Applicants to physical therapy (PT) programs need to demonstrate empathy for the population and an interest in physical therapy, experts say. So in addition to the above two points, how to enter a physical therapy school to study? Please read the introduction compiled by the editor of Smart Study Abroad.
People who have experienced trauma often face a difficult road to recovery. They may have difficulty walking or have other difficulties with mobility, and they may experience significant pain. In these situations, a physical therapist (PT) can provide critical assistance. Medical professionals like
are experts at diagnosing and responding to patient mobility issues. He or she can provide hands-on treatment and prescribed exercise programs.
While in the past, becoming a physical therapist did not always require a graduate degree, now a doctoral degree is required to pursue this career in the United States. An aspiring U.S. physical therapist needs to complete a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, which typically takes about three years of full-time study.
He or she will also need to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and obtain a license to practice in the state where he or she plans to work.
Physical therapists who complete the DPT program sometimes choose to pursue further education by pursuing a residency, fellowship, or board certification in a specific physical therapy specialty (such as women's health, neurology, or clinical electrophysiology).
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in this field are growing, and employment of physical therapists in the United States is expected to increase by 22% by 2028 compared with 10 years ago. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that in 2018, the average annual salary for physical therapists was $87,930.
The average debt load for new DPT graduates is typically high. For example, according to the Student Debt Research Report released by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the average debt-to-income ratio of early career physical therapists in Florida surveyed in 2016 was 197%, which is almost two years of the average salary.
Still, some young physiotherapists say they are happy to have invested in their education, even though the degree is expensive.
"I have student loans that I pay back every month and I may never have to pay them back or for the foreseeable future, but I love what I do and that's what it's all about," said Lauren Lobert, in 2012 from the University of Michigan, Flint — and owns a capstone physical therapy practice in Brighton, Mich.
Lobert said her job as a physical therapist allows her to help those in need in a tangible way. People, she finds physical therapy a satisfying and rewarding career, she says: “You get to work with people who are injured or going through the toughest moments of their lives. ” She also said that she enjoys building relationships with her patients.
She added that the field of physical therapy is great for those who like to be active because patients don’t spend a lot of time “sitting behind a desk.”
How to Become a Physical Therapist
According to individuals working in the field, the ability to empathize and communicate well is essential to being a successful physical therapist
"Physical therapy is a personal profession," Morgan Nolte said in "You have to be able to connect with people, talk to people and show a genuine interest in helping others," he wrote in an email. added Nolte, who holds a DPT degree.
Chalee Engelhard, director of the DPT program at the University of Cincinnati and an associate professor at the school, said lifelong learning is also necessary.
Engelhard Another important quality for an aspiring physiotherapist is resilience, she said, adding that when patients are unable to reach their moving targets, physiotherapists need to calmly assess the situation and figure out a solution. .
Craig Stiemsma, a professor at Dordt University in Iowa and director of the school's pre-physical therapy club, said anyone considering a career in physical therapy needs to evaluate whether they like working with people and solving problems, because both All activities are core components of physiotherapy work.
They should then observe physical therapists at work to determine whether the profession meets APTA requirements. In order to qualify for the PT program, completion of college coursework in the following disciplines is usually necessary:
· Anatomy
· Physiology
· Biology
· Chemistry
· Physics
· Psychology
· Statistics Learn
"You do not need to choose a specific major to qualify for a PT (physical therapist) program," the association says in its online guide to the PT school admissions process. Among PT students, the most common undergraduate majors include exercise science, biology, kinesiology, and psychology.
The association added that applicants to PT schools may need to complete a certain number of PT-related internships to become competitive applicants; meet GPA and GRE requirements; obtain letters of recommendation and participate in interviews; and disclose whether they have criminal offenses; undergo criminal background checks and drug screenings, etc.
Additionally, some PT schools prefer to admit in-state students and may require applicants to demonstrate physical, behavioral or cognitive abilities they deem necessary, according to the association. , to complete a DPT degree and become an excellent physical therapist.
Stiemsma advises aspiring physical therapists to look up the typical grade and test score levels of students admitted to their target program and try to exceed the average, he emphasized. own chances of being accepted.
There are important non-academic considerations in the PT school admissions process, notes Nolte, who owns a Nebraska-based physical therapy practice, Reshaping Physical Therapy and Wellness LLC. —and serves as the academic coordinator for the geriatric physical therapy residency at the University of Nebraska at Creighton. “Working hard to gain observation experience, or better yet, work experience in a setting where physical therapy is performed, will set you apart. ”
Eric J. Hegedus, professor and chair of the DPT department at High Point University in North Carolina, said that his school uses a comprehensive admissions process. Thinking beyond numbers, they also use interviews to screen applicants,
Hegedus wrote in an email: “We want to see how applicants interact and communicate, see how passionate they are about physical therapy, and hear about them. s story.
Jasmine Marcus, a physical therapist in Ithaca, New York, earned her DPT degree from Columbia University. She says a solid application essay helped her in the admissions process to PT school stand out. “The best thing you can do is try to stand out,” she said.
Marcus points out that many PT admissions essays discuss the events that prompted the applicant to describe their interest in a career in PT. However, she said, if the daily physical therapy process is recounted, this approach is often Boring but "general".
She said: "What you write may not be interesting to the reader, and many other people may express the same content. So I usually recommend that you write something that shows your personality.
She added that the essay should highlight the characteristics of a PT school applicant that would make him or her a good physical therapist, meaning the topic of the essay need not be physical therapy. She said her own application essay focused on It was clear how her communication skills, as a former journalist and author, would translate well to the field of PT, where questioning and understanding patients is crucial,
Marcus explained: “So I kind of played into that. My strengths, I was unique among the many applicants, but I also demonstrated in a way why I would make a great physical therapist.
What is taught in physical therapy school?
Hegedus, who has a DPT degree, believes PT school is similar to other types of health care professional programs in its rigor, but noted that it differs in important ways.
Hegedus, who holds a DPT degree, said Compared to health care graduate programs, in a PT program, "you have to learn and apply (rather than memorize and regurgitate)," and you also gain some expertise on how a person's simple actions can aggravate Their pain worsens their disability.
PT school is particularly demanding, Alice Holland, who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, wrote in an email. And it's often a tight curriculum.
"The first year of DPT school usually focuses on a lot of the anatomy work that needs to be done, and the focus is on neurobiology in the second and third years to put all that knowledge together into a treatment plan, Holland said he opened an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinic, Stride Strong Physical Therapy LLC, and hired PT school graduates.
She added that DPT students often participate in internships in PT clinics, which gives them relevant work experience and begin interacting with patients
.
