26.8.

2016

PhysicalTherapyinCalifornianPart2gainingacertificateofprofessionalequivalency

PhysicalTherapyinCalifornianPart2gainingacertificate
ofprofessionalequivalency
AfterseverallongandhardmonthsofstudyIhavefinishedthestudyrequirementsneededtogaina
certificateofprofessionalequivalency.InNovemberlastyearIwroteablogaboutthestagesinvolvedfor
AustralianPhysiotherapists(anprobablyothernationalitiestoo)togoaboutapplyforaPhysicalTherapy
licenceintheUS.
Ittookmy15monthstoworkouthowtobegintheprocessandthisnextstagemakinguptheeducational
deficitstoprovemyeducationisequivalentwasnotnearlyaslongasIthought.Itwashardandtookmany
longdaysofmotivatedselfstudybutinthegrandschemeofthingsthisisacompletelyachievablegoal
andbarriertoovercome.
Don'tletstudyinggetinyourwayofrequalifyingintheUS.IhavebeensurprisedbyhowmuchIhavelearnt
andhowmuchmorepreparedIfeeltomoveontothenextstagestudyingfortheNationalPhysical
Therapyexam.ThisblogisabreakdownofthepastfewmonthswhatIhadtostudy,howIwentaboutit,
thingsImessedupthatyoucandobetteron,andwhattheoutcomewas.

Timeline
June2015applicationforcredentialevaluationwithFCCPT
November2015resultsreceivedfromFCCPT(educationnotequivalentandfurtherstudyrequired)
November2015appliedforPLANprocessalovelyPhysiotherapisthelpedmedecidewhatIneededto
studyandwherethiscouldhappen
January11thIbeganmyfirstclasses
May14thfinalexam
June1stmyreevaluationbegan
June27threevaluationcomplete
OverallIcompleted8subjectsin4months.ConsideringthatItravelled/workedfor1monthduringthistime,
itactuallymakesit3months.DuringthattimeItaughtPilateson3daysoftheweekandthenstudiedmost
weekendsandtheremainderoftimeduringtheweek.IwasinitiallyaimingfortheJulyexam(theNPTEonly
happensafewtimesayearandyouneedeverythingreadymonthsbeforehandtosubmitthepaperwork).
IfIhadknownIwasnotgoingtomakethedeadlineIwouldhavespacedthisoutabitmore.But,itis
achievablein1216weeksifyougoatithard.

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WHATEACHSUBJECTENTAILED
Basiclifesupportthisisa3hourcourserunthroughsafetyseminarsandagreatrefresherofCPR
training.Didntcost>$100andIenjoyedcoveringthebasicsagain.
ExaminationandevaluationoftheIntegumentarysystem
OnlinethroughtheStAugustineUniversityinFlorida.
12week,online,selfpacedwork
Whoeverythoughtlearningaboutburnsandwoundmanagementwouldbesointeresting?
Thiscoursetaughtmealotaboutskinconditionsthatwouldbeconsiderationsfortreatmentor
contraindications/precautions(veryrelevantfordryneedling,hydrotherapy,etc.)
Italsotaughtmesignstolookoutforwhenrecognisingunderlyingskinconditionsthatmighteludetoa
nonmusculoskeletalcontributingfactor.
BoughtmytextbookthroughAmazon(allofthePhysicalTherapysubjectshadtheirtextbooksavailable
onAmazon).
Takes34weekstogetresultsforthesesubjectssofinishthemfirst.
Italsotakesafewweekstogetresultsforeachassignment,thereforeIwasstaggeringmysubmissions
togettheresultsbackofonebeforesubmittingthenext.
Overallittook3weekstofinishthe3onlinesubjectswhichwasveryverybusy.Iwouldrecommend
takingabout8weekstofinishthem.
5assignments:
2verytough,timedquizzesonburnsmanagementandwoundmanagement.
Wroteashortessayonselectivedebridementofwoundsandlearnthowtomanagethingslike
infectedbites,roadrash,scabbingandscarringandthenpressureulcers.
Wrote2essaysoneonaclinicalcasestudyforpressureulcercarewhichwasveryinterestingand
challengedmyclinicalreasoningalot,andwroteanarticlecritiques(ofyourchoice)forwhichIwrote
aboutfactorspredictingpressureulcerriskassessmentsothislinkedintomycasestudyverywell.I
wroteaboutpressuresoresbecauseitwasanareaIhavelittleknowledgeinandthoughtitwouldbe
greattolearnsomethingnew.

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Examinationandevaluationofmetabolicandendocrinedisease
OnlinethroughtheStAugustineUniversityinFlorida.
12week,online,selfpacedwork.
Thissubjectcrossedbothmetabolicandendocrinediseaseandwasawonderfulwaytosharpenupmy
skillsindifferentialdiagnosis.
4asseignments/essays:
2articlecritiques(ontopicsofyourchoice)OneIwrotewasaboutthedifferentialdiagnosisof
metabolicconditionsthatresultincarpaltunnelsyndromeandanotheronupperextremitydisabilityin
carpaltunnelsyndromeacrossarangeofmetabolicdiseases.
2casestudies(choosingfromthe3available)fromwhichIwroteabouthypothyroidismand
myxoedemacomaresultingfromatotalhiparthroplasty,andthechronicpainmanagementofa
patientwithpsoriaticarthritis.
Screening,consultationanddelegation
OnlinethroughtheStAugustineUniversityinFlorida.
ThiswasasubjectaboutlearningmoreaboutAmericanandCalifornianPhysicalTherapyLawwhichwas
againquitevaluable.
12week,online,selfpacedwork.
EachoftheseonlinecoursesthroughStAugustinewas~$1300.
3assignments/essays:
Oneassessing2clinicalscenariosaroundsupervisionandlegalrequirementswhenworkingwith
physicaltherapyassistantsandaides.
Oneessayinterviewingalocalphysicaltherapistwhoworksinnonclientrelatedservicesand
understandinghowtheroleofaPTdiffersbetweenclientrelatedandnonclientrelatedconsultation.
OneessayusingthecurrentAPTAscreeningtooltodiscussacasestudyofapatientandwhatfactors
oftheirinitialscreendeterminediftheyweresuitable/notsuitableforphysicaltherapyandwhy.
Chemistry
5weekonlineacceleratedcoursewhichequatestooneyearofcollegeChemistryinfiveweeks!
Tookabout30hoursofstudyaweeksodothisoneallbyitself.
Costdependsonuniversityminewas$1000$1500forallthematerials,onlinechemistrylaband
textbook.
KhanacademysavedmylifethankyouSal!
Resultsoccurin23weekstogetafulltranscript.
English
Selfstudiedover1weekonlydidtheCLEPpracticeexamandIwouldsuggeststudyingabitmorefor
thisone.ItwasalotofgrammarandrulesofEnglishwritingwhichisnotsomethingyouoftenthinkabout
whenitisyourfirstlanguage.
Cost$85tositCLEPexamplusabitmoreforstudyresources.
Takes46weekstogetresultstofinishtowardsthebeginning.NotknowingthisisthereasonI
missedthedeadlinefortheJulyexam.
Biology
Selfstudiedover4weeksequatingtoayearlongcourseofCollegelevelBiology.
Cost$85tositCLEPexamplusabitmoreforstudyresources.
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GotallbooksfromlibraryandAmazonrentals.
WatchedalotofKhanacademyvideos.
ResultsoccurimmediatelyandthengetpostedtoFCCPTwithin2weeks.
Maths
Selfstudiedover2weeksequatingtoayearlongcourseofCollegelevelMathematics.
Cost$85tositCLEPexamplusabitmoreforstudyresources.
Gotallbooksfromlibrary,especiallyexamguidesforpassinghighschoolandcollegelevelmaths.
Donewithoutacalculatorsotheexamismoreaboutmathematicprinciplesthancomplexarithmetic.You
learnaboutimaginarynumbers,functions,algebra,probability,statistics,logic,andgeometry.
ResultsoccurimmediatelyandthengetpostedtoFCCPTwithin2weeks.

Suggestions
CLEPexams:
DontpurchaseCLEPexamticketuntilyouknowwhenyouwanttotakethembecausetheyexpirein6
months.
Generallyyourendscoreneedstobe50/80toachievethecreditpoints.
DontbuytheofficialstudyguideasthequestionsarereplicatedinthePDFexamguidewhichyoubuy
online.Thiswillsaveyoumoney.
Beawarethattheexamsarethelevelofknowledgeoffirstyearcollegelevelmeaningthatyouhavealot
ofcontenttocoverifyouwanttosittheseexams.Thiswasmymistakenotleavingenoughtime.I
managedtolearnthecontentbutitwasverydemandingandtookmany12hourdaystocover.
Onlinesubjects:
Manyofthesubjectsyouneedtostudycanbedoneonlinewhichisgreat.
5weekcoursearecrammedcoursessobecarefulnottotaketoomuchonatonetime.
Thephysiotherapycourseareselfpacedwhereaschemistrywastimedandhadastrictdeadline.
Therefore,besuretoaskthesequestionswhenyouselectthespecificuniversityandfindoutwhatyour
studyrequirementsaregoingtobe.
IfyouhavealreadygotaSSNyoucanthenbeginthesesubjectsanywhere.
Ibeganthechemistryand3PTsubjectsatthesametimethiswassillystaggerthestartbutalsobegin
preparingforCLEPexamsearlyon.
Realisticallyitwilltaketime!Maketimeoryoubecomeahermitlikeme:)

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Generaltips:
AllthetextbooksIneededwhereavailableonAmazonandsomewhereevenavailableforrentwhich
meansyoucanreturnthemandpayafractionoftheprice.Justkeeptheoriginalpackagesoyoucan
sendthemback.
BecomeagoodlistenerofKhanacademybutdontuseitasastartingpointasitisextremelydetailed
andagreatresourceforexpandingknowledgenotstartingknowledge.
IbeganwithBiologyforDummieswhichwasanabsolutelifesaver.
IalsousedtheUnit3/4examguidesforVCE(AustralianHighSchoolfinalyear)tounderstandwheremy
knowledgebaseshouldbefortheCLEPexams.Theseexamguidesarerelativelyinexpensivetobuyand
quicktoread.Theyarewellexplainedandhaveheapsofquestions.Fromthereyoucanthengobackto
theCLEPsamplequestions,identifywherefurtherknowledgeisrequiredandthenusetextbooksand
khanacademytorampupyourknowledge.
IalsousedtheSATstudyguidestocomparemyknowledgefromAustraliatoAmericaandgainabetter
understandingofthecurriculum.
Scannableisanamazingapp(althoughthereareprobablymany)forscanningindocumentsandthen
emailingthem.ForChemistryIhadtohandwritealotofmyassignmentsthatneedsequationsand
stoichiometryandthenIjustsnappedthemonmyphone.ScannableturnedthemintoaPDFandIcould
easilysubmitthehomeworkonline.

Thingsthathelpedmecompletetheworkquickly
Knowinghowtoanalyseanarticlecritiqueandwhatyouarelookingfor(thiscomesfromUniversitydays
andpracticewithpreviousassignments).
Havingendnoteonmylaptopandknowinghowtousecitewhileyouwritefordifferentreferencingstyles
(you'llloosealotofmarksgettingAPAandAMAmixedup).
AndthethingsIhavealreadymentioned:scannableforhomework,Amazonprimeforrentingtextbooks,
membershipatSanFranciscopubliclibrary(sourceformanyofthebiologyandmathematicsbooksand
practiceexams),Khanacademyforchemistryandbiologyclasses
Secondscreenforreadingandresearchingessays.
Coffee:)
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THINGSIWOULDDODIFFERENTLY
Chemistry,Biology,Mathsallindependentblocksandleavemoretimetofinishwork.Chemistryand
BiologywerethehardestthisprobablyreflectsthatIneededenoughcreditpointstoequatetoafull
yearofcollegechemistryandbiologyandIhave5and4weekstolearnallthecontent.Definitelydont
studyanythingelseduringthesesubjects.
StartonlinePTsubjects2weeksapartsothatifyouneededthefull12weeksyoudidnthave13
assignmentsdueinthesameweek.
CLEPenglishexam:studyforthisanddoitatthebeginningbecauseittakesupto6weekstogetaresult
andthisisthereasonIdidntmakethecutofffortheJulyexam
DontbuyCLEPbookjustgetthePDFs.
AlwayssittheCLEPexamsduringtheday
ExpectthistotaketimeanddontthinkyoucanspeeduptheprocessittooklongerthanIthoughtfor
everythingandittakesalotofplanningtoknowhowallthedeadlinesmashtogetherandwhenallyour
transcriptswillbereadyforyourreevaluation.
YoucanbeginthemallatonceifyoucanjugglethatmuchstudybutIwouldn't.Maybetakescience
subjectsonindividuallyandthenstaggerstartthePTones(becauseyouneedtimebetweeneach
assignmentsubmissiontogetyourresultsback).
KnowwhentheNPTEisandwhenthecutoffdateforthatis,backtracktowhenthedocumentsare
neededforyourrequalificationandthencalculatehowmuchtimeittakestogetyourresults.
ImadethemistakeofthinkingthattheCLEPexamresultsareavailableimmediatelyandinfactEnglish
takes46weekstoreceiveascore.ThatsimpleerrormeansIwontsittheexaminJulybutinstead
hopefullymaketheOctoberintake.ThisisobviouslyverydisappointingandcouldhavebeenavoidedifI
havejuststartedEnglish2weeksearlier.

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Whattheoutcomewas&whatliesahead...
IreceivedmycertificateofprofessionalequivalencyattheendofJune,6monthsafterbeginningmy
study,whichismuchmuchquickerthanIeveranticipated.Atthispointintimeitis12monthssincethe
credentialevaluationbegan.Ihopethisshowsyouthatthephaseofmakingupeducationaldeficienciesisn't
actuallythatbad.IlearntlotsoffunnewtriviaandhopefullygotmystudybrainingearfortheNPTE.I'llkeep
youallpostedonthe3rdphasesittingtheJurisprudenceexamandNPTEexam(whichwillhopefullyoccur
inOctober).Theultimategoalistobelicensedbytheendofthisyear,whichwillbejustover2yearsforme
butonly18monthssinceIworkedouthowtodoit.
Sian:)
HereareallthebooksIusedthroughoutmystudiesmanyofwhichcanbeloanedfromyourpubliclibrary,
rentedorpurchasedfromAmazon.

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