Becoming a Physical Therapist in Delaware – DE

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February, 2 2010

To become a physical therapist in Delaware, you first need to obtain a state license. In order to obtain your license to practice physical therapy in Delaware, you’ll need to submit an application to the Delaware Examining Board, along with several other materials, including:

• The application itself.  After filling out the application completely, you’ll have to have it notarized in order for it to be accepted. On the application, you’ll need to provide proof of identification, such as a social security number, history of your education, as well as disclosure of any criminal or inappropriate conduct if applicable.

• A fee. For Physical Therapists, a $103 processing fee is charged at the time of application. You’ll need to include a check or money order for this amount with your application when you mail it.
• Proof of completed education. The college or university that you completed your program at must send an official transcript directly to the Delaware Examining Board, meaning that you cannot forward the transcript yourself. What the transcript will tell the Board is that you have indeed graduated from an accredited Physical Therapy program. If you have not yet graduated, but expect to do so very soon, you may ask a school official to send a letter to the Board, denoting your status and the expected graduation date. If you choose to send this letter prior to your graduation, you’ll need to send an official transcript to the Board as soon as it is available following your commencement. Your permanent license will not be issued to you until after you have graduated, but sending a letter prior to completion of the program can ensure that you get your license as soon as possible.
• With the application, you’ll also need to register to take the state certification exam. You can do so by paper or online. The fee to take this exam is $350. This goes on top of the $103 processing fee stated above.

If completing these steps by mail, you can print out the required application and forms from the Examining Board website - http://dpr.delaware.gov - and then mail them to the following address:

Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers

Cannon Building, Suite 203

861 Silver Lake Boulevard

Dover DE 19904

If you plan to register for the examination online, visit this address: https://pt.fsbpt.net. You may also request registration materials from the Examining Board and you will receive the proper application and bubble forms in the mail so you may register by paper instead of online.