Physical Therapist College Requirements

[Sue373]

Hello,
I am a regular childhood Education Teacher, but would like to study for either Occupational Therapist or
Physical Therapist.

- Which requires more Educational Requirements and years of study ?

- I already have a Bachelors Degree in Education, would I have to study for another Bachelor Degree in
either Physical Therapy or Occcupational Therapy, before entering the Master's program for these ?

Thankyou,
Sue

[csptqt]

No Sue, you would not need another BS degree. You would just need to take the prerequisite courses that you don't already have, and likely repeat any that you haven't had in the last 5 years. If you drop everything and go to school full time, you can usually knock these out in a year and a summer or a year and a semester.

[Sue373]

Hello,

Thankyou for your reply, I am not sure which field to go into Physical therapy or Occupational
Therapist, I am now just an early childhood Teacher in the regular school system., teaching children
how to read.

If you were me, which of the two field would you recommend, knowing that I am about 48 years old
now, and would prefer not to spend too many years of precious time left studying, although it is necessary,
which of these fields would require less study time ? Have more Job Demand when I complete study ?
A field that is satisfying and rewarding ? Thankyou so much.

Sue.

[PTtilltheend]

Hi Sue,

I think the best thing you could do is to visit any University that offers BSPT/BSOT course and asked the admission office regarding about your question because they're the only one who could give you a more detailed answer. I had a friend who was a BS Biology graduate and went to apply for BS Physical Therapy. And he took it for less than 3 1/2 years (but because he applied the year 2008, APTA/CAPTE required aspiring students to take a Masteral or Doctoral degree to complete the program), Visit the APTA website. However, in your case as a teacher graduate, I think it may take you 3-4 years because they may require you to take the Masteral or Doctoral degree program (it also depends where you're going to practice). I Hope this help.