How To Become A Student Physical Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a student physical therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Todd Roach D.C.,

Dr. Evan Papa Ph.D.

Student physical therapists help patients with injuries and chronic health conditions recover from injuries, manage their pain, and increase their quality of life. To do this, you will educate patients about keeping fit and preventing advanced injuries. Your job responsibilities include advising patients to learn about their physical condition and symptoms, assisting patients with the use of equipment such as wheelchairs, and reviewing and maintaining patient records, and keeping track of their progress. You will be required to help the patients ease their pains using exercises, stretching, hands-on therapy, and equipment. Also, you are to outline goals for patients and expected results.

A bachelor's degree in science-related is required for this job. As a student physical therapist, you must have compassion, be resourceful, and possess interpersonal communication skills. You should also be able to pay rapt attention to details and manage time. Your salary will be an average of $86,026 at the end of the year.

What general advice would you give to a student physical therapist?

Dr. Todd Roach D.C.

Assistant Professor of Biology, Aurora University

My best advice to new graduates would be not to lose focus. There are a lot of "shiny objects" in healthcare that can be distracting. It doesn't matter if you open your practice or start working for an established tradition; there are many distractions when it comes to attracting and fulfilling patient needs. Find what you are passionate about (i.e., sports rehab, pain control, headaches, etc.) and focus on your message and talents.

ScoreStudent Physical TherapistUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $73,003

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 12.02%

Black or African American 3.93%

Hispanic or Latino 7.83%

Unknown 3.79%

White 71.96%

Gender

female 62.62%

male 37.38%

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 student physical therapist

Explore student physical therapist education requirements

Most common student physical therapist degrees

Bachelor's

76.5 %

Doctorate

10.2 %

Associate

8.8 %

Start to develop specific student physical therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	30.68%
Occupational Therapy	13.23%
Rehabilitation	8.32%
Patient Care	6.35%
Physical Therapy Assistants	5.59%

Complete relevant student physical therapist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New student physical therapists 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 student physical therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real student physical therapist resumes.

Research student physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Evaluate and treat patients with total hip/total knee surgeries, status post CVA and spinal cord injuries.
Evaluate and treat patients with orthopedic conditions such as low back pain, cervical pain, post operative conditions.
Perform evaluations, provide patient treatment, supervise COTA

Prepare your student physical therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your student physical therapist 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 student physical therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable student physical therapist resume templates

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