The Path To Physical Therapy

physical therapist helping a woman on crutches

As with most jobs within the medical world, becoming a physical therapist requires one to go through quite a process. If you are going to effectively land in one of these jobs, then you will need the right background and you will need to take the proper track.

Becoming a physical therapist is very much about getting the right educational background, including a full load of anatomy-based science courses.

If you figure out early enough that you want to launch a career as a physical therapist, then you can chart a career path that will lead in that direction.

Starting with a science-based undergraduate degree program

Becoming a physical therapist is all about preparation and how smartly you plan out your career. The first step is to go to a four-year university and complete a science-heavy undergraduate program. The quality of your university is important, but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is how well you do in those courses. The more As you pile up and the higher your GPA, the better off you will be in the end. PT schools look at the types of courses you took, so you will want to load up on anatomy-related courses and do well in those courses, too.

Passing the GRE and other requirements

In order to get into physical therapy school, you will need to take the GRE, a popular graduate school entrance exam. The score that you will need will vary depending upon which school you want to attend, so this is something to research on an individual basis. You should expect to do very well on the exam, though, given the competitive nature of physical therapy schools in this day and age.

Likewise, there are some other requirements for getting into most schools. You will need letters of recommendation from people who know your academic work. Likewise, you will need some community service on your resume.

Going to PT school

The next step is to go to PT school so that you can get licensed to practice. These programs range from three to five years in most states and they are highly intensive. Once you are admitted to a program, you will need to complete it and all of its requirements in order to get licensed by your given state. Make sure that you go to a program that is accredited, as this is a must.

Becoming a physical therapist is all about preparation and correctly planning your career