My son is a junior in HS and is seriously considering becoming a Physical Therapist. He has spoken about it for several years. Aside form GPA and test scores, is there anything else my son should be doing to increase his odds in getting into a Freshman direct entry DPT program? I know they are highly competitive. Thank you in advance!
My guess is it might be similar to direct admit nursing (nursing student mom here). You need academics plus a demonstrated interest in the field.
Take science in high school, the highest level you can do well in including physics. If the school offers anatomy, take it and do well in it. Same goes for math, including Calculus.
Look for areas to volunteer. Volunteering at a hospital can get political, especially in small towns, so broaden your scope to nursing homes and assisted living centers. If there is a career mentorship program, sign up for it. At our high school you are connected with someone in the field you are interested in and get to shadow them for a period of time. You could also join a medical explorers post, if available. In our town the hospital sponsors one through the Boy Scouts that anyone can join. You could expand this to being a student athletic trainer for a sports team.
Most programs will list what they like to see or what you can expect to study in college. Here is a sample from a smaller university I love that offers a direct admission program for select freshmen:
In some towns, they let HS students join their EMT squad (and train them).
Apply early to 3+3 programs, like next summer.
Most 3+3 or 4 DPT programs are private universities. GPA, test scores and having a good science backround are going to be the key considerations. One school I would look at is the University of Evansville. It differs from many others in that any scholarships you receive for the undergraduate portion carry on through the graduate portion of their education. Finding scholarships as a DPT student can be challenging so it’s a double incentive.
https://www.evansville.edu/majors/physicaltherapy/faq.cfm
https://www.evansville.edu/majors/physicaltherapy/tuition.cfm
Thank you so much for all of your input. It sounds like a huge part of this equation is doing some volunteering in the field, which is essential for admission and also good for him to help solidify his decision to pursue this field.
Our schools allowed interested HS students to shadow the PT at the elementary school.
@carolinamom2boys any suggestions?
If you have some direct entry schools you’re considering, look at the admission requirements and see if they require any documented observation hours for direct entry. Some schools will require a certain amount and others may not have that requirement. You just want to be sure that he has any observation hours done well in advance so that he’s not scrambling at the last minute. If you live in a city that has a PT school, it may hard to find places willing to have him observe because they’re often times busy with having the students do clinicals,etc. That was our experience, anyway. Even if his potential school doesn’t require observation hours it’s a good idea to have some- it will help in interviews and potential essay questions. Finally, you’re certainly on the right track wanting direct entry. It’s pretty competitive and it’s much easier to transfer out than in if he changes his mind.
A complete list of accredited DPT programs (including the 3+3 programs) can be found at - www.apta.org
Be sure to check out the requirements for the individual schools.
Saint Louis U is an example of a school that has a clear web site that describes their program and admission requirements:
https://www.slu.edu/programs/undergraduate/physical-therapy.php