There are times in your life when your normal physical mobility may be affected due to injury or surgery or you may be in pain. That one person whom we approach when we face such situations is a physical therapist. He is the one who can help in improving the mobility. It is not that Physical therapists treat only patients with temporary disability and pain. They are known to give treatment to patients with permanent disability and they treat patients of all age groups.

One of the best professions to pursue:

If you are looking out for a profession which pays you well, lets you be close to the medical field and gives you a sense of satisfaction then physical therapy is one of the best choices. Though one needs to have attributes and skills to become a good physical therapist, this profession has a wide scope. A physical therapist can work in hospitals, private clinics and rehabilitation centers, athletic centers, schools for disabled, corporate companies and many other such places which need a physical therapist. A good physical therapist must have good observation skills along with good motor skills and needs a good grasping power.

What type of courses should be pursued to become a physical therapist?

Before we take into consideration the various courses that one can pursue to become a physical therapist, it is important to understand that the candidate needs to complete the 10+ 2 programme, which means that the candidate can pursue most of the physical therapy or physiotherapy courses after the 12^th standard. It is mandatory that the candidate has biology as one of the subjects in the 12^th standard.

If one wants to pursue a career in physical therapy in India then he or she has three options.

1. Diploma in Physiotherapy
2. BSc. In Physiotherapy
3. A professional course in Physiotherapy that is Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Diploma in Physiotherapy:

One can pursue this course after the 12^th standard. This is generally three-year course and has limited growth prospects. After 10^th standard one can even opt for a two-year certificate programme. One can usually get employment as an assistant.

Bachelor of Science with Physiotherapy as a major subject:

This is a three-year course which a candidate from the science stream can pursue after completing 12^th standard.

Professional course on Physiotherapy or Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT):

This is one of the best courses and hospitals prefer to appoint a person with a professional BPT degree rather than a candidate with BSc or diploma in physiotherapy. The eligibility criteria for the BPT course are:

• 10+2 in Science
• Biology as one of the subjects
• Minimum 50% marks in each subject
• The candidate needs to appear for a common entrance test

BPT is a four-year course and it has 6 months internship.

What are some of the top institutions to pursue the physical therapy courses in India?

Some of the best institutes where you can pursue these courses are:

1. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute for Physically Handicapped:

This college is located in Delhi and comes under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India and it offers the 4 ½ years BPT course.

2. JSS College of Physiotherapy:

This college is located in Mysore in Karnataka and this college also offers the professional BPT course in Physiotherapy.

3. KJ Somaiya College of Physiotherapy:

Located in Sion in Mumbai, this college is affiliated to the Mumbai University and it offers the 4 ½ years BPT course.

4. Chandrashekhar Agashe College of Physical Education:

This college is located in Pune and is recognised as the research centre in Physical Education. It not only has bachelor’s and master’s courses in Physical education but also has MPhil course in Physical education.

5. Apollo College of Physiotherapy:

This college is located in Hyderabad and offers courses in Physiotherapy.

There are a number of other top institutes in India which are offering courses in Physiotherapy like KEM and Nair hospital in Mumbai, Institute of Physically handicapped in New Delhi, Indian Institute of Health Education and Research in Patna etc. Depending on the location of your choice and the fulfilment of the eligibility criteria you can apply for the different courses in Physical therapy.

The courses in Physiotherapy and the institutes offering these courses are many. It is important that you opt for a professional course and a good institute so that your prospects of getting a job in a premier institute are better.

For further queries and related information, you can approach the Professional Experts at CareerGuide. Hope this will help you!