Ask a PT Response: "Becoming a physical therapist now requires a doctorate of physical therapy degree. With this degree, one of the requirements is for therapists to take a more in depth class in pharmacology. Despite this requirement, PTs are still unable to prescribe medications unless the PT is an army PT. Army PTs have limited priviledges in regards to prescribing medications (see link):
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+role+of+the+Army+physical+therapists+as+nonphysician+health+care+...-a016863109 - http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+role+of+the+Army+physical+therapists+as+nonphysician+health+care+...-a016863109
Personally as a PT, I would rather not have to worry about prescribing medications and focus on what I was trained on and know best, which is helping my patient recover with minimial use of medications. In the future, if our profession begins to lean towards prescribing medications, I definitely think that further education would be required to ensure safety and optimal outcomes for patients."