A Physical Therapist is a health professional with a professional degree who is concerned with the prevention of disability and rehabilitation for congenital or acquired physical or mental disabilities resulting from injury or disease. Physical Therapists work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, athletic facilities, schools and private practices. Both the patient and the PT work as a team to achieve the goal to improve the mobility. The therapist educates the cause of the problem and then gives in instructions in exercises to improve function. The most crucial part is patient’s participation in the success of the therapy program.
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In Missouri, the Missouri Board 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
Examination fee …………………………………………………………………. $50.00
Eligibility: Applicant must be a graduate physical therapy educational program, approved by the Missouri Board of Physical Therapy. The official transcripts, with the school seal affixed, and the degree awarded noted, must be submitted from each and every college and/or university attended. Transcripts must be sent directly from every college and/or university in a sealed envelope
Foreign Trained Applicants: If the applicant has received education outside US then the applicant must submit a credential evaluation. The evaluation must be prepared by a Board approved agency.
Board approved agency is:
Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) – www.fccpt.org
English competency: An applicant whose physical therapy education program was taught in a country where the predominant language is 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
Missouri 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 examination lasts for one day for a period of approximately 5.0 hours. The exam consists of approximately 250 multiple-choice questions. The National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) is a computer-based examination given at Prometric Testing Centers.
Once the Missouri 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.
FSBPT Score Transfer Service is available on the Internet at: http://www.fsbpt.org . This is done to transfer the score directly to the Board.
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY Reciprocity
For applicants from other states who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.
Reciprocity fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.
The applicant must send the official transcripts, with the school seal affixed, and the degree awarded noted, must be submitted from each and every college and/or university attended. Transcripts must be sent directly from every college and/or university in a sealed envelope
Request your NPTE score transfer from the FSBPT at www.fsbpt.net/pt.
Missouri Law (Jurisprudence) exam: This exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in Missouri. The answers are readily available in the PT statutes which are located on the Board’s website.
Other Information
THE BOARD WILL NOT ACCEPT DOCUMENTS VIA FAX.
Renewal of License
A license to practice as a Physical Therapist expires January 31 of every even numbered year regardless of when it is issued. The candidate will be required to pay an additional fee for renewal and confirm on the renewal application that he/she has obtained 30 hours of continuing education during the prior two calendar years.
Verify Missouri Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://pr.mo.gov/healingarts-licensure.asp
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 4,210 jobs in MissouriState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $73,290. The bottom 10% is at $52,550 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $94,880.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://www.pr.mo.gov/physicaltherapists.asp
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt