtain your bachelor’s degree). You can receive a bachelor’s degree as well as a DPT degree in a total of around 6 years if you are accepted into this form of program, as long as you maintain a minimum GPA set by the program.

All in all, this will save you about a year, and for the DPT, the average undergraduate is 4 years plus 3 years. It’s certainly something to remember for students who are serious about physical therapy and know this is the profession they want. You will complete the undergraduate portion of the program without completing the DPT if you decide that PT is not the profession for you.

Traditional DPT Program

Let ‘s assume you first plan to finish your undergraduate studies and then apply for a DPT program. When you apply for PT programs in your senior year, as soon as you graduate, you will start the DPT program. It can range from 30-36 months for typical DPT programs.

In addition to the 4 years you spend earning an undergraduate degree, you will also spend about 3 years on a DPT program to become a physical therapist, for a total of 7 years of college education.

Yes, the process to become a physical therapist is long, but worth it.

If you’re a non-traditional student thinking about a career change, but wondering if you’re too old to go to physical therapy school, ask yourself this question: if you wanted not to go back to school, how old would you be in 3 years? There’s a 100 percent chance that if you plan to go back to school, you will be the same age.

The argument is that you have to put the effort in if you want to help individuals move around and appreciate your work as a physical therapist. Don’t let your dream prevent you from pursuing your age or the time to finish school.

How Many Years Does it Take To Become a Physical Therapist?

• 4 Years of Undergraduate Studies
• 3 Years of Physical Therapy Graduate School
• 7 Years total to become a Physical Therapist

Are You a Physical Therapist?

Participating in continuing education is one of the conditions for holding your license as a PT. Your PT license lasts for 1 to 2 years in every state before you are eligible to renew it. When the date of renewal comes, depending on the state you are in, you will need to record the continuing papertyper education courses you have taken during the past 12 to 24 months.

Are You Looking for Relief From Neck Pain? 

Pace Physical Therapy in San Jose, California specializes in non-surgical neck pain relief and recovery therapies.  We pride ourselves on offering the best possible physical therapy available and going above and beyond for our patients. Our highly experienced physical therapist will work with you to improve your function and relieve your pain. We start by assessing the body as a whole. Oftentimes the cause of pain or an injury extends far beyond just the body part or muscle hurting. Without taking a comprehensive look at your entire self, we would be doing you a disservice in fully helping you heal and preventing future limitations. We then move on to fixing your areas of limitation.  Not all diagnoses are created equal. One person with neck pain may have completely different limitations than the next person. Your recovery program needs to be specific to what YOUR body needs and not just the typical exercise program that you can find online. Just because your pain decreases or you can walk longer doesn’t mean that it is enough to get you functioning at the level you want to be. While this often signifies the end of care at your typical PT clinic we don’t stop providing guidance until we help you successfully meet every goal you set for yourself with us on day one. Contact us today to schedule your appointment!