Everyone agrees that gaining admittance into an American physical therapy program is a major feat. Even the brightest student can be rejected year after year, wasting his or her valuable time and money. Prospective students, especially those who have been rejected before, need to carefully weigh thair chances of gaining admittance to a U.S. school and consider their options.

Those who are dedicated to becoming a physical therapist may choose to apply to a study abroad program. Although these programs are also selective, a reputible program will provide quality physical therapy education and the unique opportunity to experience and acclimate to a foreign culture.

The following offers a glimpse into two different sets of study abroad programs that recruit and accept Americans as international PT students. All agree that a prospective student needs to be open-minded and adaptable, and ready to experience another culture as never before.

Shifrin Healthcare Inc., of Florham Park, NJ, is a placement company that is dedicated to helping prospective PT students attend universities in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales) and Austrailia. In January 1994, Shifrin Healthcare entered into a partnership with the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. American students would be accepted into an accelerated master's level physical therapy program at the Robert Gordon University. Students complete a four-year degree in two and one-third years.

Now, according to Steven Miles Shifrin of Shifrin Healthcare, his company cooperates with four different PT programs. In addition to the Robert Gordon University, ties exist with the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland; the University of Dublin, Trinity College in Ireland; and a new program at the Curtin University of Technology in Perth. Australia.

Studying overseas is a great experience, Shifrin said, and the important detail about the programs his company is affiliated with is they are offered in English-speaking countries. "The British education is very hands-on, [compared with] our education," he noted. "On the average they do alot more clinical time then we do here. That's what PT is all about, more hands-on experience."

These PT programs are well-established, Shifrin noted. Both the Robert Gordon University and the University of Ulster accelerated programs in physical therapy are accredited by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in London, which is the accrediting body for the United Kingdom. In addition, all of the universities are approved by the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC.

"Our programs aren't developing, they've been teaching and graduating PTs for years," Shifrin said. The only difference between the accelerated program and the established four-year program at the cooperating schools is the time it takes to obtain the degree. The course work, requirements and even the instructors are the same.

Students have plenty of exposure to the native students at the British universities. Some Americans can participate in the university's extracurricular activities and conduct research with their British colleagues. Best of all, American students have the oppertunity to experience the art, history and landscape of the United Kingdom.

Kathleen Keene, a PT aide from East Norwich, NY, will be attending the University of Ulster's accelerated program this year. After three years of applications and rejections to American PT schools, she decided to apply abroad and was accepted. "I'm going to be doing what I love, which is PT, and I'm going to get the opportunity to meet so many new people and have this wonderful experience," she explained. Keene's family roots are in Ireland, providing her a connection to the culture and the land.

Keen said that the application process for her overseas program with Shifrin Healthcare was similar to the process for American PT schools. She noted that she really enjoyed the interview with the faculty of the University of Ulster that took place here in the United States in New Jersey. "We met the faculty and they gave us as much information as they could. They answered all our questions and made us feel comfortable and relaxed," she said, "like they wanted to get to know us." Keene mentioned that some American PT programs don't conduct interviews anymore. "I think that's terrible. It's hard to get to know people by just what they write on paper."

"The education seems to be fairly comparable to the programs [in this country]," Keene noted. "we're starting off with anatomy and physiology, and it seems to be an equal amount of clinical time." However, one thing that is offered at Ulster that has captured her interest is aquatic therapy. "I don't know about too many universities in this country that [offer it]," she said.

Shifrin explained that it is important to remember that the American Physical Therapy Association doesn't control PT licensing. "It's the individual state boards that have control. They look at general education requirements from the student's prerequisites and the professional educational credits fom the PT course [of study] itself. Our students should be overloaded in both categories when they return," he noted. The programs cooperating with Shifrin Healthcare are listed with the APTA to become accredited. APTA Accreditation would be an extra advantage for these British-educated American PTs, but is not a requirement for licensure.

The schools in the U.K. have a very good support system, Shifrin pointed out, and the classes are smaller than the ones U.S. PT students are accustomed to. The British governement regulates clinical affiliations that are overseen by individuals from the university. "there's a lot of structure," he said. "The British are known for their style of education, for their excellence." At the World Confederation of Physical Therapy last year in Washington, DC, nine people from the University of Ulster PT department presented papers. "That shows that quality is the standard," he noted.

Shifrin Healthcare prides itself for going out of its way for its studens. Students come from diverse backgrounds and from all over the country, including Alaska. "We don't hold it against people of it took them longer to figure out what they wanted to do," he said. "With the U.S. schools, if you have any kind of blemish on your application, they have so many applications that they weed you out." For counseling the student, taking care of paperwork and orchestrating the student's transition to a PT career, Shifrin Healthcare obtains a two-year work commitment from the student. The American graduates work in three-month, six-mointh or one-year positions.

Travel is exciting to Keene, but school is most important at this juncture in her life. "I'm most excited about finally reaching the goal I've worked towards for four-years or more. I'd be happy wherever I was going to PT school, but going over to Ireland is an added bonus."