My DS wants to be a physical therapist

[cseitter]

so can anyone give me any advice on curriculum to use? I know that he needs to have strong sciences so what are the strong science curriculum out there? He wants to do a general science course but I have heard that some colleges don't except general science as a HS credit. Am I wrong?

 

He will going into HS next year and this is what we plan for next year:

 

English/Lit: IEW Elegant essay; SICC B; TTC; Great Books list for ancients; Vocabulary from classical roots c&d; and a grammar program (haven't decided yet

 

Foreign Language: conversational spanish and RS Spanish Latin America edition

 

Math: Intro to Algebra I by Lail

 

Science: Apologia Biology ? What is better than that? Problem I have is I am not a creationist and believe in evolution.

 

History: Either history at our house or HO Ancients.

 

P.E.- Gym membership and Homeschool basketball team

 

Does this cover everything? Should I do more or less for his 9th grade year?

[G5052]

Physical therapy is a graduate degree. Some students do a 3+3 program with three years of undergraduate study and then three years of graduate study. The PT's I know say though that a doctorate is increasingly the "gold standard," especially for new hires looking to get the best jobs.

 

I would say solid biology, chemistry, and physics all with labs, and another year of advanced science in one of those areas. Being able to write well is critical because there will be lots and lots of evaluations and reports to write...

[HollyDay]

We have a friend who is a PT. She has a 4 year degree plus a masters, but she cannot get a promotion without her doctorate. She said if she was looking for work now, she probably would not get hired with only a masters.

 

Strong, strong sciences with labs and the math to back it up would be major areas of study. A good anatomy/physiology class would also be a good idea. Chemistry with labs and perhaps even adv. study in biochemistry or pharmacology couldn't hurt. How about a first aid/CPR certification? Getting involved in the medical/health industry as a volunteer couldn't hurt either.

 

We met a young lady on her break this past Christmas who said she was majoring in pre-med as her college did not have a BS program in physical therapy. She had already obtained her massage therapy license and was working to pay for her education as well as gain some hands on experience. She said the organic chemistry and math were really tough and she wished she had taken more honors or advanced courses in high school.

 

I'd check out schools your dc wants to attend and see what they require then create a program around that.

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

General Science can be counted as an elective. :)

 

I'd go heavy on Biology and Anatomy.

 

On a side note: My dd17 will be using Conceptual Chemistry, but I might assign her the Apologia Chemistry AUDIO to listen through. You might choose a curriculum to listen through to augment whatever you pick for the main text.

[cseitter]

So what Biology and Chemistry curriculum would someone recommend?

[SusanAR]

So what Biology and Chemistry curriculum would someone recommend?

 

BJU with dvd's My son loves chemistry and I owe it to BJU. It is very comprehensive. One of my best hs choices in 12 years:001_smile:

[G5052]

I like Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide by Steven Garber, but it needs to be used as outlined in the WTM with other resources.

 

There is another book by Gardener (sp?) that some here have used.

 

We're with a group that uses Apologia (not my favorite), and I'm considering also using Singapore Science (http://www.singaporemath.com) as a reading course in the summer after Apologia. You would need to do something for labs, perhaps the Castle Heights lab book because the Singapore labs are not homeschool-friendly.

[SusanAR]

I like Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide by Steven Garber, but it needs to be used as outlined in the WTM with other resources.

 

There is another book by Gardener (sp?) that some here have used.

 

We're with a group that uses Apologia (not my favorite), and I'm considering also using Singapore Science (http://www.singaporemath.com) as a reading course in the summer after Apologia. You would need to do something for labs, perhaps the Castle Heights lab book because the Singapore labs are not homeschool-friendly.

 

 

I'm not familiar with Sing biology, but the chemistry doesn't cover all/same topics that US texts do, FWIW.

[momofkhm]

Does this cover everything? Should I do more or less for his 9th grade year?

 

Beyond the classroom, get him volunteering in the field. At first it will be very simple stuff. I was thinking about PT while in college. I went down to the local hospital and asked about volunteering in the department to get some "practical" hours. What they had me doing mostly was patient transport. But I'd heard even back then that the hours would be necessary to get into a good school. I'm sure that's even more true now.

[G5052]

I'm not familiar with Sing biology, but the chemistry doesn't cover all/same topics that US texts do, FWIW.

 

And it's Campbell's Biology I was thinking about. There are other threads here about having both a high school and AP text available if you search.

 

We're not quite there yet, but I'm going to have make a decision about it sometime next year. I do want something that goes beyond Apologia and gives a secular viewpoint for just a reading course, but what...?

[NevadaRabbit]

Cindy, I formerly worked as a physical therapist. It's been a long time since I posted at WTM but I had to come out of lurkdom to talk about my former career!

 

PT was once a bachelor's degree. In the 1980's, the professional organization pushed for Master's degrees for entry-level positions; by the 90's, they were pushing for doctorates for all entry-level PT's. While this has advanced the level of education of PT's, it has also made it a less accessible career because of the greater time and cost to just get the degree. Be aware that your son will need to pursue a doctorate to get into the field as a licensed PT. Many accredited PT programs require a Bachelor's degree for admission, followed by 2-3 years of a full load of coursework to complete the DPT.

 

Look here for accredited PT programs in the US. http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?section=PT_Programs&template=/aptaapps/accreditedschools/acc_schools_map.cfm&process=3&type=PT

 

I would suggest that your son (1)start volunteering in a hospital PT department when he is old enough to do so. He might have to simply fold towels and watch the happenings for a while, but this will give him exposure to the basics of the field. (2)As he gets older he could get a position as a physical therapy aide (requires no certification and most places will train) for some hands-on experience. All PT programs will require X hours of prior experience, either as volunteer or aide.

 

I'd also recommend that your son visit any PT schools near you, even if it's not the one he eventually wants to attend, and see if he could interview them about their suggestions and requirements for admission.

 

In a nutshell, cover biology, chemistry, physics (he will need 2 semesters of each in his Bachelor's studies); anatomy and physiology, and dissection. Math as far as he can go - but engineering-level calc is probably not necessary. The more you can do with Latin and Greek roots, the better - everything medicalese is based on the roots.

 

Best wishes to your son - I loved my job and will be hoping he continues to be drawn to join the field!

[Mom22ns]

Jill,

I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I've been haunting this thread because my dd wants to be a physical therapist. I had looked up the local university's Physical Therapy PhD program to check the requirements and see where we are headed, but your link and your information was incredibly helpful.

 

Thanks for coming out of lurkdom!

[MIch elle]

http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=A_Career_in_Physical_Therapy&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=71101

[mjbucks1]

I am a practicing PT (I only work 4 hours a week but this allows me to keep my license). I really want to stress your son should try to take anatomy in high school (as well as many of the other science you can fit in). Physics (NOT calculus based) and anatomy are very important in graduate school, and the more exposure he has to them, the better (I would suggest when he does take anatomy to have him memorize as many muscles as possible...along with their actions. This will be a great head start!!) If he is not oppossed to it, I would have him study science year round to allow him to take two advanced courses if possible. I am only suggesting this to make him a little better prepared for college and make it a little easier for him, especially the first year :) I would also add that many graduate schools require statistics and psychology, so exposure to this might be helpful as well. Again, you will get all the preparation in your college years, but the more exposure you have now, the easier this will make college.

I would also like to add that volunteering is very important as NevadaRabbit stated, and those were very good suggestions. Most of the volunteering is folding towels (and observing), but I volunteered for one PT in pediatrics who allowed me to help (not touching a patient, but, for example, holding a toy for a child to reach for, etc) She always explained what she was doing and why. It was a great experience!! I wish your son the best of luck!!

[mjbucks1]

I am a practicing PT (I only work 4 hours a week but this allows me to keep my license). I really want to stress your son should try to take anatomy in high school (as well as many of the other science you can fit in). Physics (NOT calculus based) and anatomy are very important in graduate school, and the more exposure he has to them, the better (I would suggest when he does take anatomy to have him memorize as many muscles as possible...along with their actions. This will be a great head start!!) If he is not oppossed to it, I would have him study science year round to allow him to take two advanced courses if possible. I am only suggesting this to make him a little better prepared for college and make it a little easier for him, especially the first year :) I would also add that many graduate schools require statistics and psychology, so exposure to this might be helpful as well. Again, you will get all the preparation in your college years, but the more exposure you have now, the easier this will make college.

I would also like to add that volunteering is very important as NevadaRabbit stated, and those were very good suggestions. Most of the volunteering is folding towels (and observing), but I volunteered for one PT in pediatrics who allowed me to help (not touching a patient, but, for example, holding a toy for a child to reach for, etc) She always explained what she was doing and why. It was a great experience!! I wish your son the best of luck!!

[tex-mex]

Beyond the classroom, get him volunteering in the field. At first it will be very simple stuff. I was thinking about PT while in college. I went down to the local hospital and asked about volunteering in the department to get some "practical" hours. What they had me doing mostly was patient transport. But I'd heard even back then that the hours would be necessary to get into a good school. I'm sure that's even more true now.

:iagree: Hubby was a Kinesiology major in college in the 80's and got some bad advice and never pursued his Master's to be an PT. If I were you, have son shadow both a Physical Therapist and an Occupational Therapist to see what appeals to him. Human Anatomy & Physiology is a biggie in college. Ditto on the Physics. But he will need to be familiar with major muscle groups and injuries. One thing that really helped hubby was his years of sports in high school and being injured as an athlete. Perhaps ds can shadow as a sports trainer too? He'll need to understand anatomy. Hubby also worked as a trainer in a gym while in college. Definitely begin the hours of volunteering -- it is a graduate degree -- but the hours may benefit your ds in deciding if this is the career for him?

Edited July 12, 2010 by tex-mex

[cseitter]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I have setup for my DS to be in the OR with an orthopedic surgeon a couple of times this summer. Mark (the OS) is a friend of mine and my DS is syc'd about going into a real OR. We live 10 mins away from a good hospital so I will have him call about volunteering this fall.