Back to "School"

When I tell people I have a background in physical therapy, I mean it’s way in the background. I haven’t practiced in 22 years, having put my career on hold to answer a higher calling: raising my family. Furthermore, I let my license lapse over a decade ago. I wasn’t even sure if I’d ever go back into PT, feeling that writing, art and design, hobbies I’ve picked up over the years, would be more “fun.”

The disaster in Haiti, however, somehow brought the planets into alignment for me, not only with PT and French, and the timing in my life. Also coincident is the fact that I have developed my faith in the past few years, and I feel really excited about finding a way to do God’s work. I feel no hesitation in my potential to do something useful in this regard.

With my newfound inspiration, I got on the Internet to learn what it would take to get re-licensed. I quickly learned that I will need to sit for the physical therapy board exam again. No surprise there. The process to regain my license is a bit convoluted. It goes something like this:

• Study. A lot.

• Obtain proof of completion of an accredited PT program, Form P1E, from Duke

• Apply for license to the Physical Therapy Board of California (PTBC). Fee: $415

• Obtain from the PTBC authorization to sit for the PT Board Exam. This gives me a 60-day window in which to take the exam, so I need to time this application so that I’ll be ready for the exam within that window.

• Register with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) to take
a) The National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE). Fee: $370
b) The California Law Exam, covering laws and regulations related to the practice of physical therapy in California (CLE). Fee: $30

• Schedule the exams through Pro Metric

• Obtain clearance through the Department of Justice and the FBI to be licensed, through Live Scan fingerprinting and criminal record check. This clearance is also only valid for 60 days, so the timing needs to fit with my PTBC license processing.  Fee: $51

• Pass the NPTE (!)

More Internet searching found a review course for the NPTE just a few weeks hence, taking place near my sister Shelly’s home near San Diego. I cleared timing with Shelly, registered for the class, and booked the air travel. First step done. Class fee: $350. Airfare: $147. I’m on my way.