How Many Years to Become a Physical Therapist: Your Roadmap to Success

Physical therapists (PTs) diagnose and create treatment plans for patients with medical problems or injuries that limit their ability to perform daily activities. It’s an exciting career that allows you to interact with patients and help relieve their pain, while also creatively prescribing exercise programs to your patients.

Typically, patients are referred to physical therapists by their primary physician, though if you work in a hospital setting, this may be from surgeons or other specialists. They work with various health care individuals, including physical therapy assistants, social workers, nurses, doctors, and surgeons, to treat people of all ages, from infants to the elderly. While the overall practice of physical therapy involves improving function, evaluating progress, and adapting treatment protocols to each patient, there are many other specialties that a physical therapist can pursue.

Step One: Becoming a Physical Therapist

From an educational standpoint, there are several objectives to meet when becoming a physical therapist.

Higher education requirements

Most Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs require a bachelor’s degree. However, no specified degree is typically required as long as your coursework meets the application requirements, which include anatomy, chemistry, and physics. There are undergraduate degrees, however, that are well-suited for a physical therapy degree, like:

• Biology
• Kinesiology
• Exercise Science

DPT Programs

After receiving your bachelor’s degree, you apply to a DPT program. This is a clinical program that involves didactic and clinical rotations. The typical program lasts three years. Most programs utilize the Physical Therapist Centralized Applications Service (PTCAS). It is an online portal allowing you to upload all your information online. As with any educational program, there are factors to consider when choosing where to apply.

Accreditation: According to the APTA, “The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredits physical therapy programs to assure quality – both that the quality of your course work is high and that the schools produce people qualified to serve the public. To take the licensure exam, you must have graduated from a CAPTE-accredited program.”

NPTE/Graduation Pass Rates: The National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) is a certification exam you will take after graduating. This exam must be passed to obtain licensure. Check each program’s pass rates before applying.

Course Prerequisites Requirements: Every program will have its prerequisites listed on the PTCAS page. Carefully read these to ensure that your coursework will meet these, and remember that most programs will allow only a limited number of “in-process” courses when you submit your application, so avoid applying to programs whose requirements you cannot realistically meet.

Observation Hour Requirements: Most PTCAS programs have observation hour requirements, which vary widely from 40 to 150 hours. Some programs specify the required setting, such as outpatient orthopedics, inpatient, skilled nursing/home health, and such. Each program will have its own requirements, so read these carefully.

GPA/GRE Scores: As with everything else, each program sets its own minimums. Most will have an overall undergraduate GPA minimum, and some may have a program-specific prerequisite GPA for subjects such as natural science or math.

For the GRE, they may list the oldest score they will accept and they may simply use the highest score you have received. Both the GPA and GRE information are available on the PTCAS site.

Length: The traditional time required to become a physical therapist is six to seven years. Most programs require a bachelor’s degree for admission, and most DPT programs are two and a half to three years long. Some programs offer a three-and-three format, in which three years of specific preprofessional courses must be taken before the student can advance into the professional DPT program.

Other factors to consider are location, the student/faculty ratio, clinical experiences, and, of course, tuition.

Certification and Licensure

The National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE)

After completing your DPT studies, the next step is taking the NPTE. This exam helps ensure that only those with the required knowledge obtain licensure. It also helps state regulatory bodies evaluate and maintain consistent standards for practice.

The NPTE is only part of the licensure process. Some states require a jurisprudence exam or jurisprudence examination module to obtain a license.

Licensure

Once you have passed your NPTE, it is time to apply for your state license. In addition to the exam and possible jurisprudence requirements, additional background checks may be required before licensing. Check the appropriate state licensing board for details.

Many states are now part of the physical therapy license compact, which allows physical therapists to travel and practice in multiple states. You will need to be licensed in your state of residence before applying for privileges for a compact license.

Step Two: Career Path

You’ve finished your program, passed the exam, and obtained your license. Success! Below are some of the many opportunities available to you.

Clinical Practice

Many will practice in hospitals, outpatient clinics, or rehabilitation centers, treating patients with injuries, disabilities, or chronic conditions. A typical day for most will involve preparing for appointments, patient assessments, and therapeutic sessions. Nonclinical duties entail documentation and follow-up communication with patients and other health care providers. Lest you think your educational moments are over, part of your time will be spent in professional development with webinars, reading new research, and attending specialty meetings and courses.

Specialized Roles

This is another option to pursue a residency or fellowship. Both are post-professional training programs created for practicing physical therapists to advance their therapy skills, knowledge, and responsibilities.

A residency will prepare the candidate for board certification in a specialty. This learning is focused on an area of advanced physical therapy practice. These typically last one year. The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) currently offers residencies in the following areas.

• Acute Care: Therapists care for patients admitted to a hospital for illness, surgery, or trauma.
• Cardiovascular and Pulmonology: Physical therapists in this area help patients recover from heart attacks or heart surgery. They also work with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Clinical Electrophysiology: One of the newest specialty certifications, it involves using electricity to monitor, measure, or induce a bodily response to evaluate and treat conditions related to nerve or muscle damage.
• Geriatrics: There is a high demand for physical therapists treating older adults. These specialists are experts in treating conditions that affect aging patients, such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
• Neurology: Physical therapists in this area study the body’s motor neurons, sensory neurons, and skeletal muscle fibers that control movement, posture, and breathing. They evaluate and develop treatment plans for patients of all ages with neurologic dysfunction.
• Oncology: Board-certified oncology specialists work with patients undergoing cancer treatment or suffering from other chronic illnesses, like HIV, by managing the effects of chronic pain, muscle weakness, or bone density loss caused by cancer treatment.
• Orthopedics: This group helps patients prevent, manage, and recover from injuries to bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. This is the most popular specialty.
• Pediatrics: From newborns to teenagers, pediatric specialists treat traumatic, developmental, and systemic disorders affecting children. They commonly work with children with autism, cerebral palsy, and cystic fibrosis, among other conditions.
• Sports: Physical therapists specializing in sports medicine work with professional and amateur athletes of all ages. They can work in sports medicine centers or hospitals or directly with sports teams and coaches.
• Women’s Health: Issues with pregnancy and childbirth, like incontinence, back pain, and pelvic pain, are treated by therapists in this field. They also help manage menopausal symptoms.
• Wound Management: In 2022, wound management became a board-certified specialty. Today, it is an emerging field for physical therapists. These practitioners manage the relationship and interactions between wounds (superficial or deep) and the body.

A fellowship further focuses on the specialization obtained during residency. You must have completed a residency or board certification to obtain a fellowship. The ABPTRFE currently offers fellowships in the following areas:

• Critical Care
• Hand Therapy
• Neonatology
• Neurologic Movement Disorders
• Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
• Performing Arts
• Spine
• Sports Division 1
• Upper Extremity Athlete

As with the DPT programs, each residency and fellowship training program will have its application requirements.

Board Certification

Obtaining board certification through the American Board of Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) requires passing an exam and completing the required hours of clinical work within your area of specialization. Many therapists who become board-certified see a salary increase or nonfinancial rewards such as promotions or leadership opportunities.

The Future

If you are considering physical therapy as a career, you should be encouraged. The outlook for physical therapy is nothing short of rosy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for physical therapists is expected to grow 14% from 2023 to 2033. With an aging population, demand will only increase over time.

Here are some more helpful facts about physical therapy from the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology:

• The physical therapy career is the fifth-largest occupation in clinical health care that also requires licensure, excluding general nursing
• As of 2021, there are around 72 physical therapists for every 100,000 people in the United States
• Approximately 36% of physical therapists work in private offices, while around 29% of these individuals work in hospitals
• The average age of physical therapists is 41.2 years old
• Globally, there are over 1.6 million registered physical therapists
• The states with the highest concentration of physical therapists include Vermont (7.8 per 1,000 jobs), Maine (5.4), and Rhode Island (4.6)
• Women make up around 55% of all physical therapy patients, and by age, people that are over the age of 65 also represent 55% of all therapy patients
• In 2022, the physical therapy industry had a value of $46.4 billion

Physical therapy offers numerous opportunities for learning in terms of training, residency, and fellowship, as well as advanced career paths such as physical therapy manager, rehabilitation services director, and clinical specialist. The journey to becoming a physical therapist is long, but the rewards await your hard work.