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What are my career options after BPT?

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The completion of a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) opens up a world of diverse and rewarding career options for aspiring physiotherapists. Whether it’s working directly with patients in clinical settings, specializing in specific areas of physiotherapy, pursuing advanced education, or venturing into a non-clinical career, the possibilities are abundant. This article will provide an overview of the exciting career options after BPT, empowering you to make informed decisions and embark on a fulfilling professional journey.

For the sake of discussion, let’s classify career options

  • Continue your education
  • Start working 
  • Go non clinical

Now let’s explore each category in detail

1. Continue your education.

Master’s in India

This is the most sought-after career option after BPT. Your final year and internship is the best time to judge where your interests lie. You will need to take the entrance exam. Depending on your score, you can decide which college to go to and what specialization to choose.

Currently, in India, you can specialize in Musculoskeletal physiotherapy, neurological physiotherapy, cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, sports physiotherapy, community-based rehabilitation and women’s health physiotherapy. Most of the universities offer master’s courses for the span of 2 years. 

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Certification courses:

If you don’t want to pursue traditional MPT degree, you can choose other specialization courses such as certified MDT, NDT, CSCS etc. These internationally recognized certifications serve as powerful indicators of your expertise and competence, positioning you as a globally competitive physiotherapy professional.

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Master’s abroad:

Many Indian physiotherapy new graduates choose to travel overseas to pursue a Master’s. Commonly selected countries are the USA, the UK, Australia, and Canada. By choosing to study abroad, these students have the chance to learn from renowned faculty members and collaborate with a diverse cohort of students from different cultural backgrounds. This exposure not only enhances their clinical skills but also broadens their understanding of patient management, and advanced rehabilitation techniques.

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Pros:

  • Knowledge: Your masters curriculum gives you advanced knowledge in the chosen specialty and makes you better equipped to treat patients. You are likely to treat patients more confidently after getting your Masters degree.
  • Higher pay: Candidates with a masters degree are often offered more pay. Your masters degree will also give you an edge when you are applying for a job and can put you ahead of other candidates who don’t have masters.
  • You can get into academics: This opens the whole new career path. Most of the colleges in India require their professors to hold master’s degrees. 

Cons:

  • Number of years: Doing masters means continue to be in the college student phase for 2 more years. Some are ready to wave college goodbye immediately after their Bachelors.
  • Cost: Pursuing masters adds to the cost of education. This cost can be high, even in a few Lakhs, depending on which college you get enrolled into.
  • You are likely to make a no or a little money while you are still in college: You may see others of your age already working, getting promoted, starting their own business while you are still studying. It can be frustrating for some. A handful of colleges will give you a stipend that may cover your monthly expenses partially. You can also do consultation/ home visits on the side when doing masters. I used to do Home visits after college hours when I was doing masters. Your schedule gets very busy. It is difficult to manage college work, study, dissertation and your private patients. 

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2. Start working

One of the other career options after BPT is to start working. Many students want to start working right away and get financial freedom. If you choose to go this route you can either start working for someone or start your own clinic. Many students do some sort of internship/observation soon after their graduation to get experience working in the real world.

Although a few people choose to start their practice right away and take advantage of starting early. There is nothing right or wrong here. Just the different options. One of the senior physiotherapists told me that the best time to start your private practice is early in your career. Oftentimes students choose to work for someone before starting their own clinic.

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Pros:

  • Real-world experience: You get to see patients, work at the clinic and gather ‘real world’ experience. Getting out of a safe college environment and stepping into this arena can be intimidating at first but soon you get used to the ups and downs of the daily hustle.
  • You start making money right away: It is exciting to get your first income and start taking responsibility for your expenses. Also, You will not be incurring costs of college fees.
  • You get the advantage of time: Since you are starting early, you can leverage that to your advantage. It will give you 2 years of additional work experience on your resume. If you are starting your own practice, you can use your early years to build your patient base and establish your practice.

Cons:

  • Less Pay: Candidates with bachelor’s degrees are often paid less as compared to candidates with masters. Sometimes employers might just want to hire candidates with a master’s degree exclusively.
  • Little scope for teaching career: As mentioned earlier, a master’s degree is a prerequisite to be a professor at many colleges. This shouldn’t affect you if you don’t have a passion for teaching or do not want to pursue academics.
  • You may miss out on specialized knowledge: Masters’s programs are designed to make individuals better equipped in a specialized area of treatment. Unless, you make efforts on your own to take courses, learn from mentors, ask questions your knowledge might not grow.

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3. Go non-clinical

One of the career options after a BPT is pursuing a non-clinical career. Some physiotherapy students and sometimes even professionals realize that clinical practice is just not for them.

Some choose to pursue post-graduate education in business administration, hospital administration, clinical research, etc. While others might decide to explore medical writing and even start a blog. Some may choose an entirely different path, skip the medical world, and may embark on the journey of entrepreneurship.

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Pros:

  • Opportunity to lead: If you choose to go for a career in business administration or hospital administration you will get to work on the management side of the things and even get to utilize your leadership skills.
  • Explore the corporate world: If you are tired of working in a clinical environment, going non clinical may provide an opportunity to explore the corporate world.
  • Higher pay: You may end up getting a hire pay depending on your role, education and years of experience.

Cons:

  • Judgement: Some of your colleagues, seniors, professors and even family members may respond to you by rolling their eyes and thinking you are making a mistake.
  • New career path: You may need to start from scratch, from getting a new degree to starting as a fresher when you join your job.
  • Cost: The additional education may add to the expenses along with money and time spent in physiotherapy college.

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These are your career options after BPT. I will continue to explore new career paths by bringing you more information no matter which way you choose to go. By choosing a career path that aligns with your interests, strengths, and long-term goals, you can make a significant impact on the lives of patients, contribute to the advancement of the field, and enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career in physiotherapy.

Tejashree Limaye
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Hello, My name is Tejashree Limaye. I am a physiotherapist with 10+ years of experience. I help you go from being stuck in your career to finding a job you love! I provide career guidance about clinical and non clinical PT career in India. I also help you with US PT licensing process. Welcome to my blog, I hope you find the exact guidance you have been looking for!