2 answers
Isabella
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
3
Questions
Asked
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How long did you go to college before actually working and what inspired you to be a physical therapist. ?
I am a sophomore in high school and thinking about my future. I am thinking about being a physical therapist.
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2 answers
Andrea C Wooldridge White, PT, DPT, FPHC, cert. HGP-I
Physical Therapist
7
Answers
Northport, Alabama
Updated
Andrea C Wooldridge’s Answer
Physical Therapist is a Doctorate level health care provider. This means you must complete a Bachelor's Degree (can be in any field as long as you take the pre-requisite classes and is usually referred to as a 4-year undergraduate degree) followed by a 3-year Doctorate program. I recommend obtaining an undergraduate degree or certification that is a "direct hire" degree. Most Bachelors degrees do not result in employment unless you have a few years experience in the field. Plan on not getting into PT school on your first application cycle. Having a degree in accounting or certificate for paralegal, for example, would benefit you throughout your life as an individual and as a professional, diversify your application for graduate school and make you more hirable as a PT. If you don't get into PT school the first round, you would be able to have a professional level job while you decide whether to reapply to PT school. In every way, you benefit. Conversely, a degree in "Biology", while it meets all pre-requisites for PT school application, does not provide you with qualifications to get sustainable employment and would require some sort of internship or higher education to get a job in the field.
Personally, I obtained training/experience in web design and computer programming. Not only did it provide lucrative income as side jobs over the years, but it set my PT school application apart from the crowd and was the key to getting into the program. Further, I have used that skillset daily throughout my career as a PT.
Hope this helps!
Personally, I obtained training/experience in web design and computer programming. Not only did it provide lucrative income as side jobs over the years, but it set my PT school application apart from the crowd and was the key to getting into the program. Further, I have used that skillset daily throughout my career as a PT.
Hope this helps!
Andrew Belem
Physical Therapy Aide
1
Answer
Edison, New Jersey
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Hi Isabella!
In order to become a Physical Therapist you must have a bachelors degree which usually take about 4 years to complete(I recently just completed mine and I am currently applying to graduate schools) . A lot of people looking to become Physical Therapists tend to major in Exercise Science. As mentioned in the comment above you don’t necessarily need to major in that as long as you complete all the prerequisites that DPT programs require (Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physics, etc.). DPT programs on average take 3 years to complete while some schools now are compacting the program to even two years. I believe that becoming a physical therapist will be a very rewarding job, being that you are helping people recover from various types of injuries! Personally, I was inspired to choose this career path due to my time in physical therapy after a sports injury. My physical therapist was very compassionate and motivating through my rehab which lead me to pursue this career path so I can help inspire other as well. I hope this helps!
In order to become a Physical Therapist you must have a bachelors degree which usually take about 4 years to complete(I recently just completed mine and I am currently applying to graduate schools) . A lot of people looking to become Physical Therapists tend to major in Exercise Science. As mentioned in the comment above you don’t necessarily need to major in that as long as you complete all the prerequisites that DPT programs require (Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physics, etc.). DPT programs on average take 3 years to complete while some schools now are compacting the program to even two years. I believe that becoming a physical therapist will be a very rewarding job, being that you are helping people recover from various types of injuries! Personally, I was inspired to choose this career path due to my time in physical therapy after a sports injury. My physical therapist was very compassionate and motivating through my rehab which lead me to pursue this career path so I can help inspire other as well. I hope this helps!