Physical Therapist

Physical Therapist - How To Prepare For A Physical Therapist Career

Have you ever seen a physical therapist at work? One of the most challenging careers in the field of health care, a PT relies on his knowledge and skills and draws on his compassion to handle each and every patient in his care. Needless to say, the job is exhausting in all aspects – physically, mentally and emotionally. Yet, despite the long years of training required, many are lining up for this profession.

A Physical Therapist Must Have Perseverance And Compassion

The best way to appreciate physical therapy is to volunteer your services. It's not enough to merely watch a PT on the job, although it will give you a pretty fair idea how intense the work can be.

If there is one thing a physiotherapist needs in abundance, it is perseverance. You just can't surrender even when patients want to give up on themselves. You also need a deep well of compassion and empathy to get through every work day so you have a good grasp of the frustration, pain, trauma and limitations that every client is experiencing.

Physical therapy is not for the faint of heart. And if you're set on pursuing this fulfilling career, perseverance starts before you set foot in the workplace.

How Do I Get Admitted To Physical Therapist Schools?

The line for admission to physical therapy schools is long. Why? Schools limit the number of students they accept each year for their programs. To practice as a physical therapist, you need to be a licensed professional. And there are two ways to do that: complete a master's degree or the more preferred doctorate degree and qualify for the certification exam.

However, it all starts with an undergraduate degree. It can be physical therapy, if the program is still offered in the college or university of your choice. Another option is a bachelor degree in exercise science or some other physical science program. With these you can transition to graduate programs in physical therapy.

With competition so fierce both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, you really need more than good grades to get yourself accepted into the program. To raise your chances of admission, the recommendation is to gain experience which you can do on a volunteer basis.

Nursing homes, PT clinics, rehab centers and other facilities are good venues for practical experience. It will demonstrate your interest in the job and give you insight as to the challenges faced by professionals. At the same time, you get to work with a licensed physical therapist, whose evaluation and recommendation will come in handy once you apply to PT schools.

No matter how well you prepare for admission, you are never guaranteed acceptance in your first choice of college or university. So applying with more than one school for a physical therapy graduate program is important to stick to your career timetable. With thorough research, you can have a good selection of schools that match your needs.

Should I Pursue A Masters Or Doctorate Program As A Physical Therapist

Before actually making a shortlist of physical therapist schools, you need to decide: will I go for a masters degree or apply for a doctorate program? You need either to be eligible to sit for the licensure exam that will grant you the  professional credential.

By year 2015, the Commission on Accreditation on Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) will require all schools to offer the DPT program (doctorate). Presently, 203 of the 212 accredited PT graduate programs are DPT and only nine are MPT (masters program).

Traditionally, the MPT is a two-year program for entry-level professionals. Some masters programs run for three years, to incorporate more clinical time. According to the American Physical Therapist Association, the length of most doctorate programs have been extended to three years due to augmented content to benefit graduates.

You can expect courses in differential diagnosis, pharmacology, radiology, health care management, prevention/wellness/health promotion, histology and pathology as additional content. Further, the culminating clinicals has been extended beyond the current average of 15 weeks, with other providing it for one year.

Practitioners, though, see very little difference in the graduate program you choose other than the additional six months to a year in schooling. The skills and level of competence are generally similar and the physical therapy salary are about equal.

Opportunities are open to both MPT and DPT holders, although if your goal is to eventually go into teaching, research or hold managerial positions,you may as well invest in a doctorate program.

Factors To Consider When Becoming A Physical Therapist

Admission to any school for a college education is never guaranteed, no matter how badly you want to be accepted. But just as important as deciding which PT program to pursue is the school to apply with for that all-important preparation.

The first consideration when selecting potential physical therapy schools is accreditation. Your goal is to qualify for the licensure exams after graduation, and one requirement is completion of a CAPTE-recognized PT program.

While cost, location, facilities and length of programs are among the things you look into when choosing a school, there are actually three key factors that people oversee yet which are just as crucial to getting ready to become professionals: clinical education and training opportunities, faculty composition and employability of graduates.  

The core of physiotherapy is rehabilitation. It is a wide-ranging field and more than knowledge is needed to deal with people who, due to disease, accidents or trauma, are unable to move and function normally. The condition may be temporary or long-term and it is the physical therapist's job to evaluate then formulate a treatment plan for every patient.

To understand the scope of rehabilitation, you need extensive and intensive education and training.

Eighty percent of your physical therapy education is comprised of lectures and laboratory sessions. This is necessary so that the remaining 20% can be devoted to clinical training. This is where you will be able to put to practice, learn and master the techniques and develop the confidence to become a good physical therapist. The schools you are considering should be able to offer you this kind of extensive and intensive learning both in laboratories and real-life settings.

You are only as good as the people who mentor you. And the best teachers are the ones with actual experience; the ones who “have been there and dones that.” It is therefore important to have faculty who are practitioners or at least with several years of experience to guide you and bring out the best in every prospective PT professional.

Finally, if you really want to get a sense about the school you are thinking of applying with, ask alumni and employers. Former students are excellent sources of information not just about their experience while in school but how things turned out for them after graduation. How valuable was the education they received from the school in terms of finding employment?

On the other hand, if employers welcome graduates of a particular school or show preference for these entry-level professionals, it can only mean the training given is of the standard that is at par with their service. And beyond that, they see a certain quality in physical therapists that set them apart from other applicants.

Is Further Training Necessary For A Physical Therapist After Graduation?

After graduating and earning your license, you have the option of going through a residency or fellowship as added preparation before you finally go into professional practice.

A physical therapy residency is advanced preparation, usually in specialized areas like geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics and sports therapy. It consists of clinical and didactic education.

Fellowships, which are funded, is a post-professional learning experience that is not solely concentrated on clinical practice, but includes research and education. Offered are hand science movement, manual orthopedic and sports athletics.

Why seek further training when you can immediately begin working? Sometimes, there are better paying opportunities that require specializations before you can be accepted. And during the course of your graduate studies, you may have become interested in a particular area of physical therapy and want to focus there.

These are not requirements to land a job. Rather, they are for advancing your skills and eventually your career. A physical therapist may choose to practice first and then apply for fellowships later.

If you choose to specialize later, you may want to work towards certification to further increase your market value as a professional.

Where Can I Serve As Physical Therapist?

So you're finally ready to enter the job market. The most common work setting is a rehabilitation clinic, which may be within a hospital or a separate facility. Most physical therapists opt for permanent jobs, which means being employed by one facility in a specific location.

But if you had an adventurous spirit and want to be able to help more people even outside your place of residence, you can look into becoming a traveling physical therapist.

Travel physical therapy staffing was born to enable places that lack these professionals to be provided with the service for a certain duration, usually a minimum of 13 weeks. To find these opportunities, it is best to connect with a recruiter, who is experienced in placement for these kinds of work.

One advantage for traveling physical therapists is the pay. In most instances, you are paid a higher salary for doing this kind of work. Another is being able to explore other locations, where you may eventually want to relocate to because of opportunities there.

Included in placement packages are housing, or they can provide you with subsidy if you make your own arrangements for accommodation. Transportation expenses are also reimbursed.

Sometimes, too, you are allowed to travel with family or friends during your assignment and will be provided for your housing needs.

Traveling physical therapists find this arrangement beneficial in terms of developing their skill and becoming even more confident in their capability as professionals. This is because they may be assigned to areas where they may have to rely on their knowledge and skills more than equipments because these may not be provided in the facilities they work in.

What are the requirements if you want to explore this area of physical therapy? You must hold a PT degree from an accredited health care program and need at least a year of professional experience before applying with a travel health are staffing agency.

Otherwise, a physical therapist need not worry about a dearth in opportunities even in conventional settings as long as he is committed to pursue this career path.

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