Guidelines to Become a Licensed Therapist

LANDSTUHL, Germany (Oct. 16, 2008) Physical th...

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Anyone wanting to become a licensed therapist will need appropriate training. However, the specific requirements vary from state to state and country to country. Because of that, there is no specific, master list of required knowledge and ability for physical therapists. Instead, each individual should check with their state or other licensing authority to determine exactly what is needed so that they can obtain their license to be a physical therapist.

Schooling is one of the things that is required no matter where the person plans on becoming licensed for therapy. Since physical therapy employment is growing and more people are becoming interested in working in the medical field, there will be more people focused on learning the licensure guidelines. If you’re planning to work in the therapy field, be sure that you completely understand the guidelines that you need to follow over and above schooling.

Once you’ve graduated from school, you’ll have to take a licensing test and keep up with continuing education requirements. If you don’t get your continuing education credits, you will lose your license. Depending on where you’re licensed, you may be able to take your education credit classes and get your license back, or you may have to reapply and re-take the test. To avoid those problems, it’s better to keep up with the most current guidelines so that you don’t lose your physical therapy license accidentally by missing out on some small guideline that has changed or been adjusted.

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Recommended Reading for Doctors or Health Professionals

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Looking to expand your summer reading list with books on the medical profession or health field? Look no further. The following titles are great reads for anyone within the medical profession…or those considering entering it.

  1. House of God by Samuel Shem. Samuel Shem is like the Kurt Vonnegut of the medical field. This searing satire is full of larger-than-life characters and a darkly cynical view on medicine. This title is often listed as a must-read for future doctors or first-year interns.
  2. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande. Surgeons tend not to talk about the dangers of their art, but Gawande takes an unflinching look at his practice’s complications. “Doctors are people,” this book argues, and imperfect people at that. An interesting read for both doctors and patients alike.
  3. Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives: Tales of Life and Death from the ER by Pamela Grim. Grim is a seasoned Emergency Room doctor faced nightly with what many consider to be the underbelly of society: drug addicts, drunks, or the mentally deranged. Grim chose to flee her ER burnout by joining Doctors Without Borders, and her tales of Nigeria and Bosnian refugee camps are harrowing. Makes you want to immediately install home security systems.
  4. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett. Well-written, well-researched, and incredibly enlightening, this book is at the forefront of a fascinating, underlooked science: microbiology. The microbes and viruses within this book will simultaneously creep you out and leave you utterly fascinated. Expect an intense, worthy read that’s not for the faint of heart.
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1. Makes you want to immediately install home security systems.

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Starting Your Residency

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Congratulations! You’ve received your M.D. It’s been four years of stressful studying, hard lessons, and difficult patients. Yet you still made it to the other side and you’re about to start your residency. In some cases, you may be moving to a brand new city or state. The period after graduation and your residency start date is a stressful time. Here are some pointers for your first month as a new doctor.

  • Do take some time off. This is your last extended vacation before some intense work weeks and call schedules– take advantage of this precious vacation time.
  • Don’t get used to having so much time off.
  • Do find a place to live and start getting settled ahead of time. You want as much time as possible to unpack and explore your new area.
  • Do purchase textbooks, required reading, and medical journal or podcast subscriptions with any graduation money you receive.
  • Do take time to practice your commute before your first day. Do it on a work day so you won’t be overwhelmed by rush hour traffic.
  • Do send an email out to your fellow residents– if you’re moving alone, you might want to try and meet up with some of them before your official orientation starts.
  • Don’t put off doing your paperwork. Start it early and send it in as soon as possible.
  • Do follow up with your med school and make sure they sent in the necessary paperwork on their end.
  • Do throw away or burn your old medical school white coat.
  • Don’t force your friends and family to refer to you as Doctor. It gets old. Fast.
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What Not to Do on Your Residency Interview

Day 147/365: Interview Schedule

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Residency interviewers can see dozens of applicants per day. You need to stand out from the crowd of med students interviewing with you. Here’s what not to do on your residency interview.

  1. Don’t Prepare for Your Interviews.
    If you walk in with no prior knowledge of the school and its program, how are you going to answer questions like “What makes you a good candidate for this school?” or “Why do you see yourself with our residency program?” Residency programs want to make sure you want to go to their school. If you genuinely want to go to that program, you’ll rank them higher than an ambivalent applicant would. Your interviewers will pay much more attention to you if you seem to genuinely care about their program. Plus, it’s professional– it shows you take your commitments seriously.
  2. Don’t ask Questions.
    Come prepared with a good list of intelligent questions. Your guides and professionals will pay much more attention to you if you’re active and interested in the program. Ask about research opportunities, unique scheduling choices, or the residents. Ask about anything as specific as programming and as general as parking. You may be living and working here, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about the surrounding area, too.
  3. Stay up all Night.
    Don’t prepare for your interview the night before. Spend the night before your interview relaxing and (more importantly) sleeping. You’ll need to have a full night’s sleep in order to adequately focus and feel confident. Going to bed early will help you get up early so you’ll have more time to find your interview location.
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