Swank 1

Braden Swank

Mrs. Colvin

ENG 1201

3/23/2020

Literature Review

Many kids like myself are about to go to college. Most kids have some idea of what they

want to study while they are in college however, most of us don’t know what classes or pathways

we need to take to be successful in that field. My research question is how much and what type

of education do you need to be a physical therapist and what is the best path to follow when

becoming one? I know I want to study physical therapy in college, but I have no clue what

classes I would take in college or what a day as a physical therapist would look like. I would like

this project to give me more insight into physical therapy and what my options are.

Each college is different from each other but the most common prerequisite courses

needed for physical therapy are anatomy, physiology, biology 1, biology 2, general chemistry 1,

general chemistry 2, physics 1, physics 2, and psychology (“Physical Therapy Training Guide”).

It is also a good idea to take any electives that are science-based or that you think would be

helpful with physical therapy, such as a class about nutrition.

While in high school it is a good idea to take science classes that would be beneficial to

help you understand the body, such as biology or anatomy. Another way to prepare for physical

therapy would be to shadow a physical therapist. Most high school offer days to juniors and

seniors to go on a college visit or job shadow. You can get in touch with a physical therapist by

calling your local hospital and asking about opportunities for job shadowing (Tepper). This will
 Swank 2

give you an idea of what a physical therapist does on a daily basis and give you experience on

what techniques and exercises they use for their patients.

Something that is interesting about becoming a physical therapist is that you don’t

become one until you finish your graduate program. To make sure you get into graduate school,

you should focus on your grades in your prerequisite courses, get volunteer experience with a

licensed physical therapist, and score well on the GRE (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). After

you are done with graduate school you have to take a final exam to become a physical therapist

that is very difficult. Many people have to take more than one time, but once you pass, you are

officially a licensed physical therapist.

In conclusion, I think the best way to go is to take classes in high school that will benefit

you in learning about how the body works. You should also try to shadow a physical therapist

while in high school. Once you get into college make sure you do well in those classes as having

a higher GPA will make it easier to get into graduate school. Getting strong letters of

recommendation from your professors is also essential. Any volunteer hours you could get in

college are great as well. After that, you apply to graduate school through PTCAS (Physical

Therapist Centralized Application Service). Once you finish graduate school, you will need to

pass the final PT exam to become a physical therapist. Something to note is that becoming a

physical therapist assistant (PTA) is not considering a stepping stone to become a physical

therapist due to the fact that courses and prerequisites are different from each other. Lastly,

physical therapy, or any medical profession, is a great career choice to get into as there will

always be a demand for them.

 Swank 3

Works Cited

Huynh, Danny. “Physical Therapist (PT) Admissions Process.” APTA, American Physical

Therapy Association, 9 Dec. 2019,

www.apta.org/ProspectiveStudents/Admissions/PTProcess/.

Institute for Career Research. Careers in Physical Therapy : Sports Medicine. Institute for Career

Research, 2007. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=201885&site=eds-live.

National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, Reston, VA. Physical Therapist.

Careers in Special Education and Related Services. Jan. 1996. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED420973&site=eds-live.

“Physical Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,

United States Department of Labor, 4 Sept. 2019,

www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm.

“Physical Therapy Training Guide.” All Allied Health Schools, All-Star Directories,

www.allalliedhealthschools.com/physical-therapy/physical-therapy-training/.

Tepper, Don. “Focusing on the Profession.” PT: Magazine of Physical Therapy, vol. 12, no. 7,

July 2004, p. 6. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=14547059&site=eds-live.