What degree do you need to be a pt

As the Baby Boomer generation continues to slip into retirement, there is increased demand for medical professionals needed to tend to their decline in health. This is especially true in the areas of mobility and pain management. This growing trend has caused many to consider a job in the field of physical therapy. Becoming a physical therapist (PT) involves a lot of hard work and means that the prospective student will learn both how to prevent people from losing mobility and functional movement as well as improve conditions in people whose mobility and functional movement is limited. A physical therapist not only seeks to improve the quality of a person’s mobility, but also employs the use of therapeutic methods for pain management and also to prevent disability whenever possible. In order to practice as a physical therapist, all 50-states require licensure to be achieved before a person can be considered a qualified physical therapist.

Table of Contents Show

What does a physical therapist do?
Scope of practice
Specializations
Work environment
Becoming a physical therapist
Higher education requirements
Certification process
Career opportunities and outlook
By the numbers

Undergraduate Considerations

Before a student can be admitted to many physical therapy professional programs, it is usually required that they have completed a bachelor’s degree prior to admission. Alternatively, some professional physical therapy programs allow admission after three years of specified undergraduate curriculum has been completed. In some cases, students are recruited straight from high school into a guaranteed admission program, depending on their ability to complete specified undergraduate requirements and also meet any other stated requirements.. Such as maintaining an adequate grade point average necessary for ensuring admission into the professional phase of the education for becoming a physical therapist.

The Professional Education

The first part of the post undergraduate level educational requirements that a person must complete is called the Professional education for becoming a physical therapist. This is the preparatory clinical and didactic graduate level training which orients the student to the industry and is considered entry level training in the field. Typically, the degree types available are a Masters in physical therapy, A Masters of Science in physical therapy, and a Doctorate of physical therapy. However, programs tend to push more uniformly to requiring a Doctorate of physical therapy be acquired before moving to the post professional phase of education and professional practice. This requirement becomes more stringent in 2015 and state institutions must be compliant by 2017 with their doctorate programs.

The Post Professional Education

Once a student has completed their undergraduate and graduate requirements, then the next phase of the education is to prepare and sit for the national licensure. Someting to take note of is that the PT degree the student earns must be acquired from an institution that offers a CAPTE accredited program before they can sit for the state licensure.

Students interested in persuing a degree program in the industry should take the time to check out various programs offered by different institutions and make certain that these programs comply with CAPTE accreditation before signing on. Otherwise, if a student has found an adequate CAPTE accredited program, then provided they can complete the curriculum of the aforementioned educational phases, then it should be possible for them to obtain their professional license to practice physical therapy at the professional level without any licensing complications.

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.