A physical therapist assistant (PTA) is a health care provider who works under the supervision of a physical therapist (PT). They do hands-on care for people who need to recover from injuries to the bones and joints, brain and nerves, problems with pain, developmental complications, and other movement problems. Their main purpose is to assist people with reaching their maximum level of health and function. They help people to recover their ability to walk, to heal from wounds, and to learn to work and live with the effects of injuries and other health problems.
Physical therapists are responsible for evaluating and treating people who need physical therapy care. They identify problems that physical therapy can address, create goals, and decide what treatment the person will receive. PTs supervise all care given by the PTA.
As with all professions, health care worker demand goes up and down. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states, however that the PTA profession is to, “…increase much faster than average…” and that job prospects are, “…very good.” The median wage throughout the country is approximately $41,000.00/year.
PTAs usually work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, schools, home health – actually, anywhere that physical therapists work. They only work with physical therapists – this is exclusive and required by professional ethics, codes of conduct, and by law.
Once the PTA program is accredited, students will earn the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree. The degree will allow graduates to sit for the state board examination and become licensed to practice.
Until recently, Utah was one of four states that did not require licensure for physical therapist assistants. As of July 1, 2009, however, PTA licensure is required. In order to receive a license to practice, an individual must graduate from an accredited PTA program and pass the State license examination.
The PTA program is new to Dixie State College. Since it is new, there is a lengthy process involved to achieve accreditation. The program is seeking accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; phone;703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org). The DSC PTA Program has now achieved Candidacy for Accreditation status. This means that the program has been approved to accept students, begin the course of study, and perform the "Self Study" phase in the accreditation process. This process will take approximately 18 months to complete and if successful, will result in initial program accreditation. The first three classes of students will therefore be accepted into a program that is in the process of accreditation. Students cannot graduate from the program until initial accreditation has been granted by the Commission. Every effort will be made to gain accreditation; however, Dixie State College of Utah does not imply, nor guarantee that it will be achieved.
It is important to understand that achieving a physical therapist assistant A.A.S. degree does not prepare students to become physical therapists. These are two separate careers and the degree requirements are not the same.
The physical therapist degree is now rapidly becoming a Doctorate. Most schools in the U.S. have made the change, or are in the process of changing to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree or its equivalent. Colleges and universities that offer physical therapist degrees are the best sources for more information. A listing of schools that offer the DPT degree can be found at www.apta.org.
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| BIOL 1610/1615 Principles of Biology/Lab |
5 Credits |
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| BIOL 2320/2325 - Human Anatomy/Lab |
5 |
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| ENGL 1010 - Introduction to Writing |
3 |
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| LIB 1010 - Information Literacy |
1 |
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| PTA 1010 - Introduction to Physical Therapy |
2 |
- Observation or Work Experience. Students must arrange for at least 40 hours of observation in a physical therapy care setting. Dixie State College does not arrange this; it is the responsibility of the student. Students who have worked as a physical therapy aide may have this requirement waived.
Note: The following will only apply to the first group of students accepted into the program. Subsequent groups will have the same content but a different schedule.
Students who are accepted into the program beginning in 2010 must follow the sequencing outlined below.
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|
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| Practice Issues |
2 |
| Kinesiology |
2 |
| Kinesiology Lab |
2 |
| Fundamentals of P.T. |
2 |
| Fundamentals Lab |
2 |
|
| Observation and Measurement |
2 |
| Observation and Meas. Lab |
2 |
| Clinical Pathology |
2 |
| Note: Summer semester is 8 weeks |
|
| Physical Agents |
2 |
| Physical Agents Lab |
2 |
| Orthopedic Rehabilitation |
2 |
| Orthopedic Rehab. Lab |
2 |
| Clinical Practicum |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Special Clientele |
2 |
| Special Clientele Lab |
2 |
| Neuromuscular Rehabilitation |
2 |
| Neuro. Rehab. Lab |
2 |
| Seminar |
3 |
| Rehabilitation Psychology |
2 |
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| No PTA courses – students may elect to finish other general education courses. |
|
| Clinical Affiliation I |
6 |
| Clinical Affiliation II |
6 |
| Total PTA Program Credits |
52 |
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Note: The following courses may be taken prior to acceptance into the program or may be integrated while taking the PTA courses. Please see one of the program faculty or the advisor for help in planning your educational path.
- HLOC 1001 – Freshman Experience*
- BIOL 2420/2425 - Human Physiology/Lab
- COMM 2110 - Interpersonal Comm.
- ENGL 2010 -Intermediate Writing
- FCS 1500 - Human Development
OR
- PSY 1100 - Human Development
- MATH 1030 or Higher - Quant. Reasoning
|
1 Credit
4
3
3
3
3
3-5 |
| *For new students with less than 24 college credits |
- Prerequisites/General Education
- PTA Program
- TOTAL
|
33 Credits
52
85 |
Yes, Dixie State College will accept many courses from other colleges and universities. Not all courses will transfer and apply to the requirements of the PTA program. Decisions in this regard will be based on each individual case.
Please note that human anatomy and physiology courses must have been taken within the past 7 years. If you took these courses before that, you’ll need to re-take them. This will be beneficial to you as you refresh your knowledge in an area central to physical therapy. This applies only to anatomy and physiology.
Any prerequisite course may be re-taken only 1 time to improve a grade.
Tuition/Fees:
Once accepted into the PTA Program, a resident can expect the approximate cost to complete the Physical Therapist Assistant Program to be $9, 500.00. Non-resident costs are higher; please see the Financial Aid Office website at the address below. Please note that this is for information purposes only and is likely to change. The approximate cost includes tuition, lab and other fees, and books. Greater cost details will be available in the late fall of 2009. For further information and assistance, please see DSC’s Financial Aid Office’s website at http://new.dixie.edu/financial/index.php.
Time:
Students accepted into the PTA Program will be going to school, studying, and attending clinical education for approximately 18 months. Students are advised not to consider employment while in the program. Some individuals are able to work part-time but must have a very flexible schedule that also allows for extended times off. Most students are not employed while in the program.
The prerequisite course, “Introduction to Physical Therapy” began in the fall of 2009 - it will be offered again in the spring semester of 2010 and every fall semester thereafter.
The program will accept 16 students based on the grade point average of the above prerequisite courses (with Human Anatomy weighted more heavily) and scores achieved on the Health Occupations Aptitude Examination. Applicants must have an overall GPA of at least 2.7 in order to apply. See the application packet for further details (available November 2009).
Other requirements include, but are not limited to, a CPR certificate, drug screen, TB test, immunizations, and background check. These will be required once students are accepted into the program.
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