Becoming a Physical Therapist in Montana – MT

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February, 5 2010

The following are the steps to become a physical therapist in Montana.

Education
Montana offers one accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy program lasting 33 months. This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education. Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree, prerequisite courses, CPR certification and minimum grade point average.

Licensing
Graduates of an accredited school of physical therapy must apply to the Montana Board of Physical Therapy Examiners for licensing. Requirements include a completed application form, payment of $100 application fee, being at least 18 years of age and of good moral character, and passing grades on both the National Physical Therapy Exam and the Montana Physical Therapy jurisprudence exam.

www.mt.gov

Examination
Physical therapists must take and score at least a 90% on the Montana Physical Therapy jurisprudence exam. The exam is included in the license application packet and should be completed and returned with the application. This exam must be retaken until passed and fee of $25 is charged for each retake. Applicants must also take and pass the National Physical Therapy Examination. The fee for the NPTE is $370 as of January 2010 and a fee of $70.60 must be paid to Prometric, which administers the computer-based examination, designates the testing sites and provides applicants with an authorization to test letter. Testing sites are at local Sylvan Learning Centers. A passing score on the exam is a scaled score of 600 based on a scale of 200 to 800.