Physical Therapist Assistant, Associate of Applied Science

Program Overview

The  Associate of Applied Science in Physical Therapist Assistant degree is designed to facilitate the development of each student into a competent, entry-level physical therapist assistant. The program regards each student as an active participant bringing a variety of individual needs and attributes to the educational process. The program is committed to preparing the physical therapist assistant students to become lifelong learners and critical thinkers who will be prepared to contribute to the body of knowledge in physical therapy. Graduates of the program will be prepared to work under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist in the delivery of rehabilitative care.

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Goals:

Student/Graduate Level Goals:

• The PTA program will prepare graduates for entry-level practice as physical therapist assistants who will work under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist in an ethical, legal, safe, and effective manner

• The PTA program will prepare graduates to demonstrate entry-level critical thinking skills to effectively address patient care situations and to adapt to the rapidly changing challenges in healthcare and physical therapist assistant responsibilities 

Program Level Goals:

• The PTA program will educate the students in cultural diversity, effective communication and professional behaviors

• The PTA education program will facilitate participation in community service and lifelong learning activities

• The PTA Program will provide a contemporary, comprehensive and evidence-based curriculum appropriate for an entry level physical therapist assistant

Program Faculty Level Goals:

• The PTA faculty will engage in on-going professional development related to enhancing knowledge of contemporary physical therapy practice, pedagogy, and service

For additional information about the program link to: http://www.ecpi.edu/medical/program/physical-therapy-associate-degree/. To see the Student Consumer Information link to: https://www.ecpi.edu/student-consumer-services which provides additional information on the future careers, success, cost, and financing for this program. For information on the University Completion and Graduation Rates, please see About ECPI University on the ECPI website.

In 1.5 years, through our year-round schedule, students can earn an Associate of Applied Science in Physical Therapist Assistant.

About Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA's) provide physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. PTA’s help manage patients with back and neck injuries, sprains and strains, arthritis, burns, amputations, wounds, neurological conditions, surgical intervention, and injuries related to work or sports. PTA.'s help individuals of all ages who are ill, injured, or have a health condition that limits their ability to perform daily activities needed for life. Care provided by PTA's may include teaching patients exercises and activities to increase mobility, strength, and coordination. PTA's will also use physical modalities such as heat, ice, ultrasound, traction, massage, or electrical stimulation to help decrease pain, increase motion, and improve function.

Physical Therapist Assistants must be licensed in the state that they wish to practice. This requires graduation from an accredited institution and passing of the National Physical Therapy Examination for PTA's. Some positions may require criminal background checks, drug screening, and/or security clearances. A completed physical exam, evidence of immunization and current CPR certification may also be required.

Students making the decision to enter into this program should be aware of the physical nature of both the profession and their course of study. Students must be able to perform essential functions in order to successfully complete the program and work in the profession at large. Essential functions are the activities/skills that are necessary to ensure that the students are able to provide safe, competent, and timely care to patients receiving physical therapy services. The following standards reflect reasonable expectations of PTA students for the performance of common physical therapy activities. Students must be able to obtain information in the classroom laboratory and clinical setting through observation, auscultation, and palpation. Students must have sufficient motor capabilities, balance, strength, coordination, and stamina to execute the movements and skills to provide safe and effective physical therapy interventions. Students must possess the ability to comprehend, recall, and process large amounts of didactic information. Students must be able to think critically, reason, prioritize, organize, and attend to tasks and responsibilities in a timely manner when performing data collection skills and physical therapy interventions during patient care. Students must be able to utilize effective and efficient communications in the English language to interact with peers, healthcare providers, patients, and family members. Students must demonstrate the ability to practice in a professional and ethical manner. Students must exercise good judgment, develop empathetic and therapeutic relationships patients and others and tolerate close and direct physical contact and broad and diverse populations. Personal attributes must include compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, cultural competence, and motivation.

The most common related job title is Physical Therapist Assistant. Physical Therapist Assistants work in a variety of settings including hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and extended care facilities, homes, schools, occupational environments, fitness centers and sports training facilities.

Recommended Certifications

Physical Therapist Assistants must be licensed in the state they wish to practice. This requires graduation from an accredited program and passing of the National Physical Therapy Examination for Physical Therapist Assistants. ECPI University provides vouchers allowing students to take certification exams at a greatly reduced cost.

Program Outline

To receive the Associate of Applied Science in Physical Therapist Assistant, students must earn 73 semester credit hours. The program requires a minimum of 5 semesters, which is equivalent to 18 months or 75 weeks of instruction. The program requirements are as follows:

Program Requirements

Core Curriculum

50 Semester credit hours

PTA101	Professional Issues for the Physical Therapist Assistant	2
PTA105	Musculoskeletal	3
PTA108	Pathology for the Physical Therapist Assistant	2
PTA111	Introduction to Physical Therapy	2
PTA120	Kinesiology for the Physical Therapist Assistant	3
PTA135	Rehabilitation I Assessment	2
PTA136	Rehabilitation II Therapeutic Modalities	3
PTA139	Rehabilitation III Therapeutic Exercise	3
PTA145	Medical and Surgical Conditions I	2
PTA146	Medical and Surgical Conditions II	2
PTA206	Neurological Rehabilitation	3
PTA208	Rehabilitation IV Devices	2
PTA210	Motor Development and Aging	2
PTA255	Clinical Education Experience I	4
PTA256	Clinical Education Experience II	4
PTA257	Clinical Education Experience III	4
PTA258	Clinical Education Experience IV	4
PTA275	Physical Therapist Assistant Preparatory	3

Arts and Sciences*

20 semester credit hours

BIO111	Anatomy and Physiology I with Terminology	3
BIO111L	Anatomy and Physiology I with Terminology LAB	1
BIO116	Anatomy and Physiology II with Terminology	3
BIO116L	Anatomy and Physiology II with Terminology Lab	1
ENG110	College Composition	3
HUM205	Culture and Diversity: Exploring the Humanities	3
MTH131	College Algebra	3
PSY105	Introduction to Psychology	3

*For allowable substitutions of arts and sciences courses, see the Arts & Sciences Department page.

Self-Integration

3 semester credit hours

CIS108	Office Applications	2
COR191	Career Orientation	1

Physical Therapist Assistant Program - Specific Policies

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. The Physical Therapist Assistant program at ECPI University (Newport News and Richmond/ Emerywood, Virginia campuses and Lake Mary, Florida campus) is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail]; website: http://www.capteonline.org.  If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 757.490.9090 or email [e-mail].

Admissions. The selective admission process is based on the following: high school GPA, College GPA or GED scores, admission assessment exam scores, college Anatomy & Physiology, Physics and/or Chemistry GPA, college credits/degree, Physical Therapy hours, and professional references. Students must meet minimum application thresholds to be considered a qualified applicant.

• A high school or college GPA of 2.5, or GED
• Successful completion of the reading, math, science, and English assessment exam

Additional consideration will be given for prior college coursework, professional references, and Physical Therapy volunteer/technician hours.

Qualified applicants, who rank highest on the admissions criteria and successfully complete an interview with the PTA Program Director and/or Director of Clinical Education, are considered for admission to the program. A Review Committee makes the final decision for acceptance into the PTA program.

Attendance. A detailed record of student’s attendance is maintained by the instructors and becomes a part of their permanent records. Every absence from class, no matter what the reason, is recorded and counted as such by the instructor, beginning with the first day of class. It is sometimes necessary for the school to give employment recommendations for a student. The employer often takes attendance into consideration.

Students are required to attend class regularly and on time. Therefore, missing scheduled classes is unacceptable. If an absence or tardiness is unavoidable, a student must notify the school prior to the start of the scheduled class and in addition, if the course is a clinical education one, scheduled at a clinical affiliated site, the student must also notify the site prior to the scheduled time. All missed clinical time must be made up.

Students with course absences greater than 15 percent of any course may have their records reviewed for the purposes of possible probation, termination, or suspension. A student may be dropped from a course if the student is absent more than 20 percent of the scheduled course hours. Arrangements with the Clinical Instructor and the student, to reschedule any missed clinical time, must be made as soon as possible, to avoid any of the above mentioned situations.

Clinical Education. The purpose of the clinical affiliation is to provide physical therapist assistant students the appropriate sequence of learning opportunities needed to:

• develop and extend their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in direct patient care
• improve communications and interpersonal relationships
• understand the delivery system in a clinical facility in a manner consistent with ethical and legal practices of physical therapy

PTA students are assigned to clinical affiliation sites for educational experiences only when they have met the minimum grade requirements of all prerequisite courses of the specific clinical internship course. The Director of Clinical Education selects the affiliation sites for the educational experiences of PTA students. Selection is based on site availability and educational goals. Physical therapist assistant students are required to satisfactorily complete a total of 540 clinical affiliation hours in order to meet the requirements of the PTA program. Each PTA student will have clinical experiences which can include acute care, long-term care, outpatient care, or specialty care such as pediatrics or inpatient rehabilitation. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the affiliation sites.

Physical therapist assistant students are expected to pursue increasing levels of responsibility as theoretical and technical abilities increase throughout their clinical experiences. Likewise, students are only expected to perform clinical duties they have addressed in their coursework, feel competent in completing safely and that are approved by the American Physical Therapy Association and state practice guidelines.

Clinical Phase Absenteeism and Tardiness. Absenteeism on clinical days will not be tolerated. A student is expected to arrive at clinical prepared to administer patient care. If a student is unable to perform required duties due to health or other reasons, the student should not attend clinical. If for any reason the student cannot attend the clinical, the student must contact the Clinical Instructor and Director of Clinical Education no later than one hour before the scheduled start time.

Emergency messages will be conveyed from the school to the clinical area. At no time should family or friends call the healthcare facility where the student is assigned. If more than two clinical days are missed, the student must contact the PTA Program Director or Director of Clinical Education.

Program Philosophy. The program for physical therapist assistants is built on a foundation of academic coursework and technical education. Program faculty and staff are strongly committed to providing all students with an exciting, stimulating, and comprehensive learning experience. The program prepares a graduate to provide safe, effective, ethical, and legal care to persons of all ages and diverse backgrounds. The program develops the ability of the student to think independently, to understand fundamental theory, and to develop the skills necessary to become clinical practitioners who are enlightened decision makers.

Program Purpose. The physical therapy profession is involved in rehabilitation, prevention, health maintenance, and programs that promote health, wellness, and fitness. Physical therapist assistants are essential participants in the healthcare delivery system. The physical therapist assistant functions within the model of patient care through examination, evaluation, and treatment by providing physical therapy interventions and data collection. The physical therapist assistant will progress the rehabilitation process of a patient within the plan of care established by the supervising physical therapist. The physical therapist assistant education is a comprehensive program providing the correct mix of technical training and general education to ensure graduates are able to function effectively as highly skilled professionals within the healthcare system. A variety of instructional methods are utilized in program courses to support the learning style of each student, yet challenge the student to recognize and develop alternative learning styles.

Program Hours. Students are required to attend classes Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. During the clinical education experience the student will be assigned to an off-site facility and follow the schedule as determined by the clinical instructor.

Student Evaluation. The faculty shall use the objectives of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program as criteria for student evaluation. The student‘s grades are determined by a combination of written examinations, laboratory practicals, and clinical competency checklists.

Physical Therapist Assistant technical skills and ability, attitude, and relationship with others are areas of clinical and laboratory evaluation. The achievement of the student in both theory and clinical performance is evaluated by the faculty at regular intervals and shared with the student. The student progresses to the next term when all prerequisite courses have been satisfactorily completed. Students must achieve a passing grade of B or better in Anatomy and Physiology I and II courses and a grade of C or better in all PTA courses and satisfactorily meet all clinical objectives. A final course grade of less than C or failure to meet clinical objectives, will result in failure of a course.

Written assignments must be submitted on time. Tests and assignments must be made up on the student‘s first classroom day back to school after an absence, unless the student makes alternate arrangements with the instructor.

Student success involves:

1. Faculty interested in teaching and learning
2. Students interested in learning and are accountable for their education
3. Effective feedback to allow the student to correctly monitor his/her progress within the curriculum
4. Professional behaviors are essential to an effective entry-level practitioner. Professional behaviors are learned through sharing and modeling effective practice. Professional behaviors include:

• Commitment to learning
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication
• Effective use of time and resources
• Stress management
• Use of constructive feedback
• Problem solving
• Responsibility
• Critical thinking
• Ethical choices and decisions

Students will interact with all levels of healthcare practitioners. Communication is essential for effective and safe practice within the healthcare system. Communication is emphasized throughout the curriculum in various activities and role modeling in the laboratory.

This program consists of 1,725 contact hours.