“Physical therapy” or “physiotherapy” means the same and are identical. Physical therapist is a rehabilitation profession with the intention of diagnosing and treating people with health-related conditions or injury that hinders their mobility as a normal person does. 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. The physical therapy can of short or long term depending upon the condition and illness of the patient. For a patient who cannot move his neck towards right due to a muscle pull can take only a few sessions. For a patient suffering from a car accident with serious injury may require a very long session to gain his strength to walk.
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In New Mexico, the New Mexico 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:
POBOX 25101
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505)476-4880
(505) 476-4596
physicaltherapy@state.nm.us
Application process
For people from United States
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY EXAMINATION
Eligibility: For applicants that graduated after January 1, 2002, documentation of graduation with a post-baccalaureate degree in physical therapy from an educational program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
Foreign Trained Applicants: If the applicant has received education outside US the applicant must submit a credential evaluation. The evaluation must be prepared by a Board approved agency.
Board approved agencies are:
International Credentialing Associates (ICA) – www.icaworld.com
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
New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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.
Verification of all licenses from other U.S. jurisdictions. The board will accept verifications via regular mail, electronic mail, or facsimile.
Contact the school’s registrar and request the official transcripts or letter of completion be mailed to the board office.
Request your NPTE score transfer from the FSBPT at www.fsbpt.net/pt.
New Mexico Law (Jurisprudence) exam: This exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in New Mexico.
Other Information
Temporary License
If the applicant has not yet taken the NPTE, the applicant may be issued a temporary license to practice until the results of the exam are received.
Fees:
Physical Therapist: $250 application fee plus $25 Jurisprudence Exam = $275
$35 temporary licensure fee (only if requesting a temporary license)
$25 administration fee for the national exam (only if applying to sit for the exam)
$350 examination fee for national exam (NPTE)
Verify New Mexico Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://www.rld.state.nm.us/boards/Look_Up_A_License.aspx
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 1,050 jobs in New MexicoState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $81,120. The bottom 10% is at $56,610 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $107,730.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://www.rld.state.nm.us/boards/Physical_Therapy.aspx
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt