How to Become a Physical Therapist in California

If you’re considering a career as a physical therapist, you’re embarking on a journey to change lives. Physical therapy is important work that helps individuals manage pain, improve mobility, and get back to living their everyday lives when they are dealing with injuries, illness, disabilities, or other physical hurdles.

Because of the critical role physical therapists play in helping to guide clients to recovery (physical therapists evaluate, diagnose, treat, educate, and track progress), it’s no wonder that they must adhere to extensive education, testing, and licensure requirements.

If you are pursuing a career as a physical therapist in California, you should be aware of what steps you’ll need to complete. In this physical therapist career guide, we lay out the steps and requirements for you.

The process for applying for your physical therapist license in California requires you to submit an online application and complete a series of additional steps in support of your application. One of the steps, which is passing your national and state exams, will be covered in greater detail in the next section. But in the meantime, here’s a quick list of the key steps you’ll need to take as part of the application process.

• Fill out an online application with the Physical Therapy Board of California (PTBC) via the BreEZe platform
• Have your DPT program validate your expected graduation date with the PTBC (can be done up to 90 days prior to graduation)
• Undergo a criminal background check
• Complete your Live Scan fingerprinting or a paper fingerprint card
• Submit a color, passport-style photo
• Pay a $300 for application processing and a $150 initial licensing fee

This is the general application process for U.S. educated physical therapist applicants (see the PTCB website for a more comprehensive list). Your required documentation and steps may differ if you are a different kind of applicant, such as a U.S.-educated PT applicant applying via an endorsement, a foreign-educated applicant, or an equivalency applicant. Look for the application steps that apply to you.

How long does it take for your license to be approved?

Once you apply for licensure, it will typically take about 30 days for the PTBC to acknowledge receipt of your application, and it usually takes about 45 days for your license to be issued, unless you’re eligible for expedited licensure.