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. Both the patient and the PT work as a team to achieve the goal. Communication is very important in this field as patients need to respond to the instructions given by the physical therapist. Patient of all age is treated by the physical therapist right from infant to the very old.
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In Montana, the Montana 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 Montana Board of Physical Therapy.
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).
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 agency is:
Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) – www.fccpt.org
All documents not in English must be accompanied by certified translations
English competency: An applicant whose physical therapy education program was taught in a country where there is a non-English speaking culture should satisfactorily complete the TOEFL with a passing score or above as designated by the Federation of
State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)
Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations
Montana 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 Montana 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 ENDORSEMENT
For applicants from other states who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.
The applicant should request the official transcripts or letter of completion to be mailed to the board office.
Request your NPTE score transfer from the FSBPT at www.fsbpt.net/pt
Montana Law (Jurisprudence) exam: To pass this exam is mandatory for all the candidates get a license of physical therapist in Montana. The Montana Jurisprudence Examination, which is an open book examination. To pass the examination an applicant must score at least a 90%. The statutes and rules are located on our website at www.pt.mt.gov . A fee of $25.00 will be charged for each retake.
Other Information
APPLICATION FOR A TEMPORARY LICENSE
Examination applicants are eligible for the issuance of a temporary license upon approval of the licensure application
After issuance of the temporary license, the applicant must take the examination within 120 days of the issuance date
Fees:
Application Fee: All Fees are Non-Refundable
$100.00 Original License Fee (must be paid by all applicants)
$100.00 Temporary Licensee Fee
$125.00 Endorsement Fee (must be paid by applicants licensed in another state)
Continuing Education Requirements: 20 hours or 2 Continuing Education Units (CEU) every two years.
Verify Montana Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website www.pt.mt.gov
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 890 jobs in MontanaState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $66,880. The bottom 10% is at $45,020 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $88,960.
Links for reference
Official Website: www.pt.mt.gov
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt