Physical Therapy Education

Physical therapy education is a vast field of research. If you are interested in physical therapy education, this article will give you just a little information to guide you in doing your research. As physical therapy has such a wide range of applicability, the training and preparation for becoming a physical therapist has also developed a lot. Not only in the USA but also in almost all the countries of the world there are incredibly huge numbers of schools, courses and departments within medical schools, as well as online educational forms to train you as a physical therapy worker, whether a physical therapist or a physical therapist aid or assistant.

In the USA in physical therapy education you need to have a graduate degree from an accredited physical therapy program to be eligible for the national examination for licensing in the field. Before practicing, the Federal law requires you to take and pass the National Physical Therapy Examination after you have graduated from any accredited such educational program. Or physical therapists can apply for a state license in order to practice this profession. Of course in each state there are regulations regarding the licenses for physical therapy practitioners. The American Physical Therapy Associations information program states that in April 2008 the physical therapy education in America comprises 199 accredited institutions which support 210 programs and 2 developing institutions supporting 2 programs for physical therapists, 221 accredited institutions supporting 233 programs and 31 developing institutions supporting 31 programs for physical therapist assistants. There are also 2 Canadian and 1 international accredited institutions supporting 3 programs for physical therapist assistants.Physical therapy education varies considerably all over the world. Normally studies in this field last a minimum of 4 years of tertiary education.

There are certain requirements for attending a form or another of physical therapy education. The minimum educational requirement to register for a PT training program is a post-baccalaureate degree from an accredited education program. After they graduate, candidates must prove they have passed a national exam administered by the state. To be allowed to work as a physical therapist assistant, you must graduate with an associate degree that is 2 years or 5 semesters, from an accredited PTA program in a technical community college, a college or a university. And of course you have to pass the national exam for licensing or certification in order to be able to work. Besides these forms of training, physical therapy education can also be achieved online since many organizations, agencies, schools have their own web sites which also include courses.