A physical therapist helps patients improve mobility, relieve pain and restore function in patients with injuries, war veterans, cardiac or arthritic patients and much more. 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 South Carolina, the South Carolina 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:
SC Board of Physical Therapy Examiners
P. O. Box 11329
Columbia, SC 29211-1329
Telephone: (803) 896-4655
Fax: (803) 896-4719
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 South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy. Physical therapy schools located outside of the USA or its territories that are accredited by CAPTE are not considered Board-approved programs.
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 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. (ICD) – 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 and TSE with a passing score or above.
Documentation of successful completion of 1000 clinical practice hours under the on-site supervision of a SC licensed physical therapist after the exam has been passed.
Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations
South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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.
PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPLICATION BY ENDORSEMENT
For applicants from other states 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.
Verification of Physical Therapy Employment, Form C-40: Must be completed by current, or immediate past employer, and sent directly to the Board from the employer. New or pending employer is not required to complete this.
Other Information
Fees:
$120 Application fee
$ 370 NPTE Exam Fee
Verify South Carolina Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/PhysicalTherapy/
Information about jobs and salary
Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 2,670 jobs in South CarolinaState.
Salary: The average mean wage is $74,820. The bottom 10% is at $50,470 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $103,190.
Links for reference
Official Website: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/PhysicalTherapy/
Exam Websites: http://www.fsbpt.org , www.prometric.com/fsbpt