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If you‘ve ever wondered whether physical therapists attend medical school like physicians, you‘re not alone. Many people assume that since physical therapists work in healthcare, they must go through the same rigorous medical training as doctors.
However, the educational path for physical therapists is quite distinct from that of medical doctors. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll outline everything you need to know about the qualifications and schooling required to become a licensed physical therapist.
Brief Answer
In short—no, physical therapists do not go to medical school. While they are key members of the healthcare team, their training is focused primarily on rehabilitation, biomechanics, and providing non-invasive treatment to improve patients’ mobility and function.
Instead of medical school, aspiring physical therapists must earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, which typically takes 3 years after completing a bachelor’s program. They must also pass national and state licensing exams to demonstrate their competency in areas like patient examination, treatment intervention, and care plan development.
Educational Path to Becoming a Physical Therapist
Wondering what it takes to become a physical therapist? Here’s an overview of the key steps:
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
The first educational requirement is a bachelor’s degree. While students can major in any field, common choices include exercise science, biology, kinesiology, psychology or health sciences. This lays the foundation before progressing to the graduate-level DPT program.
Complete Prerequisite Courses
In tandem with their bachelor’s program, students must complete key prerequisite courses to qualify for DPT programs. These typically include classes in anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, physics, statistics, psychology and social sciences.
Obtain Direct Patient Care Experience
Most DPT programs require applicants to complete a certain number of hours shadowing physical therapists or working in related healthcare settings. This hands-on experience allows students to confirm their interest in the field.
Apply to Accredited DPT Programs
The next step is getting accepted to a CAPTE-accredited DPT program, which takes 3 years post-bachelor’s. This includes classroom learning and over 30 weeks of clinical rotations exposing students to diverse patient populations and settings.
Pass the NPTE Licensure Exam
After graduating from an accredited DPT program, prospective physical therapists must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination to become licensed. The NPTE thoroughly assesses one’s knowledge of proper examination techniques, evaluation, diagnosis, intervention and treatment planning.
Obtain State Licensure
In addition to the NPTE, licensure requirements vary slightly by state. Most states mandate a jurisprudence exam on physical therapy laws and regulations. Background checks, CPR certification and compliance with ethical standards may also be required.
Key Differences Between Medical School and Physical Therapist School
Now that you understand the core steps to launch a physical therapy career, let’s contrast this with the rigorous path of medical school.
Focus of Training
While both educational paths center around patient care, the overarching focus differs greatly. Medical school provides broad, comprehensive training to diagnose and treat all body systems and associated diseases. Physical therapists specialize in neuro-musculoskeletal function and helping patients improve strength, mobility and quality of life through exercise, manual techniques and modalities.
Diagnosing Patients
Licensed physicians can diagnose medical conditions and prescribe medications or surgery when appropriate. Physical therapists focus more on assessing a patient’s condition and functional limitations to determine an appropriate rehabilitation treatment plan. While physical therapists do not diagnose in a medical sense, their specialized training allows them to differentially evaluate musculoskeletal and neuromuscular dysfunction.
Duration of Programs
Another major difference lies in program duration. While medical school typically takes four years, students must also complete residency training lasting 3-7 years depending on their specialty. This additional hands-on training produces fully independent physicians.
For physical therapists, the standard graduate DPT program lasts three years. Combined “2+3” undergraduate-graduate programs lasting five or six years also exist. With either training path, physical therapists can practice independently immediately after graduation and licensure.
Program Costs
From tuition to housing, books, equipment and living expenses, medical school is a significant financial investment. The average medical school debt is over $200,000 in the U.S.!
While physical therapist education also involves a serious commitment of time and money, overall costs tend to run lower than medical school. The average debt of physical therapy graduates ranges from $50,000-$100,000. Both career paths offer loan forgiveness programs to help alleviate debt after graduation.
Roles and Responsibilities
Since physical therapists work closely with physicians on the healthcare team, there can be confusion regarding their respective roles. Here’s a quick breakdown of how their responsibilities differ:
Performing Surgery
Surgeons attend additional residency training to learn surgical techniques to operate on patients. As rehabilitation specialists focused on non-invasive treatment, physical therapists do not perform surgery. However, they play a crucial role in helping patients recover optimal function before and after surgical procedures.
Prescribing Medication
With advanced pharmacology knowledge and diagnostic expertise, physicians can prescribe medications when needed to treat patients. Physical therapists don’t have medication prescription privileges. But they coordinate closely with doctors and nurse practitioners to ensure their patients receive appropriate pharmacological treatments to facilitate recovery.
Authority to Order Testing
Depending on the state, physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses can order imaging or lab tests when clinically indicated to diagnose disease. Within their scope of practice to examine patients, physical therapists have the authority to order X-rays or MRI in certain states if further imaging would facilitate rehabilitation.
Physical Therapist Job Outlook and Salary
If you’re considering physical therapy as a future career path, you can expect excellent job opportunities and compensation.
Job Growth Projections
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 22% increase in physical therapy jobs between 2020-2030—a rate far exceeding the national average. Our aging population, expanded healthcare access and advances in technology paint a robust outlook for the physical therapy field over the next decade.
Average Physical Therapist Salary
According to BLS data, the median pay for physical therapists was $92,090 per year ($44.32 per hour) in 2021. Those within the top 10th percentile of earners made $129,620 annually. Given the specialized master’s or doctoral training physical therapists undertake, they are well compensated for their skills and services.
Settings and Specialties
From hospitals to schools to fitness centers to people’s homes, physical therapists have diverse options for employment settings. They can also choose specialties from orthopedics, to neurology, geriatrics, pediatrics, sports medicine and more to allow them to follow their passion.
Should You Become a Physical Therapist or Physician?
If you’re debating between careers in medicine or physical therapy, assessing your skills, values and professional objectives can help guide your decision.
Analytical Thinking vs. Physical Ability
Physicians tend to excel with analytical reasoning to diagnose puzzling symptoms and determine appropriate treatments. Physical therapists combine analytical skills with physical abilities like range of motion, strength, coordination and stamina to demonstrate exercise techniques and manually treat patients.
Patient Relationships
Building trusting relationships with patients over weeks or months of rehabilitation requires excellent interpersonal skills—a strength of many physical therapists. Of course, physicians also rely on communication, compassion and emotional intelligence to care for their patients holistically.
Variety vs. Specialization
For those seeking diversity of knowledge and experiences in patient care, the role of a physician may appeal more through exposure to different specialties. Physical therapists develop deep expertise in movement dysfunctions, though some choose to sub-specialize further in areas like sports medicine, neuro-rehab or pediatrics.
Work-Life Balance
The intensive training required for physicians also leads to demanding careers requiring long hours. While physical therapists can also work extended schedules, they tend to report good work-life balance overall. Both roles provide the profound reward of helping people overcome pain, illness and improve their health.
The Bottom Line
While the educational road to become a physical therapist skips four years of medical school and residency training, it still requires 7-8 years of higher education including a professional clinical doctorate and rigorous licensing exams.
But for those desiring a career focused on restorative rather than curative medicine, physical therapy offers tremendous opportunities to combine patient care and movement science to help people regain optimal function.With excellent job prospects, compensation and work settings, a career in physical therapy promises immense personal and professional fulfillment.