Balance Physical Therapy

Sports medicine? Physical therapy? What would I have to go through to become a physical therapist?

I'm a junior in high school and interested in physical therapy/sports medicine. Is there an extreme difference or could i do both. I just don't know to much about what i will have to go through etc.. can someone let me in on some details

Public Comments

1. As a guidance counselor I would tell you to talk to yours, but I know some are not so "there". To become a PT these days you have to receive a masters degree. Sports medicine may vary. Go to www.collegeboard.com and do a college search based on your major area. Then it will show you what schools have those programs. You can then check with each specific school to see what the requirements are. What state are you in? I could give you some good schools to look at if you are in Indiana.
2. There is a big demand for anything related to health care right now, and if you're into sports medicine, you can't go wrong with PT. I'm an Occupational Therapy major, but I do know a little about the field of PT. Recently, a requirement for a clincal doctorates has been mandated for PTs. I think this kind of turned some people off from going into it b/c it's more schooling. But if it's what you want to do, then it's worth it. Keep your grades up, and start volunteer work now. Get involved in a lot of organizations in your school and in your community. Start volunteering with the Special Olympics, it looks great to the faculty, and it's also very rewarding. Talk to an advisor at the school you are interested in, find out EXACTLY what courses you need to take, and when to take them. Also, you will want to get a lot of observation hours with a licensed PT. Getting into PT programs can be more challenging due to the fact a lot of people are going into that area, making it competitve. I think it's mostly b/c no one knows what OT is, b/c I'd way rather do that, but that's just me. ;-) You can do anything you set your mind to. Just study hard and prioritize. Good luck!
3. When you say sports medicine, that can imply a couple different things. First is a sports medicine phsyician. This is a medical doctor who has completed a board specialty usually first in family medicine and then returns for another in sports med. They are physicians who specialize in the MEDICAL treatment of athletes. This would require medical school (8 years) and the two residencies (another 4 years?) Then there is a physical therapist with a certification in sports medicine. To do this, you must first become a physical therapist which is either a master's or doctorate level program (you can do either) which takes 6-7 years. Then after you've been in the field, you can apply for a board speciality by sitting for the sports medicine examination. You would then become a physical therapist who specializes in the PHYSICAL treatment of athletes. This usually takes an additional two years of study. If you want to go the physical therapy route, I suggest you go to the APTA website at: http://www.apta.org and go to the educational programs section. The have a great section for prospective students as well as a list of accredited PT programs.
4. my dad is a PT and he had to help out PTs for training then he became one but theres no way you could do that and sports medicine