Amputations within the United States are more common than many people often realize. In a country of roughly three-hundred-million people, approximately two-million are living with the loss of a limb (1). And with each passing year in the US, there are approximately 185,000 amputations that are performed (2). With this volume of total and annual amputations occurring, physical therapists (who …
Five Massive Reasons Why Physical Therapy is Important After an Injury
Injuries are always a major bummer. The only things worse than getting an injury are not taking the appropriate steps towards getting yourself out of pain as quickly as possible and/or regaining as much functional ability as possible. Well, actually it’s also just as bad if you get injured but don’t learn how to reduce the likelihood from re-injury/pain/dysfunction from …
PT School: How to Know if You Should Work a Job While in School
To work or not to work while in Physical Therapy school? That is the question. The goal of this article is not to tell you “yes” or “no” but rather to give you some insight that will help you make the most appropriate, well-informed decision for yourself. Every student’s personal situation and needs will be different, so there’s no way anyone …
What to Expect for Your First Physical Therapy Appointment
When people aren’t quite certain of what to expect regarding any new, upcoming event that they are about to experience, they may find themselves either anxious, curious or even frightened as to what to expect for when the time arrives. When it comes to getting ready for your first physical therapy appointment, many people simply have very little or even …
PT School Observation Hours: How Many Are Needed for Applicants?
Applicants wishing to apply to a physical therapy program within the US are often required to complete a specific number of prerequisite observational hours within PT clinics as part of the application process. Every school has different requirements, with some schools requiring more hours than others, or some schools not even requiring any hours. It’s therefore very important for an …
How to Prepare for PT School: Five Smart Steps to Take
Congratulations!!! If you’re reading this and just recently got accepted into PT school, then I hope you’re pumped, because you’ve achieved something that not everyone can. That AND you’re stepping forward into the best profession in the world (ok, so I’m a bit biased, perhaps). In all seriousness though, I hope you’re excited and I hope you’re reading this article …
When Should You Begin Studying for the NPTE?
If you’re a PT student in the US and the date for your NPTE is starting to appear on the horizon, it may be time to start devoting your days to studying all the material you’ve been learning over the past three years. But how far away from the exam date should you really start preparing and studying? While there …
Practical Exam Anxiety: Tips for Nervous PT Students
When it comes to PT school and exams, written exams are only half of the battle. The other half are in the form of practical exams. Practical exams are the types of exams where you are evaluated by a professor or other examiner as you emulate a real-world scenario (typically involving a treatment technique, skill or application) and are graded …
How PT Students Can Manage and Reduce Stress in School
While there are a variety of ways in which PT students can experience stress, the bottom line is that stress is stress. Our bodies can’t exactly tell one type of stress from another, and when it continuously goes on for too long, things can unravel and downward spiral rather quickly. Mental health (also referred to as emotional health) just one …
Six Study Tips for PT Students That Work for ANY PT Course
There’s a major difference between studying hard versus studying smart. Studying hard doesn’t necessarily focus on efficiency or effectiveness with learning material, but studying smart does. Smart studying also consists of implementing and utilizing study methods that can work for ANY course, not just one or two. While some study tips that many PT students tend to offer can be …