Physical therapists assist patients to regain mobility, strength and flexibility following illness, injury, surgery or general health conditions. A physical therapist examines, treats, instructs the patients how to alleviate the pain from disease or injury. Patients may include accident victims, people who have low back pain, fractures, neck sprain, ankle injuries, head injuries, arthritis, and heart disease. Licensed physical therapists practice in a varied range of healthcare settings including hospitals, nursing homes, schools and private practices.
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In Hawaii, the Hawaii Board of Physical Therapy is responsible to issue license to physical therapists. The application process is dependent on whether you are new student, a licensed physical therapist in another state or country.
Mailing Address:
Board of Physical Therapy DCCA
PVL Licensing Branch
P.O. Box 3469
Honolulu, HI 96801
Application process
For people from United States
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY EXAMINATION
Eligibility: Applicant must be a graduate of a CAPTE accredited physical therapy educational program.
The Board should receive a degree in physical therapy from an institution that has been approved for training by the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) located in US.
New Graduates who yet to get official degree: An official letter of completion by the license exam date which states that the applicant is in the final year of that physical therapy program and have completed the physical therapy program which at the time of graduation was accredited by CAPTE. The applicant must make sure an official transcript with the date of graduation and the degree is received by the Board office to complete the application prior to licensure.
Graduated from a CAPTE program but located outside the U.S: The applicant should arrange with the college to send a certified transcript showing graduation date and physical therapy degree conferred-written in English language.
Foreign Trained Applicants: If the applicant has received education outside US at a school which is not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), the applicant must submit a credential evaluation. The evaluation must be prepared by a Board approved agency.
Board approved agencies are:
International Credentialing Associates (ICA) – www.icaworld.com
International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF) – www.ierf.org
Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) – www.fccpt.org
International Consultants of Delaware, Inc. – www.icdeval.com
Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations
Hawaii Board of Physical Therapy is using the FSBT website to allow candidates to register online for NPTE. The website the candidate will follow to get registered is https://www.fsbpt.net/pt.
Once the Hawaii Board determines the eligibility based on the educational qualification and other guidelines it will be intimated that candidate can appear for the online examination. The FSBT will send the candidate an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter.
The ATT letter would contain the all important information about the exam schedules
Application Fees: $50
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY ENDORSEMENT
For applicants from other states who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.
Exam Waiver: If the applicant has already taken the NPTE and the score meets with Hawaii’s passing score requirement and he/she holds or has ever held a physical therapy license in the United States and meet the education requirement, the Board will consider issuance of license through the exam waiver provision. The applicant should contact the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy Score Transfer Service (FSBPT) to have the scores transmitted directly to the Board. An application for the FSBPT Score Transfer Service can be made on the internet at the website below or by contacting them directly.
Website: www.fsbpt.net/pt
Email: scoretransfer@fsbpt.org
If English is not the official language in a country or state from where the applicant has passed
If your physical therapy school is in a country, state or province where the official language is other than English, applicants must pass one of the English language proficiency tests: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of Written English or the TOEFL ibt.
Verify Hawaii Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/boards/physicaltherapy
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 840 jobs in HawaiiState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $78,800. The bottom 10% is at $62,950 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $94,240.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/boards/physicaltherapy
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt