Approximately 300 million physical therapy sessions take place every year! That’s job security for physical therapists. Are you considering a job in this field? If so, you might wonder what it takes to become a physical therapist.
While you’ll need to complete a lot of education, it’s a job with high demand. It’s also a job that provides satisfaction and meaning. As you consider your options, you can read this guide to learn what steps are involved in developing a physical therapist career.
Learn More About the Job Description
Before choosing any career, it’s always helpful to learn more about the job. For example, if you’re considering a career in physical therapy, it would be helpful to learn more about the job description, duties, and responsibilities.
A physical therapist works in a clinical setting. For example, they may find jobs in physical therapy clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and chiropractic offices, and they work directly with people who need therapy.
You can find physical therapy jobs in many places, and you can choose what type of setting you prefer.
They begin their services by listening to patients’ concerns, feelings, and problems. Next, they review their medical history to determine the cause of the problems. From there, they create a plan for the person’s services.
When they begin services, they help people perform exercises and movements to improve mobility and decrease pain. Then, over time, they evaluate their progress and update their plan.
People who work in this field must enjoy working with people and be compassionate to their needs.
Complete a Four-Year College Program
If this job description sounds ideal for you, the first step you’ll need to take in attending a four-year college. To enter a physical therapy program, you must have a four-year degree.
You can obtain this degree from almost any school, but you should major in something related to physical therapy. Here is a list of common majors people choose for their four-year degree program when they want to become physical therapists:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Exercise Science
- Kinesiology
While these are some of the programs you can choose from, you can choose from others, too. Your main goal should be to choose a program related to the medical field, as you’ll need this to enroll in a doctorate program.
Complete a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
The next step in developing a physical therapy career is completing a doctor of the physical therapy program. You can enroll in this program at many colleges, but they don’t accept everyone that applies.
They look at a person’s grades, degree, and studies. If they accept you into the program, you must complete a three-year program to earn your doctorate degree.
During this three-year program, you’ll spend most of the time in the classroom. You will also spend time completing clinical, which takes place in physical therapy offices.
The coursework is intense for any doctorate program, but it’s also necessary to become a physical therapist. When you successfully complete the program, you will receive a Doctor in Physical Therapy (DPT).
Choose an Internship Program
As you complete your doctorate program, you might be required to complete an internship. This might be part of the clinical studies required by the program or something you choose to do.
Going through an internship is a great way to choose the type of physical therapist job you want to have. While finding a job might not be difficult, choosing the setting where you want to work is a big choice.
During your internship, you can discover more about your preferences. Do you prefer working with seniors? Do you have a certain specialty you want to focus on in your job?
An internship is also helpful as it teaches you through hands-on experience. You can use therapy practice software to understand how it works, and you will gain first-hand experience working with individuals who need services.
Pass the National Physical Therapy Licensing Test
When you complete all the requirements for a physical therapist job, you must take the process one step further: getting your license. You can’t work as a physical therapist without a license, and you can’t apply for it until you’ve met all the requirements.
You also can’t get your license until you pass the licensing test. The test is called the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). It consists of 250 questions, and you have five hours to complete it.
You must pay a fee to take the test and score 600 or higher to pass. Fortunately, you can retake the test up to six times if necessary. If you don’t pass it by the sixth time, you can’t retake it anymore.
Once you pass the NPTE, you will receive your license, and you won’t have to take the test again.
Find a Physical Therapy Job
Having your physical therapy license provides a career path for you for the rest of your life, and you can begin looking for a job right away. As you search for a job, you might want to stick with a specific radius from your home.
You might also want to limit your search to certain types of office settings.
For example, if you want to work in a nursing home, you can search for nursing home physical therapy jobs. At some point, you might even decide to open your own physical therapy business.
You may want to work for a few years before doing this, though, as working as a physical therapist helps you build the experience you need to be good at your job.
Become a Physical Therapist to Have a Rewarding Career
Physical therapy is a field that people will always need. It serves a vital role and offers the assistance people need for all kinds of health and mobility issues. Would you like to become a physical therapist? If so, you can follow the steps listed here.
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