Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly important part of America’s healthcare sector and they are very much in demand. Physical therapy is a set of methods and procedures that assists a patient to rehabilitate and gain full use of their bodies after an accident or medical procedure or general health care conditions. A physical therapist clinic may include weights, mats, and treadmills where they can perform a variety of exercises with the patients to improve sensory perception, muscle strength and motor skills. 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. Due to the nature of work they are in great demand in various sports and athletic complexes.
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In Michigan, the Michigan 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.
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 Michigan Board of Physical Therapy.
To become eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), the licensure application, the Michigan Jurisprudence Examination, licensure fee and required documentation must be completed and submitted to:
Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
Bureau of Health Care Services
Health Professions Licensing Division
PO Box 30670
Lansing, MI 48909
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.icdel.com
English competency: An applicant whose physical therapy education program was taught in a language other than English should satisfactorily complete the TOEFL and TSE with a passing score or above.
Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations
Michigan 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 . The National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) is a computer-based examination given at Prometric Testing Centers.
Once the Michigan 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 Prometric Testing Center fee must be paid directly to the Prometric Testing Center at the time of scheduling. Please visit www.prometric.com for further details for place and fees.
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY ENDORSEMENT
For applicants from other states who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.
Complete and submit the application.
Complete the Law exam.
If the applicant have been licensed in another state for less than 5 years, then the need to submit additional documents:
Graduates of CAPTE accredited education programs must arrange for a final, official transcript of CAPTE approved physical therapy education to be forwarded to the office directly from the educational institution. Transcripts must bear the seal of the school and show a degree and date conferred.
Michigan Law (Jurisprudence) exam: This exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in Michigan. The candidate should pass the 25 question examination with a passing score of 75%
Verify Michigan Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://w3.lara.state.mi.us/free
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 7,560 jobs in MichiganState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $79,060. The bottom 10% is at $48,510 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $112,780.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-35299_63294_27529_27549—,00.html
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt