The world of physical therapy is changing as we speak. More and more states have direct access which means patients can come directly to a physical therapist for a certain amount of care prior to seeing a physician. And the level of education as moved from a master's degree to a doctorate degree. Formally graduates of a physical therapy programs were granted a master's in physical therapy degree. Presently almost every program in the country has now a doctorate in physical therapy degree and the changes two to six months of additional education as part of that graduate program and it also allows the physical therapy community to have higher educated entry-level physical therapists.
The combination of direct access which essentially means easier access for patients to get physical therapy treatment and higher educated entry-level physical therapists and higher educated entry-level physical therapists allows more opportunities for the physical therapist and allows more opportunities for physical therapist to be involved in the rehabilitation of patients. These changes are great for the profession and allow more immediate access to physical therapy services for the patients that need them and it allows the physical therapist to have a stronger relationship with the physicians that refer patients to us.
