How To Become A Sports Physical Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sports physical therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Experts

Dr. Todd Roach D.C.,

Dr. Evan Papa Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a sports physical therapist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.26 an hour? That's $67,105 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 17% and produce 40,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Sports Physical Therapist?

Dr. Todd Roach D.C.

Assistant Professor of Biology, Aurora University

My best advice to new graduates would be not to lose focus. There are a lot of "shiny objects" in healthcare that can be distracting. It doesn't matter if you open your practice or start working for an established tradition; there are many distractions when it comes to attracting and fulfilling patient needs. Find what you are passionate about (i.e., sports rehab, pain control, headaches, etc.) and focus on your message and talents.

ScoreSports Physical TherapistUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $67,105

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.2

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 12.44%

Black or African American 3.67%

Hispanic or Latino 7.41%

Unknown 3.73%

White 72.27%

Gender

female 57.53%

male 42.47%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Sports Physical Therapist in Columbus, OH

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Key steps to become a sports physical therapist

Explore sports physical therapist education requirements

Most common sports physical therapist degrees

Bachelor's

69.4 %

Doctorate

17.7 %

Master's

9.7 %

Start to develop specific sports physical therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Physical Therapy	43.50%
Patient Care	26.71%
Rehabilitation	25.78%
Injury Prevention	1.30%
PTA	1.18%

Complete relevant sports physical therapist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sports physical therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sports physical therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sports physical therapist resumes.

Research sports physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Administer therapeutic hot packs, cold packs and personally handle various electrical stimulation treatments; ultrasound, electrical stimulation.
Employ at an out-patient orthopedic clinic with primary goal for patient return to work, ADL, or sports/recreation activities.

Prepare your sports physical therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sports physical therapist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sports physical therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sports Physical Therapist Resume templates

Build a professional Sports Physical Therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Sports Physical Therapist resume.

Apply for sports physical therapist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sports physical therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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