How to Become a Physical Therapist in Texas (TX)

The profession concerned with promotion of health, with prevention of physical disabilities, with evaluation and rehabilitation of persons disabled by pain, disease, or injury, and with treatment by physical therapeutic measures as opposed to medical, surgical, or radiologic measures.

An arthritic patient who cannot bend her knees, a war-veteran whose left arm is paralyzed, a young man due to muscle pull in the neck cannot look right or a spondylitis patient whose movement is hindered; all need a physical therapist to cure them so that their physical mobility is restored as a normal person does.

Association Group Responsible for providing license

In Texas, the Texas 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:

333 Guadalupe, Suite 2-510
Austin
TX 78701-3942
Phone: (512) 305-6900
Fax: (512) 305-6970 or (512) 305-6951
Email – info@ptot.texas.gov

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 Texas 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. The agency should use the “Coursework Evaluation Tool” format in evaluation of the credentials.

EXCEPTION:  A degree from a foreign CAPTE-accredited PT program exempts the candidate from the evaluation requirement.

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, TWE and TSE with a passing score or above.

Exemption: If the PT degree is completed in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, or the candidate holds a degree from a foreign CAPTE-accredited program.

Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations

Texas 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 Texas 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 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 .

Texas Law (Jurisprudence) exam: This exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in Texas. It is an online, open book exam is based on the Texas PT Rules and the Practice Act. The candidates may refer to the Rules and Act while taking the exam. The candidates are allowed to repeat the exam if necessary, as the point is to familiarize with the rules.

Other Information 

Verify Texas Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://www.ptot.texas.gov/license-verification

Information about jobs and salary

Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 11,750 jobs in TexasState.

Salary: The average mean wage is $89,790. The bottom 10% is at $58,210 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $134,400.

Links for reference

Official Website: http://www.ecptote.state.tx.us/pt/

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