Physical Therapy Assistant Schools

Physical therapy assistant programs are getting increasingly popular as a result of which many physical therapy assistant schools have come into existence. With over 250 recognized physical therapy assistant 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 a physical therapy assistant applies for a job, those with more clinical experience hold more chance as it is obvious that the one with experience has hands-on experience of the profession and is more aware of their role and responsibilities as a physical therapy assistant. 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 for this job profession include; ability to perform CPR, the minimum number of hours in clinical experience via internship, and first aid certification.

Physical Therapy Assistant Program Courses

In most of the schools, the physical assistant programs include 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

Schools for a Physical Therapy Assistant Degree

Seeking good schools for physical therapy assistant? Given below is a suggestive list of schools for physical therapist assistants.

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 for physical therapy assistant includes 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 for physical therapy assistant, it is imperative to check the curriculum of the school 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.

Physical Therapy Assistant Job Description

A physical therapy assistant works under a licensed physical therapist and assists in the physical therapy processes undertaken by him. They also play an important role in patient care and are responsible in maintaining physical therapy process records. Other duties of a physical therapy assistant involves undertaking ultrasound treatments, giving massage therapy to the patients, supervising the use of physical therapy equipment used by the patients, instructing the physical therapy 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.

Now you can easily go and enroll yourself if you find this job interesting. Oh yes! Don't worry about the job prospects of this profession. Physical therapy jobs would never die out and it also assures growth. 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 and training 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.