What is a physical therapy nurse and how to become one

Key steps to become a physical therapy nurse

1. Explore physical therapy nurse education requirements

   Most common physical therapy nurse degrees

   Bachelor's

   49.2 %

   Associate

   27.1 %

   Diploma

   8.9 %

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2. Start to develop specific physical therapy nurse skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Patients	38.62%
   BLS	15.87%
   Acls	4.32%
   IV Therapy	4.26%
   Direct Patient Care	3.86%

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3. Complete relevant physical therapy nurse training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New physical therapy nurses 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 nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physical therapy nurse resumes.

4. Obtain the necessary licensing

   Becoming a licensed physical therapy nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed physical therapy nurse in most of states. 43 states require physical therapy nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

   State	Education	Exam	License url
   Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
   Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
   Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
   California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
   Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

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5. Research physical therapy nurse duties and responsibilities

   • Manage fistulas and other draining wounds using creative intervention referring patients to appropriate community agencies.
   • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
   • Focus on traumatic brain injury, stroke rehabilitation.
   • Initiate the program for nurse assessment and placement of PICC lines for all inpatients.

6. Prepare your physical therapy nurse resume

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

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a physical therapy nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose from 10+ customizable physical therapy nurse resume templates

   Build a professional physical therapy nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your physical therapy nurse resume.
   

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7. Apply for physical therapy nurse jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a physical therapy nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams