List of Physical Therapy Assistant Schools

Tap to Read ➤ Sheeba Nambiar

With the rising demand in health care sector and students interest in physical therapy courses, many physical therapy assistant schools have started offering this program. Find a list of such schools in this story.

Physical therapy assistant programs are getting increasingly popular as a result of which many schools offering this program have come into existence. With over 250 recognized programs and over a thousand schools in the US, you can imagine how popular this profession has become.

Mostly, for this career option, one requires to have an associates degree which consists of a two year program or a semester pattern with four semesters. Students of this program receive a better insight of this profession with a direct clinical experience that includes working in a physical therapy environment as part of clinical internship and CPR.

Although, coursework and clinical experience are both essential and counted when one applies for a job, those with more clinical experience hold more chance as it is obvious that the one with experience is more aware of the role and responsibilities.

Similar to degree requirements, the assistants also have some other requirements, like some states require licensing for this profession. Other factors that are considered before hiring include ability to perform CPR, the minimum number of hours in clinical experience via internship, and first aid certification.

The Courses

In most of the schools, the physical assistant program includes the following courses: Introduction to Physical Therapist Assisting Physical Therapy Fundamentals Human Anatomy Human Physiology

Clinical Training Pathology Patient Communication Rehabilitation Therapeutic Exercises Medical Ehics Kinesiology Geriatrics Pharmacology Pathophysiology Orthopedics Pediatric Physical Therapy Sports Injuries Medical Terminology Laboratory Practice Neurological Disorders

The Schools

Seeking good schools for physical therapy assistant? Given below is a suggestive list which can be helpful.

Schools Offering Associates Degrees Keiser University, Florida Remington College, Ohio Brown Mackie College, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina Hesser College, New Hampshire Sanford Brown College, Missouri, Virginia Medical Careers Institute, Virginia

Herzing University, Florida Kaplan Career Institute, Pennsylvania South University Campus, Alabama, Georgia, Florida Carrington College, Arizona, New Mexico Pima Medical Institute, Arizona, Colorado, Washington Florida Career College, Florida MedTech College, Indiana South College, Tennessee New England Institute of Technology, Rhode Island

Online Degrees Some of the colleges and universities offering on-line degrees include the following: Liberty University Keller Graduate School of Management University of Phoenix Virginia College Bryan College Dawn Career Institute Fortis College Globe University Ottawa University

Before choosing the school, it is imperative to check the curriculum to ensure that it offers enough clinical training and a good coursework. Also check whether it prepares the students for the licensing exam. Checking school credentials and accreditation, needless to say, is important. Many schools might require the students to take an entry test before the enrollment into the program.

Job Description

A physical therapy assistant works under a licensed physical therapist and assists in the processes undertaken by him. He also play an important role in patient care and is responsible in maintaining process records.

Other duties include undertaking ultrasound treatments, giving massage therapy, supervising the use of physical therapy equipment used by patients, instructing the exercises to the patients, monitoring them to check if they are being performed correctly, and applying cold or hot compresses depending on the nature of injury.

Physical therapy assistants may apply in hospitals, physicians offices, outpatient care centers and home health care services. You could even grow to become a physical therapist after taking additional education like a Master's Degree or a Doctorate.

If any particular physical therapy field interests you, then you could specialize in it, such as pediatrics, sports therapy, or any other area.