General Preparation for PrePhysical Therapy
Preparation Overview
Academic Preparation
What you'll need:
- A bachelor’s degree
- Any major is appropriate, so study something you love!
- Completion of prerequisite classes
- Vary from school to school
- The most common classes are outlined below
Extracurricular Preparation
What you'll need:
- Experiences that develop and demonstrate skills in
- Communication
- Leadership
- Community service
- Research
- Observation hours in a physical therapy clinic
Extracurricular Preparation
- Make sure you have contact information for supervisors and physicians you work with or shadow in case you need a letter of recommendation. Try to keep an open relationship with them after you discontinue activities.
- Keep a record of all hours of service and experiences. The PreHealth Planner can help with this.
- Writing reflections on each activity in a journal will be helpful when you write your personal statement.
Observation and Clinical Experience with Physical Therapists
This should be one of your first experiences as a PrePT student. Observing Licensed Physical Therapists working in different environments will help you understand the profession. Shadowing also help you get to know PTs. This is important as many programs require at least one recommendation letter from a PT. Many students find shadowing opportunities through volunteer experiences at medical facilities private facilities and wellness clinics.
Interacting well with sick people is one of the key indicators of a successful healthcare provider. In order to gain experience providing direct “hands-on” with patients, most students obtain a job as a PT Aide in hospitals, nursing homes or hospice care after volunteering several months at these facilities.
GovState requires students shadow a minimum of 30 hours of observation, can be volunteer or paid (multiple settings recommended), but the average number of observation hours among matriculated students to their program is 250 hours with 1-2 different PTs.
Community Service
Since you are preparing for a humanitarian profession, it is important to demonstrate compassion and interact with people from different backgrounds from your own. This will strengthen your interpersonal and communication skills. This does not have to be only in a medical field.
Leadership Experience
As a physical therapist, you will be a leader and team member in many ways – with your patients, your staff, your colleagues, and in your community. Examples include offices held in organizations, committee work; leadership in church activities; coordinating a project; managing, training, supervising at work or in other activities; teaching experience of any kind; coaching, peer counseling or mentoring, etc.
PrePhysical Therapy Coursework
This guide is designed for applying to a range of PT programs. It is not a comprehensive list. Requirements may vary by school so applicants should look closely at what is required at the schools at which they are applying. The following list indicates the most commonly classes required or recommended by PT programs in the west and the top ten schools that University of Utah graduates attend. Prerequisite coursework is subject to change without notice. See a preprofessional advisor for more information.
Students with Advance Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits in science or math should meet with a preprofessional advisor in order to discuss AP in relation to prerequisite classes. Those awarded hours may or may not be accepted to complete prerequisite coursework. Check each program’s requirements online.
PT schools vary on their view of prerequisite classes taken at Community Colleges. Some accept them but look on them with some disfavor, other schools readily accept them. Students should be aware of this when planning their education.
There are several very good reasons for students to begin their college education at a Community College. Students are encouraged to consider their options thoughtfully and in consultation with their Academic Advisors, Financial Aid Counselors, etc.
- CLEP Credit & Correspondence Study—Credits may or may not be accepted as completed prerequisite coursework. Check each program’s requirements online.
- Online Courses—Depends on program. Ask programs you are considering applying to directly.
- Withdrawals—W’s should be used only for emergencies. W grades will not affect GPA but do count toward pace of completion. Speak to an Advisor for additional details.
- GPA—Most PT programs require minimum overall AND prerequisite GPA of 3.0. Competitive applicants for most programs have 3.5 or higher in both the overall and prerequisite GPA.
- At GovState, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 and a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0.
- Minimum Course Grade Requirement—Most programs set a minimum grade requirement for prerequisite courses of C or better.
- Grade Expiration—Many programs require certain prerequisite courses to be completed within 5 to 7 years of entering a PT program. Check each program’s requirements for more information.
- GovState does not have a time limit on coursework.
- Repeated Courses—PTCAS will include all of the grades if you repeat, but how each PT program views repeated courses varies.
- GovState will take the better grades only in prerequisite courses. However, many programs consider your performance in each class and the frequency of repeats. It is better to take a given course once and do well.
STEM Courses
Do your research and verify what is required with each program you wish to apply to.
At GovState:
- 1 General biology with lab (4) (BIOL 1500/1501 or 1510/1511)
- Anatomy with lab (8); two semester sequence of 1000-level Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (8) (BIOL 2200, 2201, 2210, 2211) OR one semester of 2000-level or higher with lab (4) such as Comparative Anatomy (BIOL 3360/3361) and one semester of Physiology (3) such as Human Physiology (BIOL 4444/4445)
Do your research and verify what is required with each program you wish to apply to.
At GovState:
- 2 General chemistry with lab (8) (CHEM 1141, 1142, 1143, 1144)
Do your research and verify what is required with each program you wish to apply to.
At GovState: In order to take the proper math class, you must have ACT, SAT or math placement test scores, or successfully pass a prerequisite math course.
- Statistics (3) (STAT 4219)
Do your research and verify what is required with each program you wish to apply to.
At GovState:
- 2 General Physics with lab (8) (PHYS 2141/2142 and PHYS 2143/2144)
Non-STEM Courses
- Generally, 1-2 Psychology courses (Usually PSYC 1101 + 1 Upper Division course such as Abnormal or Developmental Psychology)
- For GovState: 3 courses in Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology (1 needs to be psychology) (9)
- One Sociology course
- Current First Aid and CPR Certification before matriculation
- Orientation to Physical Therapy (2) (PHYT 2320)
- Medical Terminology (1) (HLSC 2400) or Computer Application: Medical Terminology for the Health Professional (OCCT 2400)
- PHYT 2320: Orientation to Physical Therapy (2 credits)
Preparing for Letters of Recommendation
Here are some helpful tips on how to prepare your letters of recommendation:
Types of Letters Required
Requirements for letters vary between schools, so research schools early and know what you need. Generally, you will need one letter from each of the following people. Plan ahead! Get to know people from these categories so they can write excellent letters for you. The PT Application Service, PTCAS, limits applicants to 4 letters, but most programs require 3 letters.
1. Physical Therapists you shadowed
2. Academic (possibly an academic advisor)
3. Any supervisor (usually employment)
4. Other academic (possibly a professor in your major)
Get to Know Your Professors!
How to Establish this Relationship
A key to a good letter is the establishment of a relationship between student and professor based on shared academic interests.
- Ask thoughtful questions and show genuine interest
- Delve deeper into concepts presented in lectures
- Share your academic and career goals
- Ask for recommendations for additional reading
- Inquire about their areas of interest and research
During the Semester
Tell professors at the beginning of the semester that you would like them to keep an eye on your performance in class. It will give them a longer observational window. Visit their offices regularly!
End of Semester
If you do well in your class, ask them if they would be willing to write you an excellent letter of recommendation when you are ready to apply.
Ask about Opportunities
After you have gotten to know professors, ask about further opportunities, e.g., teaching assistantships, individual research projects, etc.
Resources
Student Groups and Professional Organizations
Physical Therapy Student Association (PTSA)
- Contact
- Pamela Hamoay, President of PTSA
- PTSA Website
Professional Organizations
- Illinois Physical Therapy Association
- American Physical Therapy Association
- Illinois Physical Therapy Foundation