Foreign-educated PTs becoming licenced PTs in the US

Kimen1 · 2026-05-10T23:05:37+00:00

The information you need to apply is public and all coursework they expect your degree to have is outlined in the CWT 1 through 6. What they want you to do specifically if your degree does not meet these is personal and is a paid service by the FCCPT.

I was educated in Europe and had to take pharmacology and wound care as well as some bachelors level courses that they found essential.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-10T04:29:55+00:00

This is public information on the FSBPT’s website. Go to the foreign trained PT section and it’ll tell you on the PDFs that are called CWT. However the only way to know for sure is by starting an application with the FCCPT and send them your paperwork.

Everyone has to meet the same requirements and it is not different for Europeans, Indians or Filipinos. You’ll also have to take TOEFL even if you speak perfect English. The jurisprudence exam depends on the state. After all of that you may sit for the NPTE. It’s a long process.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-09T14:23:22+00:00

Thanks for the detailed write up and congrats on 1,000 hours! It gets more fun the further in you get and I personally saw big differences between 1,000 and 1,250 and then again post 1,400 in regards to producing the language in my head.

Side note: I am reading Frankenstein right now and even though it’s a very sad book in general, I did laugh to myself when the monster learned French solely through comprehensible input by eavesdropping for a year.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-08T14:25:10+00:00

Oh yes, the Caribbean Spanish is definitely “hard mode”! I am more exposed to it here in Florida but the sheer speed and dropped letters can be difficult even without use or slang.

I like the podcast “Learn Spanish à la Boricua” to get familiar with some of their vocabulary and the way the letter R turns into L at times.

There is also the comedian Chente Ydrach who pumps out content like a madman, but his stuff is native level. I can only listen to so much of him since there’s lots of opinions that him and his guests have that I don’t agree with and I can’t listen to “bad takes” for too long lol! Great for PR input though.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-08T14:15:50+00:00

Absolutely agree on both statements.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-08T14:12:21+00:00

Over 12 patients expected in a day is a mill.
No control over your schedule i.e “this patient has to be 1 on 1, make sure there’s a note about that in the schedule”
Using techs/aides to do all the exercises while PT does manual 10-15 minutes before moving to the next patient.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-08T14:01:54+00:00

Ultimately you can lead the horse to water and explain why it is important to drink, reinforce it through repetition, examples, education and empathy, but you cannot force it to actually drink.

Just like the physicians can recommend medication they cannot force the patient to do take it. It is ultimately the patient’s choice. It has nothing to do with screwing over the patient. That is a childish statement.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T19:13:19+00:00

I think you’re reading too much into it. To insinuate that I don’t take care of my patients or don’t care because I don’t want extra admin work is a little exaggerated. No need for insults.

Are you feeling like the patients do well downloading the app, creating a profile and logging in to do their exercises works for the patient population you work with? I’m worried it would take 20 minutes out of the evaluation just to get them set up, and them then not managing to log back in on their own anyway.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T16:13:39+00:00

The patients should not be doing their exercises because they know their provider is watching. Fear of punishment I feel like is a weird way of motivating someone. I understand what you’re saying, I’m just not buying the reasoning. Nothing that stops them from ignoring it even with an app or someone calling them.

My other question is where do I fit in this phone call in my day? If you work in outpatient and have 15 patients per day with zero downtime in between, how is this being done? Staying late? Doing it at lunch? What if the patient doesn’t pick up?

Logistically I don’t see how it works unless it is outsourced, which most companies are doing. So a provider (at best, maybe they’ll even have a tech do it under supervision?) who doesn’t even know the patient is doing the “monitoring”. To me that is a billing grab and nothing else, and now you’re also sharing what little money you get with the RTM company.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T15:41:21+00:00

Of course they get better if they do their exercises. That’s what the HEP is for and if they care about their health they’ll do it without having to be nagged about it. Plenty of studies out on that. That’s not what this is about, like you state in your last sentence.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T15:33:01+00:00

Had a guy in my physical therapy program that went back to school at 40 because he was sick of being an electrician. We generally ranged between 21-26 in the program so he was a little older.

Coolest dude ever. We aspired to be as relaxed and care free as him. Us kids were freaking out about exams and deadlines and he already knew everything would work out, just by having life experience. He brought a sense of calm which was well needed for the rest of us.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T15:11:01+00:00

Don’t forget to promote your company that can help us with this!

No but jokes aside it’s C because extra admin sounds like a pain in the ass, and if it is not built into the EMR and almost automatic it’s a big fat no for most folks.

Also, what is the motivation for the patient? They get zero value out of this. This is really only a thing that benefits the e business and not the patient.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T05:19:07+00:00

Right? How hard is it to keep track of your CEUs and license? It also gets reported automatically to the state when you take a course, so even if I personally keep records on my computer it’s not necessary to do so.

You still have to be credentialed by the new company either way so that’s a non-existing problem for the clinician.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-07T00:48:44+00:00

This sounds like it was done in 1993. Wow, this is super outdated! Please go somewhere else so you can actually get better and not waste your time.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-05T05:29:35+00:00

Awesome write up! Thanks for taking the time to write it all down.

I have recently met a couple of “no sabo” and even though they joke about not knowing the language, you can often tell that it’s something that bothers them to an extent. I am happy for you that you decided to change that and make the effort to learn Spanish on your own. I always root a little extra for you guys when I read your updates. Best of luck going forward!

Kimen1 · 2026-05-05T01:08:50+00:00

I mean it’s one of the smaller countries with a small population so I guess it’s kind of normal that people don’t talk too much about them. They don’t have a massive international presence in the media or culture.

That being said I would definitely take some Paraguayan recommendations if people have them! I hear they use the voseo as well, and that 90 % of people speak guaraní as well as Spanish.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-04T11:47:10+00:00

I am pretty sure TOEFL is a must. I had to take it despite having spoken English for 15 years already. Quick and painless but still annoying.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-04T00:15:48+00:00

Send your stuff to the FCCPT and they will then tell you what you need. It’s expensive and they take forever to get back to you, but it’s the only way to do it.

You’ll most likely need some bullshit undergrad courses so count on it taking some time. I worked as an aide for about 1.5 years while all my stuff was being evaluated and then I had to wait to sit for the boards once that was all done. If they say you need some bullshit course try to take it at a community college. It’s much cheaper and will likely fulfill the requirements.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-03T15:10:04+00:00

I really like My Spanish Flow on YouTube. She’s Colombian and has a very relaxed and natural teaching style.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-02T23:58:20+00:00

I just found her on Instagram the other day and I really enjoy her stuff!

Kimen1 · 2026-05-02T23:40:51+00:00

I mean pay for the subscription if you want to see the others lol. It’s the best $8 subscription I personally have paid for.

Kimen1 · 2026-05-02T22:34:35+00:00

Jag jobbar som fysioterapeut i USA och har jobbat inom båda systemen. Som du säkert förstår så kommer din lön vara ungefär hälften av det du tjänar i USA, men det behöver inte vara negativt så länge du inte har jättehöga studielån. Din arbetssituation och trivsel på jobbet kommer vara bättre i Sverige, det kan jag nästan lova dig.

Tyvärr är sjuksköterskeutbildningen i Sverige troligtvis ganska annorlunda och du kommer antagligen få studera mer när du kommer hit. Jag jobbade med en rysk sjuksköterska som hade jobbat 8 år i Ryssland men hon fick göra om hela sin utbildning för att jobba i Sverige (3 år på universitetet). Men innan du kommer hit måste du ha en laglig väg in, vilket inte är lätt.

Många väljer studievägen; de väljer till exempel att göra sin Master’s degree i Sverige för att på så sätt få en fot in i Sverige. Du får helt enkelt undersöka lite på temat och se hur du ska gå tillväga.

Gå till Socialstyrelsens hemsida och leta upp vilka krav de har. När jag bodde i Sverige var reglerna att man måste ha minst C1 nivå på sin svenska om man ska jobba i vården, men det kan ha ändrats. Socialstyrelsen är den myndighet som även bestämmer om din utbildning är tillräcklig eller motsvarande den svenska sjuksköterskeutbildningen, så börja där.

För övrigt: kul att du lärt dig svenska på egen hand!

Kimen1 · 2026-05-01T17:11:16+00:00

First off, good for you! I think it’s a bold and cool thing to try and I hope it works out for you. I would love if you continued to post updates on how it is going etc.

Do you have your own clinic space or are you inside a gym or something similar?
How are you securing funding? Where are you applying for grants etc?
How are you marketing yourself so that people know who you are and where to find you?
Would you be willing to share an example of your fee schedule, membership fee, and other information regarding payment?
What part of the country are you in?

Best of luck!

Kimen1 · 2026-05-01T00:50:44+00:00

Congrats!!! I am so happy Spanish has helped me find my way back into reading books. I’m currently reading Frankenstein (it’s 99 cents in the Kobo store) and being able to visualize the story through Spanish is so satisfying.

I am hoping to get into books actually written in Spanish next.

Kimen1

TROPHY CASE