Why do you want to work as a physical therapist in the United States?
Steps involved: There are multiple steps involved from credentialing verification to settling as a physical therapist. Arka Healthcare assists you at every single step to make your journey as seamless as possible. It may appear to be complex but with our profound knowledge and experience, we will provide you all the guidance you need.
TOEFL :
Credentialing verification : There are several credentialing verification agencies that you can approach. Among all of the below, we strongly recommend Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) especially if you need both licensing and immigration services.
Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT)
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT): In 2017, in the United States, a decision was made to issue new licenses to physical therapists who has a doctoral degree. Based on that decision, Masters in Physical Therapy programs were eliminated in the United States and they were replaced by Doctoral programs. Right after Bachelors in Physical Therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is being pursued. DPT is usually a 3-4 year program that truly enhances the skills of physical therapists. For physical therapists who are already licensed in the United States, online programs or transitional DPT (tDPT) are being offered. Physical therapists who have already been in practice in the United States with a Bachelors or Masters degree are being encouraged to pursue DPT or tDPT to advance their careers. Unfortunately, for foreign physical therapists, the expectation is to meet US equivalent education. If you completed Bachelors in Physical Therapy, you may consider pursuing DPT program right after Bachelors. There are not many institutes who offer DPT program right after Bachelors program though. Other option is to complete Masters program and purse DPT program. Even after you complete DPT program, foreign education may be deficient in few credits when compared to US education. There are several institutions who offer these deficient credits to meet the US equivalent education.
Deficient Credits:
- Federal and State Governments’ Roles in Health Care
- Administrative Models of Care
- Use and Supervision of Support Staff
- Determinants of Health Promotion, Wellness, and Prevention
- Cultural Competencies
- Client Centered Care Models
- Ethics in the Profession of Physical Therapy
- Direct Access
- Transition to the Workplace
Duke University offers a 10 week long online course for foreign educated PTs which covers the following:
The course is open to foreign educated physical therapists who meet specified English language requirements. Many of the individuals enrolling in the course are seeking licensure in the United States and have educational deficits. The course is worth 2.0 Duke University credits; the Duke program is Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredited. For More Information: https://dpt.duhs.duke.edu/education/foreign-educated-physical-therapy-course
Planned Learning and Assistance Network:
The Planned Learning and Assistance Network (PLAN) as initiated to assist the FEPT by providing potential academic resources to fulfill the identified deficiencies in general and professional education.
PLAN is an advisory service provided by the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) that identifies options to supplement an applicant's education in order to meet the minimum requirements for U.S. educational equivalency or jurisdictional requirements. PLAN assists physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) to identify academic deficiencies as part of the credentials review process. The Plan advisors assist the applicant in interpreting the credentials report and then to find appropriate supplemental coursework. They can also review and pre-approve courses that the applicant may wish to take to meet their deficiencies. PLAN is available to all individuals; those evaluated by FCCPT or other agencies. For More Information: http://www.fccpt.org/Support/PLAN-and-PS-PLAN
Post-graduate Experience Criteria and Use.
PT applicants that graduated from a non-CAPTE accredited educational program outside of the United States may supplement clinical education hours with evidence of post-graduate clinical practice experience that meet certain criteria. A maximum of 300 of these post-graduate clinical work hours, performed inside or outside the USA, may be accepted to supplement any deficiency of the clinical hours on any version of the Coursework Tool. At this time, only physical therapists are able to use post-graduate clinical experience to make up a deficit in clinical education hours.
The above information is obtained from The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBT). Please review their website for additional information at https://www.fsbpt.org/Free-Resources/Foreign-Educated-PTs-and-PT-Assistants/Resolving-Deficits-in-Education
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommended the below programs to assist with completing the deficient credits for foreign trained physical therapists.
A.T. Still University
Arizona School of Health Sciences
5850 East Still Circle
Mesa, AZ 85206
Phone: 480/219-6187
Fax: 480/219-6000
https://www.atsu.edu/post-professional-doctor-of-physical-therapy-non-degree
Other programs that offer similar services include: The College of St. Scholastica 1200 Kenwood Avenue Duluth, MN 55811 United States PH: 800-447-5444 http://www.css.edu/ graduate/masters-doctoral-and-professional-programs/areas-of-study/transitional-doctor-of-physical-therapy/fccpt-courses-for-pts.html
The University of Michigan-Flint 303, E. Kearsley Street, Flint, MI 48502 PH: 810 762 3300 https://www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms/pt-bridge-credentialing
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences St. Augustine, FL Campus 1 University Boulevard St. Augustine, FL 32086 https://www.usa.edu/college-of-rehabilitative- sciences/physical-therapy-online-courses- international-students/
Kent State University 3200 Lake Road West Ashtabula, Ohio - 44004 https://www.kent.edu/ashtabula/health- degrees/ptst-fccpt-courses
Healthcare worker Certification:
All foreign health care workers other than physicians are eligible to enter the United States only if they present certification by an approved credentialing organization verifying that the worker has met the minimum requirements for training, licensure, and English proficiency. A health worker must present a valid health care worker certification each time he or she:
- Seeks admission into the United States,
- Changes visa status,
- Extends visa status, or
- Adjusts status for green card
The certification requirement is no longer applicable once the worker is a lawful permanent resident (green card approval).
The Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) is the authorized organization to issue certifications for physical therapists. It is approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services of the United States. FCCPT issues a health care worker certificate only after credentialing verification. Once all the deficient credits are met, FCCPT issues a credentialing verification certificate that is required by all the educational institutions, employers and licensing agencies.
Health care worker certificate should be presented at the time of visa issuance to the consular officer in the US embassy without which US visa will not be issued.
Health care worker certification is valid only for 5 years. Certification can be renewed if green card is not approved within 5 years of the initial date of issuance.
National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE):
NPTE exam is the next step towards obtaining physical therapy licensing in the United States. NPTE is also required for physical therapy assistants to obtain licensing to practise in the United States. NPTE is different from jurisprudence test that is administered by individual state licensing agencies. Jurisprudence test is discussed in detail below.
NPTE exam is the next step towards obtaining physical therapy licensing in the United States. NPTE is also required for physical therapy assistants to obtain licensing to practise in the United States. NPTE is different from jurisprudence test that is administered by individual state licensing agencies. Jurisprudence test is discussed in detail below.
NPTE exam is administered by FSBPT to help ensure that only those individuals who have the requisite knowledge of physical therapy are licensed in the physical therapy field. It also helps regulatory authorities evaluate candidates and provide standards that are comparable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. NPTE assesses exam assesses the competence levels of the candidates after graduation from a physical therapy program
The best and the authentic source to get comprehensive information regarding NPTE is The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). https://www.fsbpt.org/Secondary-Pages/Exam-Candidates/National-Exam-NPTE
Journey map as produced by FSBPT:
The above journey map is generated by FSBPT. There may be slight differences from state to state but these are the general guidelines.
2020 Dates & Deadlines for PTs
| Test Date | Registration and payment Deadline | Jurisdiction and approval deadline | Seats are reserved for candidates until: | Scores are reported to jurisdictions: | Free candidate report available online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 29 | December 26 | January 3 | January 15 | February 5 | February 12 |
| April 28 | March 24 | March 31 | April 14 | May 5 | May 12 |
| July 28 & 29 | June 24 | July 1 | July 15 | August 5 | August 12 |
| October 27 | September 22 | September 29 | October 13 | November 3 | November 10 |
The best time to come to the United States is once Authorization To Test (ATT) letter is obtained and NPTE is scheduled in a Prometric center in the United States.
NPTE is administered only in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Canada. Guam, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands are all part of US. Essentially, NPTE is administered only in the US and Canada. You cannot take the test anywhere else in the world. You need to have a valid visa to enter the US to take the test.
Results:
You will know pass/fail results in 5 days. FSBPT transmits your results to the licensing authority in five business days. You can obtain your actual score report in 10 business days.
What if you fail NPTE:
You can take the test up to three times in a 12-month period and six times in your life time. You can probably retake the test while you are in the United States itself.
Apply for State license:
It is probably better to apply to multiple states to expand job opportunities. Once you pass your NPTE, you overcame all major hurdles. Obtaining a state license is not difficult.
Jurisprudence exam:
Jurisprudence test is required by the state licensing authority to ensure that physical therapists and physical therapy assistants are familiar with the state’s laws, rules and regulations under which they are allowed to work. This test is not about your clinical competence but it is more about the law that applies to physical therapists. Jurisprudence exam is required in 29 states in the United States for PT licensure.
Employment and green card processing:
Arka Healthcare helps you to find employment in the United States. Once you are licensed in the United States, you can comfortably assume to have a PT job. Congratulations!!!
Arka Healthcare also provides full immigration services and green card processing once your employment commences in the United States.