Physical Therapy
Starting January 2012!
The Department of Physical Therapy will begin offering a transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (T-DPT) Program
This transitional program will offer a modified version of the current DPT program to practicing therapists who graduated with a Master or Bachelor of Physical Therapy degree as their entry-level professional degree. The first class will begin in January 2012; the deadline for spring 2012 admission is December 30, 2011. For more information about the T-DPT Program, click here.
The Department of Physical Therapy is pleased to announce its accreditation!
Following the site visit in the spring of 2011, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) awarded the PT Department a 10-year reaccreditation status. CAPTE is an accrediting agency that is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CAPTE grants specialized accreditation status to qualified entry-level education programs for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
CAPTE accreditation is important because:
- It helps students and their parents select programs that will provide the education necessary to enter the profession.
- It fosters quality educational experiences and helps to assure that the program is taught by qualified faculty, has the resources it needs to support the curriculum, meets its mission, has acceptable student outcomes, and provides accurate information to the public.
- It provides students and others a place to complain if an accredited program fails to meet its obligation to maintain compliance with CAPTE's Evaluative Criteria.
- Graduation from a CAPTE-accredited program is required for eligibility to sit for the licensing exam. It is also required in order to provide physical therapy services to patients/clients on Medicare.
What is PT?
Physical Therapy promotes optimal human health and function. The physical therapist prevents, identifies, assesses, corrects, or alleviates acute or chronic disorders of movement. Physical therapy researchers are developing new principles and applications to more effectively meet existing and emerging healthcare needs.
Employment opportunities in physical therapy are excellent. They include traditional hospital-based programs, private practice, rehabilitation centers, public and private school systems, home health agencies, geriatric facilities, and industry. New graduates successfully passing the licensure examination can expect to earn from $55,000 to $80,000 annually. With additional education and experience, teaching and supervisory positions commanding higher salaries become available.
Graduation from an accredited program in physical therapy education is required for eligibility to take the examination to become a licensed physical therapist. A license to practice in the State of Texas depends on successful completion of the examination.
Physical therapists decide on the best exercise for people. Physical therapy is good medicine for anyone who needs to improve their ability to move. Movement is what physical therapy is all about.
Physical therapists practice in acute hospital settings, private practice/outpatient clinics, neurorehabilitation centers, and home health. In the acute care hospital, a physical therapist may treat patients in the intensive care unit or 
immediately following surgery. The patients are generally treated by physicians with specialties in orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, cardiology, pulmonology, rheumatology, or internal medicine.
Physical therapists also work in industrial and school settings. Physical therapists work to prevent injuries in the work site, and to assist injured employees in returning to their jobs. Providing services to children with disabilities is also the work of physical therapists. Services to children with developmental disabilities are usually provided in the home of the child with involvement of the child's parents. In public schools, physical therapists provide services that assist children in accessing and benefiting from their educational programs.
The physical therapist at a rehabilitation center will treat patients who have sustained a traumatic injury to the spinal cord or brain, had a stroke, or have been diagnosed with a degenerative disease of the nervous system. These patients need assistance in learning to walk, move or adapt to their limitations. A team of specialists including rehabilitation medicine physicians, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists and dietitians will work together to enhance the highest level of independent function of the patient.