How to Become a Physical Therapist in Nebraska (NE)

The practice of physical therapy includes the use of exercises and other treatments to restore physical function, promote fitness and reduce the risk of injuries. 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. Evaluation, planned treatment and patient’s participation is crucial for the success of the therapy program.

Association Group Responsible for providing license

In Nebraska, the Nebraska 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        

Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Public Health
Licensure Unit

PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE68509-4986
Phone: (402) 471-2115
Fax: (402) 471-3577

Application process

For people from United States

PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY EXAMINATION 

Eligibility: Applicant must be a graduate of an approved accredited physical therapy educational program, approved. The Board should receive the official Physical Therapist transcript showing proof of graduation to be sent directly to the office. The applicant should pass the National Physical Therapist Examination (NPTE).

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 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

English competency: An applicant whose physical therapy education program was taught in a language other than English should satisfactorily complete the TOEFL, TWE and TSE with a passing score or above.

Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations

Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.

If the applicant has held licensure in other jurisdictions, have those jurisdictions submit verification or certification of licensure to the office;

If the applicant have a license in another Jurisdiction and have not practiced within the three years preceding the application then the candidate must retake and pass the NPTE

Request your NPTE score transfer from the FSBPT at www.fsbpt.net/pt.

Nebraska Law (Jurisprudence) exam: This exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in Nebraska. The passing score must be greater than or equal to 600. An applicant needs to register to take the Jurisprudence (NE Law) Examination at https://www.fsbpt.net/pt . The NE Law study material is located above under the NELAW/Jurisprudence Exam Study Materials link

Other Information

Verify Nebraska Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/Pages/lis_lisindex.aspx

Information about jobs and salary

Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 1,390 jobs in NebraskaState.

Salary: The average mean wage is $75,410. The bottom 10% is at $51,720 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $103,680.

Links for reference

Official Website: http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/Pages/crl_rcs_pt_pt.aspx

Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt