Physical therapist requirement is a rapidly growing in the health care industry. A physical therapist assists the patient to rehabilitate from a surgery or illness or certain medical conditions. 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.

Association Group Responsible for providing license

In Washington, the Washington 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
PO Box 1099
Olympia WA 98507-1099

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 Washington 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 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 country where the official language is not English then the applicant should satisfactorily complete the TOEFL and TSE with a passing score or above.

Instructions for Registering Online for National Physical Therapy Examinations

Washington 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 Washington 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.

A 90 day temporary permit is available for interstate endorsement applicants. The permit allows the candidates to work as a physical therapist until he/she receives seven hours of AIDS training.

Washington Law (Jurisprudence) exam: To successfully pass in this exam is mandatory for all the candidates to get a license of physical therapist in Washington.  The candidate should study the Washington State Physical Therapy Practice Laws (RCW 18.74 and WAC 246-915). After taking the jurisprudence exam, the candidate should print the certificate of successfully passing the exam and include with application packet.

AIDS Education and Training Attestation: Seven hours of AIDS education and training is required by all the candidates.

Other Information

Fees:

$100 Application fee

Verify Washington Licensure: It can be viewed on the official website http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Professions/Physical_Therapy/default.htm

Information about jobs and salary

Job in State: As per data of May 2012 there are 4,170 jobs in WashingtonState.

Salary: The average mean wage is $ 80,360. The bottom 10% is at $ 61,960 and the top 10% is earning a handsome amount of $ 103,730.

Links for reference

Official Website: http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Professions/Physical_Therapy/default.htm

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

Important Websites: http://www.apta.org , http://www.capteonline.org/home.aspx