Official Therapist Blog

Author Therapy Career Blogger | 07.23.2010 | Category Allied Healthcare, Career Tips, How To's, How to Tips, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapist Jobs, Respiratory Therapy, Therapist Jobs, Therapy Jobs, Travel Therapist, physical therapist licensing, physical therapy, physical therapy job questions

Foreign PT License Requirements and FAQ’s you should bookmark!

Were you trained for a physical therapy career outside of the United States, and looking for a therapy job here? If yes, welcome to our Go-To guide, featuring information on the Top 10 states for physical therapy careers, as well as direct links to state licensure applications.

Top 10 States for PTs
You’ll note some states’ pages for foreign PTs answer frequently asked questions, while others route the foreign trained physical therapist directly to an online application, instructions for obtaining licensure or all of the above. Every state is slightly different in its approach, but the bottom line is the same: qualified applicants who meet state licensing authority criteria enjoy rewarding and high paying physical therapy careers!

California: The Physical Therapy Board of California assists foreign educated Physical Therapist graduates from accredited and non-accredited programs. You’ll note that this state’s page gives a shortlist of what you’ll need to get in order before you apply, plus a direct link to an online application.

Colorado: The Colorado Division of Registrations provides an online application and instructions on how to take the NPTE exam; it also lists basic requirements for foreign trained Physical Therapist licensure.

Florida: The Florida Department of Health answers FAQs for Foreign Trained Applicants and an “Apply for a license” link that helps you get started.

Iowa: The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Physical Therapist licensure information is the same for foreign and domestic applicants on the online application.

Illinois: The Division for Professional Registration handles licensure for all applicants, both domestic and foreign trained in physical therapy careers; this site does not provide a specific page intended for foreign trained PTs; however, they do provide contact information for sources who can answer your questions.

Massachusetts: The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation states that graduates of foreign physical therapy programs may be eligible for licensure in MA, but that the Board accepts only the evaluations prepared by the FCCPT

Maryland: The Maryland Board of Physical Therapy Examiners provides detailed instructions for foreign trained Physical Therapist applicants; you’ll notice two different licensure links for foreign PTs; one for “Licensure by Examination” and one for “Licensure by Endorsement”. You will also note this state accepts evaluation credentials sent by the FCCPT.

Ohio: The Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board provides an online application for licensure as a PT or PTA, with instructions for foreign applicants on the PT applicant page.

Texas: The Executive Council of Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy Examiners provides instructions for foreign trained physical therapist applicants; they provide, on this page, an “Apply for a License Now” link.

Washington: The Washington State Department of Health reviews all applications for Physical Therapist licensure, domestic and foreign trained, and provides a “packet” of all the materials you will need to work in Washington physical therapy jobs.

Working in Physical Therapy Assistant Jobs
For foreign students of physical therapy, the process of obtaining licensure is more difficult for PTAs (physical therapy assistants) than it is PTs—we covered the reason in a related press release, but you’ll want to read on for direct links to therapy career resources that exist to help you transcend this minor obstacle. Just do the following, in the following order, and you’ll soon be working in physical therapy assistant jobs:

Complete all educational requirements to become a Physical Therapist Assistant

Apply for the National Physical Therapy Assistant Examination (NPTAE), pass it, then successfully take the National Physical Therapy Examination

And

Apply for a student visa (F1 Visa) and then apply to accredited Physical Therapist Schools; Canadian physical therapists can work on a non-immigrant NAFTA Professional (TN) visa
After you complete your education and prior to graduation, apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows you to work in the U.S. for up to one year.

Commonalities Shared by State Licensing Boards
Foreign trained applicants should have the following items in order before applying for state licensure:

Social Security Numbers: you can apply for licensure and take the exam prior to getting a social security number; however, you will need the S-S-N prior to receiving your license.
iBT TOEFL: a passing score on this test proves you are proficient in English. Minimum score required is 89, as well as accompanying minimum scores in the test’s four components: 24 in writing; 26 in speaking; 21 in reading comprehension; and 18 in listening comprehension
A letter: from the applicant’s university stating that at the time the student received their first degree the language of instruction was English.
Requirements for Credential Evaluations: Once you pass the NPTE exam, you must prove your education is on par with state standards.
The Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT): This non-profit organization assists many foreign trained PTs in showing their educational credentials are equivalent to current standards in the United States. See if your state board of physical therapy will work with them.

Remember that using therapy career resources, like each relevant link in this blog, can help you get to work fast! For the foreign trained, as well as every professional working in travel physical therapy jobs, we wish you great luck in your new home!

Footnote: Some online physical therapy career resources cited here were taken from The Rehab License Network, which was created with the goal of making allied healthcare licensing information easier to obtain and/or maintain for rehab professionals.

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Are you ready to begin an exciting Occupational Therapist Career?

Author Therapy Career Blogger | 07.07.2010 | Category Allied Healthcare, Career Tips, Occupational Therapy, Therapist Jobs, Therapy Jobs, Top Rehab Careers, rehabilitation therapy

Learn what to expect from Occupational Therapy Schools

Get Your Occupational Therapy Career Resources Here!

The road to occupational therapy is paved with the understanding that it’s up to you to ensure your patients live their lives to the fullest! How does an OT do that? By helping those they treat regain their independence and functionality.

Occupational therapists help patients with mental or physical disabilities improve their motor skills and better negotiate the challenges of home and work environments. If you’re reading this, it means you plan to jump start a successful occupational therapy career; you also intend to hit the ground running by reading up on the best occupational therapy schools, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

The right occupational therapy school will prepare you for the national certification exam and board exam to be licensed to practice; your occupational therapy school will also help you use both theoretical and clinical skills to their utmost potential.

Come into this rewarding career by understanding the fundamental differences between being an OT and careers in physical therapy. Working in occupational therapy jobs means evaluating and improving your patient’s functional abilities, rather than directly treating the injury and its damaged muscles and tissues, like a PT.

Before getting acquainted with therapy career resources designed to launch your career into the occupational therapy jobs stratosphere, ask yourself if you have what it takes. Did you:

Excel in your high school biology, chemistry and health classes?
Major in a subject like biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology or anatomy in college?
Are you in the midst of applying to a masters program with no less than a 3.3 GPA?

If you answered all three bullet points with a resounding “Yes!” than you’ll love attending occupational therapy school! But there’s more cause for budding OTs to get excited…

Prior to graduating from an accredited OT program, you can find work in occupational therapy assistant jobs, by earning a 2-year associate’s degree.

That’s just the icing on a whole cake’s worth of therapy career resources. Travel Force and other top staffing agencies for allied health professionals encourage occupational therapists to:

Learn your state’s licensing policy so you don’t hit any bumps on the road on the way to earning the title of OTR: (Occupational Therapist Registered)
Recognize what an employment edge you have as an OT! With the Baby Boomer population entering retirement and the elderly living longer, your services—as predicted by the US Bureau of Labor—are expected to rise by 26% between now and 2016!
Before your occupational therapy career hunt begins, do some volunteer work in a health care facility and use that experience to help with the six months of clinical fieldwork necessary for graduation from most occupational therapy schools.

It also pays to know which age group or special needs group you wish to focus on as an OT. Your choices include:

Patients who are permanently disabled with diseases like cerebral palsy or spinal cord injuries
Children in schools
Elderly patients in hospitals and nursing homes
Patients who have trouble functioning in work settings
Patients in mental health facilities or addiction centers

Whichever road you choose—and there are many—in your occupational therapy jobs, know that you are a living, breathing testimony to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) slogan. You and your patients are living life to its fullest!”

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Enjoy Independence Day in Washington DC (and everywhere else)!

Author Healthcare Jobs Blogger | 07.01.2010 | Category 4th of July, Allied Healthcare, Fun Events, Locations, Monthly Events, Occupational Therapy, Tidbits

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself on a travel assignment in the Nation’s Capital on Independence Day, you’ll discover there’s no shortage of things to do in DC. If you can brave the heat, head out to the 4th of July Fireworks on the National Mall. (As an allied professional, you know how to cope: stay hydrated!) Fireworks, music, friendly folks sharing picnics on their ‘viewing’ blankets — plus, the show is free! (But no matter where you are this holiday weekend, you can still catch the concert and fireworks on PBS.)