Physical therapists are licensed professionals who follow a set of methods and procedures that assist a patient to rehabilitate and gain full use of their bodies after an accident or medical procedure or general health care conditions. A therapist will examine individuals and evaluate strength, range of motion, balance and coordination. From there, the practitioner will develop a plan of action to treat the patient. Each patient’s individual treatment plan is geared toward reaching specific rehabilitation goal. Both the patient and the PT work as a team to achieve the goal. It depends upon the conditions, injury or ailment how long the treatment would continue. In some cases it is short and for some cases it continues for the entire life. Physical therapists work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools and private practices.
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In Louisiana, the Louisiana 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.
Address:
104 Fairlane Drive
Lafayette, LA70507
Phone: 337.262.1043
Fax: 337.262.1054
Intra-State Toll Free: 888.400.9110
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, approved by the Louisiana Board of Physical Therapy.
Personal interviews will be scheduled with a Board Representative upon receipt of completed application and payment of fees.
Original Physical Therapy Diploma must be produced at the time of interview
Original Passport – if the applicant is not a U.S. Citizen (foreign educated physical therapy graduates only)
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. The agency should use the “Coursework Evaluation Tool” format in evaluation of the credentials.
Board approved agencies are:
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
Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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
Where to give the exam: The PrometricTestingCenter fee must be paid directly to the PrometricTestingCenter at the time of scheduling. Please visit www.prometric.com for further details for place and fees.
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY RECIPROCITY
For applicants from other states who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.
Verification of licensure from all states in which the applicant has held a license/permit. (Must be forwarded by state PT Board)
Provide a Certificate of Completion of 30 contact hours of continuing education within the previous 24 months.
Pass the Board’s online jurisprudence (free of charge) – at –www.laptboard.org/coned/jurisprudence
A personal interview with a Board Representative.
Louisiana Law (Jurisprudence) exam: This exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in Louisiana. All applicants must pass the Board’s online jurisprudence (free of charge – www.laptboard.org/coned/jurisprudence ). The result is posted to the private side of the board website.
Examination Fees:
APPLICATION FEE: Payable to Louisiana Physical Therapy Board (one year vs two year applicant) – $200.00/$315.00
FSBT: $370
RE-EXAMINATION FSBT: $370
PROMETRIC TESTING CENTER – COMPUTERIZED TESTING: $15 per hour computer usage
Verify Louisiana Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://www.laptboard.org
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 2,300 jobs in LouisianaState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $79,370. The bottom 10% is at $45,270 and the top 10% is earning a decent amount of $116,790.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://www.laptboard.org
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt