Filed in Category Pediatric Associates
okay i want to become a pediatric physical therapist. im currently in school and im a few semesters away from receiving my associates degree. i want to become a physical therapist assistant in the mean time while still going to school to complete PT. what is required to become a physical therapist assistant? what degree is needed and what courses within that degree do i need to take
4 Comments so far
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school degree for hMPt and CCr
It does not benifit you from becoming a PTA first. I work with a PTA who is getting her DPT. She started as an 17 year old in a PTA program and decided to become a DPT while in the progra. She finished her 2 years become a PTA. Then stayed at the CC for 1 more year to take some pre req. For her 4 th year she is at a local school PT school with a 3 plus 3 program. She is taking the pre reqs not offered at the CC plus finishing her BS. She will be in the DPT program in the fall. Since it was a 3 plus 3 program, it will take her 7 years not 6. She only got out of 3 1-2 credit classes that are seminars in the 3+3 program during the first 3 years of program. (work includes med terminology, patient education, and gait training/transfer training).
It has worked for her and she works 10 hours a week as a PTA but I would not necessarily recommend this format esp if you do not start right as a freshman.
To become a pediatric PT–
Go to a PT program- you will get a generalist degree just as in med school. You learn all of the specialties-ortho, neuro, integument and cardiopulmonary. If you are interested in peds, you will definately take a pediatric clinical and maybe take a graduate elective if available. Your research project would have a peds focus. When you graduate you would get a pediatric job and hopefully find a pediatric mentor. If interested once you graduate, you may choose a residency or fellowship in peds. You may also choose to sit for the PCS (Board certification in peds) exam.
Best wishes
You would get the same DPT as any physical therapist. While I think officially you can apply to PT school with only an associates, it is very hard to get in, so you really need a bachelor’s unless you have like 10 years of experience as a PTA. To become a PTA, you need an associates in PTA.
idk