To become a physical therapist right now in the US, there are two main steps you must take: graduate from a DPT program and pass the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE), also known as the boards.
Each doctor of physical therapy program must be accredited by an organization called The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), which is affiliated with American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). At the moment, there are almost 300 PT schools in the US, the vast majority of which use PTCAS for admissions (although 13 schools do not). Again, all must be accredited by CAPTE.
However, not every program is accredited at every moment in time. Some programs are not yet accredited because they are new. Others lose accreditation for failing to meet CAPTE’s standards. Let’s take a look at both of these cases:
1. New programs. There are several stages a new program must go through to become accredited.
- First, they must hire and employ a program director. “These programs are placed on this list when the Department of Accreditation is officially notified that a Program Director has been employed. These programs are in the early stages of development; no students have been admitted.”
- Then, these “applicants for candidacy” apply for accreditation as they go through a development process. These programs, “are in varying degrees of development. They have begun the process toward accreditation by submitting an Application for Candidacy. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education has not yet granted Candidate for Accreditation status to these programs.”
- Before becoming accredited, each program is known as a “Candidate for Accreditation.” This step is necessary before a school can become accredited, and it follows a lengthy process. According to CAPTE, “These programs have admitted at least one class of students … Candidacy status indicates that a program is making satisfactory progress toward compliance with accreditation criteria, but it does not assure that a program will achieve accreditation.”
Each program must clearly state their status on their website so there is no confusion about whether or not a program is already accredited and to make it clear that accreditation is not guaranteed.
The program must have a plan in place for if it does not achieve candidate status: “a written contingency plan for students if the program should fail to achieve candidate status and a contingency plan with a teach-out plan should the program fail to achieve accreditation status.”
Programs cannot become fully accredited until at least one class has graduated. Even if the program does not get accredited right away, the students will still be considered to have graduated from an accredited program and can sit for the boards. As they note, “students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period.” Schools must also guarantee that they have clinical education spots for their students as part of this process.
After becoming a candidate for accreditation, programs must put together a self-study report that includes information on how the charter class is progressing and host a visit from CAPTE.
One important note: “All credits and degrees earned and issued by a program holding candidacy are considered to be from an accredited program.”
If accreditation is withheld for a program, their teach-out plan “must ensure CAPTE that students completing the teach-out plan would meet curricular requirements for professional licensure and must include a list of academic programs offered by the institution and the names of other institutions that offer similar programs. Should a program have its initial accreditation withheld on reconsideration, the program will maintain its preaccreditation status for currently enrolled students. Only those students completing the teach-out plan of the outlined curriculum within 120 days of CAPTE’s final decision to deny initial accreditation will be considered graduates of an accredited program. CAPTE may approve a slightly longer teachout plan if CAPTE determines the extension is for good cause.”
However, if accreditation is withdrawn, “only those students in the final year (twelve months) of the program will be considered to be graduates of an accredited program.”
You can check the status of accreditation for new programs here.
2. Established programs. Every 10 years, CAPTE reaccredits DPT programs. Columbia went through this long and arduous process when I was a student, and I was on a DPT student accreditation committee. Most programs do what they are supposed to do and pass. However, a few do not. Schools that do not pass are put on probation. Schools can get put on probation for many reasons, including having an ultimate licensure pass rate of less than 40% in a year. According to CAPTE, there are currently a handful of DPT programs in trouble at the moment. If they make the appropriate changes, they will be reaccredited, but if not, accreditation will be withdrawn. For the purposes of graduation and taking the boards, a school that is on probation is still considered an accredited program.
All students and applicants must be notified if the program is put on probation. CAPTE notes these programs “may wish to consider suspending admission to the program until the deficiencies are eliminated,” but they do not have to do so. If accreditation is withdrawn, the school must come up with a plan for current students to either help them graduate or “teach-out,” which may mean seeking enrollment in another program. Students in their final year, however, will be allowed to graduate and considered graduates of an accredited program.
So, while there is a slight risk to attending an unaccredited program, the process seems designed to punish the PT school, not the PT students. If you attend a program that is denied accreditation, you will most likely still be able to graduate, and if not, they will come up with a plan for you. This would be riskiest if you are in the first year and potentially have to transfer. However, by all accounts, this risk is fairly low.
Also, programs that are unaccredited may be easier to get into. If you are worried about being accepted into an accredited program, this may be your best bet.
[This article is based on my extensive research, however, things are always changing in the PT world. If you have questions about a particular school or the accreditation process, read through the sources I’ve linked to, and contact the school and/or CAPTE.]