How to Become a Licensed Physical Therapist

Physical therapy entails much more than it would seem at first glance. One of the first things to keep in mind is that in order to become a physiotherapist, the interested person will have to become knowledgeable in biology, math, and communication. These are the bases that need to be in place prior to entering a physical therapy school. Any profession that involves working with people requires good communication skills. That is why a physical therapy curriculum is not complete without covering a few aspects, such as screening to establish when patients need further examination or consultation by a physical therapist or referral to a different health care professional; obtaining a medical history from the patient as well as other sources; administering culturally proper and age related tests (aerobic capacity, anthropometric characteristics, circulation, cranial and peripheral nerve integrity, ergonomics and body mechanics, locomotion, and balance, integumentary integrity, joint integrity and mobility, motor function, muscle performance, etc); assessing information from the examination; diagnosing; prognosis; and others

During undergraduate courses, a student is expected to study general education with some emphasis on math, science, and communication. It is not until starting graduate work that therapy lessons actually begin. Students of physical therapy can later on choose one or more individual specialties, for instance orthopedic, geriatric, or pediatric physical therapy, just to mention a few. Orthopedic physiotherapy has to do chiefly with conditions and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Geriatric physiotherapy involves illnesses related to aging such as arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, hip and joint replacement, balance disorders and incontinence. And pediatric physiotherapy deals with the early detection of disorders and injuries, as well as improving motor skills, balance, coordination, strength and endurance, and also cognitive and sensory processing and integration. Some of the degrees available in the career of physical therapy are doctorates and master's degrees.