Physical Therapy Requirements


Dear Dr. Robinson, I attend a private college near Chicago and my home is in Oregon. I am interested in becoming a physical therapist. I love biology but math is not my favorite subject. My pre-health advisor is unclear if taking calculus is in my best interest? What should I do? C.A., Oregon
Proper course selection is key to getting admitted to your desired graduate health program. While premeds will take calculus many allied health fields do not require it. If you do not like math you should only take it if it is certain you need it. In the allied health fields, there is some school to school variation in requirements. To better answer your question I considered some places that you might want to apply to. In your home state of Oregon there is no state physical therapy program but there are 2 private schools. Some prominent schools in the Midwest include Washington University, Northwestern University, and Creighton University. Only one of these programs requires calculus, Northwestern and even this selective program does not require calculus based physics. Only you can decide if there are other programs you are interested in applying to but based on the available information , it is unlikely you are required to take calculus unless you are certain you want to apply to the Northwestern School of physical therapy. I hope this analysis was helpful and thanks for the question. Sincerely, Dr. Dale

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do you prepare for the Medical School Interview?

Image
Dear Dr. Dale, I hope to interview for medical school during the next cycle and I was wondering how to prepare for the medical school interview? SH Illinois Dear SH, It is never too early to prepare for the interview.   Interviewing skills are like any other skill, they can be learned and even the best candidates can always improve their skillset in this area to optimize their success chances in the admission process.   Before discussing how to prepare I think it is important to understand the purpose of the interview.   According to Debbie Melton Director of Admissions at OHSU School of Medicine, “We are looking for the applicant who has demonstrated a balance between having the academic horsepower to succeed in medical school and having tested their motivation and commitment to medicine.   We want them to explore the health care field and solidify their commitment to becoming an MD, along with demonstrating their social consciousness by helping others.   The power of
Read more

Sonography Career Options

Image
Triplets in utero ultrasound Dear Dr. Robinson, I am studying biology and am considering pre-dental studies. However the length and the cost of this course of study is significant. My friend is pursuing an associates degree in ultrasound technology and says in two years they can earn a good salary. Wha do you think of this approach? S.F. Texas Both dentistry and ultrasound technician are great but very different career options. There are several educational routes to become a ultrasound technician. The shortest route for someone without another health related degree is an Associate of Applied Science in ultrasound technology. This would take about two years. Other educational routes to this career objective would be a bachelors degree or a one - two year certificate program if you already have a health related degree. Ultrasound technicians produce the images that are read by radiologists and it can be challenging interesting work. The job requires both technical skills
Read more