Physical Therapy as a career............?

A Career In Physical Therapy?

• I want to become a physical therapist one day but the community college I am going to only has physical therapy assistant as an option for a major. I'm planning on transferring after two years to a 4 year school, is there anyway I can still major in physical therapy?

• Answer:

  If you're going to the community college, anyway, perhaps you can take the career-oriented associate's degree program for PT Assistant. Before even taking prerequisites for PTA, it's best to job shadow/observe in the various departments that provide PT such as a physical rehabilitation hospital for patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), spinal cord injury/paralysis, stroke ("brain attack", which is a type of brain injury, other neurological disorders, shoulder/hip/knee replacement, amputated limbs, hip fracture or such - pediatric hospital - nursing home/long-term care facility. In order to become a registered physical therapy (RPT), one needs at least a master's degree which can take about six years of college if attending on a full-time basis. Please be aware that even the two-year PTA program is supposed to be intense with a lot of quizzes, exams and studying. The PTA student must successfully complete a full-time clinical fieldwork experience with an actual patient caseload and pass a registration examination before possibly finding work as a PTA.