Physical Therapy Schooling - How to Become a Physical Therapist (The Smart Way)

Physical therapists are healthcare professionals who are trained to apply various rehabilitation and exercise techniques for the treatment of abnormalities or injuries that cause the limited body movements of patients. A physical therapist works hand in hand with patients to reduce the pain from the injuries as well as to increase the patient's mobility. In short, physiotherapists help patients to prevent further physical injuries by means of healthy living and regular fitness routines. If you are planning to become a good physical therapist, you first need to find a good physical therapy school to get excellent training and instruction.

Step 1: Complete a Bachelor's Degree Program

As a preparation for admission to a graduate degree program, you must first obtain a bachelor's degree in any course. There are no specific degree courses being required as long as the course contains relevant math and science courses. The essential subjects you will need to take in your bachelor's degree course are physics, anatomy, chemistry and biology. It will also be a huge advantage if you could spend some hours as a volunteer at the physiotherapy department of clinics or hospitals. Most PT schools offering physiotherapy graduate degree programs require student applicants to have some first-hand training in this field.

Step 2: Get a Graduate Degree

It is a general requirement for all physical therapists to finish one of the physical therapy doctoral or master's degree programs accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association or APTA. Master's degree programs typically last for 2 and half years, whereas it takes three years to complete a doctoral degree program.

Step 3: Complete a Residency Program

After completing a graduate school program in an accredited physical therapist school, you will need to attend a residency program to prepare for your profession. As mandated by APTA, residency programs should include approximately 1500 hours of physiotherapy practice in a formal setting in 9 to 36 months. In these programs, residents work with the guidance of licensed physiotherapists. Residents are allowed to evaluate and diagnose patients while at the same time training in a specialty.

Step 4: Take the Physical Therapy Licensure Exam

A physical therapist can only practice his or her profession after obtaining a license. The requirements for licensing depend on which state you intend to practice. But in general, states require that candidates have graduate degrees from any accredited PT schools. Aspiring physiotherapists in the United States are required to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination or NPTA, which is administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

Step 5: Consider Taking a Specialization

As a physical therapist, you will have an option to become a specialist in the field of physiotherapy. You can do this by getting a certification from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties or ABPTS. The most common specialties are neurology, geriatrics, orthopedics, and sports. All physiotherapists who wish to proceed to specialization must be licensed physical therapists already. It is also required that they have at least 2,000 hours of practice in whichever specialty they choose.