Mark Said:

Degree in General Studies and Physical Therapy?

We Answered:

That sounds like a great idea. If you end up with the pre-requisites for the physical therapy program either way, take the shorter route and get into that doctorate degree program asap! A large percentage of people who start college with one major either switch majors half way through, or end up following a career path later on that has nothing to do with their original major. You will be fine. Good luck!

Joan Said:

Does it matter where I get my undergrad from when applying to a doctoral physical therapy program?

We Answered:

Only at a top tier grad school, such as Northwestern University will this make a difference. A 3.5 GPA from a strong undergrad school will hold more weight than a state school. Otherwise, not really.

Francis Said:

4 year degree that will qualify me to enter the doctoral program in physical therapy.?

We Answered:

Really, you can choose anything you want, but if you choose a program that doesn't incorperate enough of the prerequisites, it will taking you longer.

Nursing doesn't typically include enough physics, biology and psychology...but you have to look at each program individually. A collegue of mine who became a nurse first had to take about 2-3 more courses over the course of a year before she could qualify to apply to a PT program

Alex Said:

ATTENTION ALL PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AND PTA'S!!!!?

We Answered:

2 and 3 are really questions you need to answer yourself. What they are looking for is that you can stand up and make an arguement. They are not necessarily looking for what you would choose to do, but how to apply a set of rules and standards and your ability to problem solve within these rules.

As far as 1: I would suggest you visit the APTA website...get an understanding of how the following issues are affecting the profession:
1. The fight for direct access
2. The physician owned physical therapy clinic
3. Standards of manipulation in education and the right to perform these treatments in various states
4. The current status of the exemption on the Medciare Part B therapy cap (it's currently been repealed, meaning, under no circumstances can a patient have their therapy extended beyond the cap unless they go to a hospital based facility).

www.apta.org

Loretta Said:

How will colleges I transfer to view my freshman year of college?

We Answered:

Admissions offices know stuff happens, particularly during freshman year. If your alternate transcript (the one from your community college) shows an obvious upward trend, you'll definitely be able to transfer into a university, somewhere. You may not necessarily get as much choice as to where you go as you would like, but you'll be able to get in somewhere.

As for your wanting to pursue your PhD, that's something you may want to think more about in a couple years, when you get into a university. It's far more important to pay attention to the immediate goal in front of you, right now. First of all, you may decide in a couple years that you don't want to be a physical therapist. This may sound like heresy to you right now, but people change their minds all the time in college. Second, universities have all sorts of resources available to them that can help you get on the path you want to take, whether you want to be a physical therapist or something else. You will want to take advantage of these resources to their fullest extent while you make further plans.

As for physical therapy programs that will accept anyone with failing grades, a lot depends on other parts of your application, such as standardized test scores, internships/work experience, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays. You may have trouble getting into the most competitive programs, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to get into any program, anywhere. But, at least right now, we're still taking into account too many hypothetical situations to make accurate projections. (This completely ignores the luck factor of admissions processes, too.)

Christian Said:

Does the new health care reform affect physical therapists?

We Answered:

The real answer is that no one really has a good understanding yet. Medicare reform which has already been an issue outside the Obama plan actually has more impact on us than anything else. The failure to put an extended moratorium on the therapy cap continues to be an issue, as well as increasing medicare guidelines about the use of therapy extenders and extra documentation. To me, MEDICARE reform has a more direct an immediate threat to our profession than anything else. Yet, Medicare continues to be the "bread and butter" of most physical therapy practices.

In short, salaries remain steady, but do not appear to be climbing with any significant force (in my observation), our time with patients remains steady as well...in fact, part of the medicare rules under part B mandate this (often times uncessarily when therapy extenders could and should be used) but non-hospital settings are still limited as to how long they can see a medicare patient (typically 12-18 visits).

Bruce Said:

Question about doctorate degree in Physical Therapy?

We Answered:

If the program you are looking to enter offers the DPT, then yes, you have to complete the whole program. Nearly all programs are now DPT programs, however, a handfull of master's degree level programs still exist.

Most DPT programs take 7 years to complete while MPTs are typically 6 years.

A normal day for me is to work with about 10 different patients. I assess them, establish goals and provide treatment. This usually includes instruction on specific exercises or doing some type of "technique" do them.

I work a stardard 40 hour work week.