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. It depends upon the conditions, injury or ailment how long the treatment would continue. In some cases it is short and for some cases it continues for the entire life. Few examples where we require a physical therapist:
A patient who suffered an amputation and now learning how to best use the prosthetic replacement.
A young person who had an ankle sprain during a basket ball match
An old person who cannot look towards left due to a chronic muscle pull
Association Group Responsible for providing license
In Rhode Island, the Rhode Island 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.
Address:
Rhode Island
Board of Physical Therapy
Room 104
3 Capitol Hill
Providence
RI 02908-5097
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 Rhode Island Board of Physical Therapy.
The Board should receive an official transcript 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, the applicant must submit a credential evaluation. The evaluation must be prepared by a Board approved agency.
Board approved agencies are:
Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) – www.fccpt.org
Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 or District of Columbia who hold a current license in another jurisdiction.
Candidate should enclose verification of licensure in good standing from all jurisdictions in which the applicant has been licensed.
Candidate should send 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
Other Information
Fees:
$155 Application fee
Application process time
Candidates should allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for the entire licensure process to be completed. If you have malpractice criminal or disciplinary history, in Rhode Island or another state, it can take an additional 2 or 3 months for all pertinent documentation to be received, and a decision to be made regarding issuance of your license.
Licenses will be issued within 7-10 working days following approval of the license. Wallet-sized license cards are mailed within 3 weeks from the date of issuance, and are mailed to the address furnished in the application.
Verify Rhode Island Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website https://healthri.mylicense.com/Verification/
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 1,130 jobs in Rhode IslandState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $84,750. The bottom 10% is at $63,600 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $116,440.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://www.ri.gov
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt