Getting Ready To Be A Physical Therapist?

Physical therapists are healthcare professionals properly trained to implement different rehabilitation and exercise methods in order to treat certain physical injuries that cause the impairments in the movement of the patient's body. It is crucial that the patient and his/her physical therapist work together to make the rehabilitation procedures a success. What this means is that these are the medical professionals who actually enable affected individuals to prevent more physical injuries by way of healthy living and regular exercise regimens. If you are intending to be a great physical therapist, you first need to find a good physical therapy school to obtain exceptional training and instruction.

Step 1: Get an Undergraduate Degree

Physical therapy students should get ready for their entrance in a doctoral or masteral degree programs by first completing an undergraduate degree program. Any sort of bachelor's degree major will work providing it's going to cover essential classes in science and math, namely physics, chemistry, biology and anatomy. If at all, it is strongly suggested that a PT student do some volunteer work at any physical rehabilitation unit of any medical facility. Practical experience is usually one of the specifications of physical therapy schools for their graduate degree programs.

Step 2: Take a Master's or Doctorate Degree Program

The American Physical Therapy Association or APTA requires all physical therapists to acquire a graduate degree in the field of physical therapy. It typically takes 2 to 2.5 years to complete a master's degree program. On the other hand, doctorate degree programs normally take 3 years to complete.

Step 3: Complete a Post Degree Residency Program

Upon finishing a graduate degree program from an approved PT school, it will be important that you go to a residency program in private hospitals or clinics. In line with the mandate of APTA, a residency program must consist of 1500 hours of specialized medical practice, which will be taken between 9 and 36 months. By becoming a resident, you'll be able to assess and diagnose patients but of course with the direction of a licensed physical therapist. You'll be doing this as you are getting a training in your area of specialization.

Step 4: Take the Physical Therapist Licensure Exam

A physical therapist should first be licensed by the state in which he/she chooses to work. The requirements to get a license vary in accordance with the state. Nevertheless, it's a typical condition by states that applicants have graduate degrees from physiotherapy programs approved by APTA. The NPTE or National Physical Therapy Examination is administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. This examination will check the proficiency of a candidate not just in principle but also in practice.

Step 5: Choose An Area Of Expertise

As a physical therapist, you'll have a choice to become a specialist in the field of physical therapy. You can do this by obtaining a certification from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties or ABPTS. The most common areas of expertise are neurology, geriatrics, orthopedics, and sports. All physical therapists who would like to proceed to specialization have to be licensed physical therapists already. It is also required that they have at least 2,000 hours of practice in whichever specialty they select.

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