Physical Therapist in the Air Force!

margaret30101

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I am in AFROTC and want to be a Physical Therapist in the Air Force. Does anyone know what the selection rate is to get a slot to go to physical therapy school for a job as a physical therapist in the Air Force?
 
I am in AFROTC and want to be a Physical Therapist in the Air Force. Does anyone know what the selection rate is to get a slot to go to physical therapy school for a job as a physical therapist in the Air Force?

Well, all the physical therapists I had when on Active Dury AF were enlisted. No ROTC grads...
 
"Becoming an Air Force Physical Therapist

After graduating from the Academy, can I work in the Air Force as a physical therapist?

Yes, but first you will need to complete one operational assignment, and then complete physical therapy training at the U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate program in Physical Therapy. Each year, one or two individuals are accepted into the Physical Therapy training program.

U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Physical Therapy

These slots are normally "reserved" for new USAFA graduates. If selected, you'll become a member of the Biomedical Science Corps. Upon completion of the program, graduates are given an assignment as an Air Force physical therapist. "

Here
Here
 
"Becoming an Air Force Physical Therapist

After graduating from the Academy, can I work in the Air Force as a physical therapist?

Yes, but first you will need to complete one operational assignment, and then complete physical therapy training at the U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate program in Physical Therapy. Each year, one or two individuals are accepted into the Physical Therapy training program.

U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Physical Therapy

These slots are normally "reserved" for new USAFA graduates. If selected, you'll become a member of the Biomedical Science Corps. Upon completion of the program, graduates are given an assignment as an Air Force physical therapist. "

Here
Here

That's fine. I grew up as an Air Force brat, mostly overseas utilizing AF hospitals and worked in a AF hospital overseas for a couple of years as part of a high school program as well as having a couple of different joint injurys while on Active Duty myself years later and never saw or used a PT who was an officer so either this is relatively new OR the number of officer PTs is very small compared to enlisted service members.
 
In the end 1 or 2 slots even for the AFA means 1 out of 500 or a thousand, and that's for the AFA.

To me that says yes you can do it, but you need a back up plan regarding your career plans.
 
the number of officer PTs is very small compared to enlisted service members.

looks like more a manager/supervisor than direct patient care.

Officer "Physical therapists plan, develop and manage physical therapy programs and activities"
AF Link
 
I did my PT in an Army clinic but there was a Air Force PT officer there too. In the Army, all Physical Therapists are officers (I would assume it would be this way in all services seeing as it is a graduate degree,) and I would assume any enlisted personnel anyone saw were just PT techs.

In the clinic I went to, I only saw the physical therapist once. They usually just give initial exams and develop a plan for the patient. The day to day contact was with the PT techs who helped with the exercises and monitored the patient's progress.
 
I'm a retired Navy Medical Service Corps officer so I have some knowledge about this field. Active duty presents a very narrow opportunity in this specialty as all the military services have very small numbers of physicial therapy officers who are principally involved with department adminisitrative or perhaps training tasks. As I recall, career potential, at least in the Navy, was limited. Most physical therapist officers I encountered couldn't get above O-4 unless they got a graduate degree in business or health care administration and then branched to more general higher level adminstrative positions.

The actual "hands-on" work is done by enlisted techs in military health care facilities. If the hands-on work is your passion, the civilian workplace might be your best venue.
 
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