Physical Therapy

WHAT IS PHYSICAL THERAPY?
Physical Therapists, or PT's, are health professionals who evaluate and treat people of all ages with movement dysfunction and other health problems resulting from injury or disease.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
PT's assess joint motion, muscle strength, and other body functions and structures. The treatment goals of Physical Therapists include making patients stronger, relieving their pain, helping them to regain and maintain maximum human performance, and educating patients on proper health maintenance. Treatment may include therapeutic exercise, cardiovascular endurance training, and training in activities of daily living.

Physical Therapists are employed in hospitals, private physical therapy offices, community health centers, industrial health centers, sports facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, schools, research institutions, or teach in colleges or universities. They work with other health care providers such as physicians, occupational therapists, nurses, mental health professionals, and speech pathologists and audiologists.

SPECIALTY AREAS
Some physical therapists treat a wide range of ailments; others specialize in areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics, orthopedics, sports medicine, neurology, and cardiopulmonary physical therapy.

DESIRED SKILLS
Physical therapists should have strong interpersonal skills to successfully educate patients about their physical therapy treatments. They should also be compassionate and possess a desire to help patients. Similar traits are also needed to interact with the patient's family.

EDUCATION & TRAINING
Pre-physical therapy students must complete specific undergraduate coursework (see Recommended courses for Pre-Physical Therapy Students). According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there were 189 accredited physical therapist programs. Of the accredited programs, 24 offered bachelor's degrees, 157 offered master's degrees, and eight offered doctoral degrees. By 2002, all physical therapist programs seeking accreditation will be required to offer degrees at the master's degree level and above, in accordance with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. All states require physical therapists to pass a licensure exam after graduating from an accredited physical therapist educational program before they can practice. Physical therapists are expected to continue professional development by participating in continuing education courses and workshops. A number of states require continuing education to maintain licensure.

EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK & SALARY
Employment of physical therapists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2008. More than 120,000 physical therapists practice in the U.S. today. As stated by the American Physical Therapy Association, average annual income is approximately $56,000, depending on geographic location and setting.

RELATED OCCUPATIONS
Physical Therapists rehabilitate persons with physical disabilities. Others who work in the rehabilitation field include occupational therapists, speech pathologists, audiologists, orthodontists, prosthetics, and respiratory therapists. 

PREPARATION FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAMS Admission to entry-level physical therapy programs is extremely competitive due to a large number of qualified applicants. Admissions committees are very selective and are looking for specific prerequisites courses, strong academic records, good scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), quality letters of recommendation, and work or volunteer experience in the field as indicators of potential to succeed. APPLICATION TIMELINE AND ACCEPTANCE INFORMATION Application deadlines vary from November of the year prior to matriculation to February. Most programs require a bachelors degree, however some universities, such as Loma Linda University and Cal State Northridge, encourage students to apply after completing two years of college level work. If admitted, students enter a three-year Masters program and are awarded a BS in life science in addition to the masters degree at the completion of the program. MINIMUM GPA (RECOMMENDED) Most programs require a student to have at least a 3.0 cumulative and prerequisite GPA, although competitive GPA's may be higher. Increasingly, programs are also requiring applicants to have paid or volunteer experience in one or more physical therapy settings and may ask that a student have adult CPR certification. MAJOR & CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Students can major in almost any discipline provided the required courses are completed in order to be competitive when applying to physical therapy programs. Students are encouraged to participate in an internship, volunteer, or work experience in a physical therapy setting in order to become acquainted with the field prior to making formal application to selected professional programs. Pre-Professional Physical Therapy and Required Courses The following list of UCLA courses is recommended for pre-physical therapy students. This list is not a comprehensive list of prerequisites for all masters programs in physical therapy. Requirements can vary widely from program to program. Students maintain responsibility for verifying course selection with individual PT programs. Biology Life Sciences 1, 2, 3, 4. One year of coursework with lab. Notes: If you took LS 2 and 3 before Fall 98, then take two additional life science lab courses (in departments such as EEB (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), MCD Bio, neuroscience, psychobiology, or physiological science). Human Anatomy Phy Sci 13 or 107 (upper division PS courses are generally restricted to PS majors). Phy Sci 13 through UCLA Extension is another good option. Human Physiology Phy Sci 166* or Phy Sci 3** or 5 or 111A-C (upper division PS courses are generally restricted to PS majors). *Phy Sci 166 may not be acceptable for schools that will not take Animal Physiology prerequisites. **PS 3 has a lab component effective Summer 04. Any offerings before Summer 04 did NOT have a lab. One course from a community college with lab may also be acceptable. Chemistry Life science or non-science majors: Chemistry 14A, 14B/BL, 14C/CL, 14D. Physical, life or non-science majors: Chemistry 20A, 20B/L, 30A/AL, 30B/BL, 30C.* *Chem 30CL may not be required for applicants from the life science majors. Psychology Requirements vary by program. Psych 10 plus 2 upper division classes are helpful. Other topics can include Neuroscience and Gerontology. Physics Physics 6A, 6B, 6C or 6AH, 6BH, 6CH or 1A, 1B, 1C, 4AL, 4BL One year with labs is generally recommended. Trigonometry-based physics can also satisfy this requirement, but UCLA only offers calculus-based courses and these are required for the various science majors. Math Math 3A, 3B, 3C or 31A, 31B, 32A This is your preparation for calculus-based physics. One year of math can include statistics (see below) and computer programming classes (PIC 10A, 10B, 10C). Other Recommended Courses Other Biology Check with each individual department counselor for availability of upper division courses. Neurobiology - Any upper division neuroscience or psychobiology course. Check course restrictions. Kinesiology - Phy Sci C150 and C152. Upper division Phy Sci classes are generally restricted to Phy Sci majors. These courses can also be found at the CSU level. Exercise Physiology - Phy Sci 133, 136 and C137. Upper division Phy Sci classes are generally restricted to Phy Sci majors. These courses can also be found at the CSU level. English One year of college level literature and composition. Writing I and Writing II courses, select general education literature courses, and any upper division English literature or English Composition courses will satisfy this requirement. Please see the “English requirement for health professions schools” sheet for a complete list of suggested courses. Statistics Statistics 10, M11, M12, 13, Biostatistics or Biomath, Psychology 100A* *Check with individual schools for acceptability of classes offered outside of the Statistics department. Foreign Language Knowledge and cultural competency in any language other than English is a valuable asset to working in a health care field. If your future plans include working in California or the southwestern states, Spanish is highly valued and somewhat expected. Ask yourself: Can I walk into a hospital room and get a patient history in another language? If the answer is no, then consider taking college level foreign language classes to brush up on your skills. Other Humanities and Social Science courses are strongly recommended. The non-science GPA is an important component to your overall academic record, and liberal arts education. Courses in the following can enhance your communication skills and overall understanding of the world: Anthropology, Communication Studies, Economics, any ethnic studies area (e.g. Women’s Studies, LGBT Studies, Afro-American Studies, Chicana/Chicano Studies, Near Eastern Studies), Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Speech to name a few. Computer skills are strongly recommended. Many programs have incorporated computers and electronic media into their curriculum. Several programs are strongly recommending that a student owns a computer. Students can obtain more information by visiting the web site address: www.apta.org or writing to: American Physical Therapy Association, 111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-1488, 703.684.2782 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES More information on a career as a physical therapist and a list of accredited educational programs in physical therapy are available from American Physical Therapy Association, 111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-1488, 703.684.2782, www.apta.org