How To Become A Physical Therapy Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a physical therapy internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Gavin Colquitt,

Dr. Evan Papa Ph.D.

The primary duty of a physical therapist intern is to work with patients to determine and improve their function and movement. Physical therapy interns assist in the rehabilitation process through body system development and storage. They learn how to promote the wellbeing and health of the patients. Likewise, they learn about nutrition, treatment, and the general rehabilitation procedure of patients. Participants will work under the supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant. They keep the treatment area clean and organized. Similarly, they prepare it for the patient's therapy.

The minimum educational requirement for this position is a high school diploma or its equivalent. Applicants must be enrolled in a degree in a related field. Relevant skills include communication and interpersonal skills. You must have physical strength, dexterity, and stamina to handle patients and equipment. These interns earn about $65,382 yearly or $31.43 per hour. It varies between $53,000 and $80,000.

What general advice would you give to a physical therapy internship?

Gavin Colquitt

Professor, Georgia Southern University

The job market for teachers is fantastic. Many school districts have faced teacher shortages. Opportunity and demand vary from community to section, and most districts have their application system. Apply to several neighborhoods to increase chances.

ScorePhysical Therapy InternshipUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $71,624

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 14.74%

Black or African American 3.83%

Hispanic or Latino 7.68%

Unknown 3.77%

White 69.51%

Gender

female 57.44%

male 42.56%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a physical therapy internship

Explore physical therapy internship education requirements

Most common physical therapy internship degrees

Bachelor's

77.0 %

Associate

8.4 %

Doctorate

4.5 %

Start to develop specific physical therapy internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	40.07%
Physical Therapy Assistants	11.62%
Rehabilitation	6.76%
Ultrasound	3.83%
Patient Care	3.21%

Complete relevant physical therapy internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New physical therapy interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a physical therapy internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physical therapy internship resumes.

Research physical therapy internship duties and responsibilities

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Monitor vital signs of all patients and devise physical therapy sessions commensurate with patient stability.
Evaluate and treat CVA and TBI patients in the inpatient setting.
Observe and assist in measuring patients for range of motion limitations following a CVA.

Prepare your physical therapy internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your physical therapy internship resume.

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Choose from 10+ customizable physical therapy internship resume templates

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