PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT (PTA)
(Wallace Campus)

Program Description:
The mission of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Wallace Community College is to help students attain education to satisfy requirements of an Associate in Applied Science Degree. In so doing, we will graduate knowledgeable, competent, self-assured, adaptable, and service-oriented paraprofessionals. Graduates will be valuable members of the profession and the health care team, within their scope of work. Graduates of the PTA program at WCC will be qualified to sit for licensure in any state in which they wish to practice and will be prepared to uphold high standards of patient care while helping to meet healthcare needs in our community, state, and region. The program is committed to accomplishing this mission through the use of quality instructional methods, including both traditional and technology based instruction, whereby students are assisted to achieve the academic knowledge and clinical skills necessary to serve the physical therapy health needs of the public.

Physical therapist assistants help physical therapists to provide treatment that improves patient mobility, relieves pain, and prevents or lessens physical disabilities of patients. A physical therapist might ask a physical therapist assistant to help patients exercise or learn to use crutches, for example. Patients include accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as lower-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy.  Physical therapist assistants assist physical therapists in providing care to patients. Under the direction and supervision of physical therapists, they provide exercise, instruction; therapeutic methods like electrical stimulation, mechanical traction, and ultrasound; massage; and gait and balance training. Physical therapist assistants record the patient's responses to treatment and report the outcome of each treatment to the physical therapist.

Graduates of any physical therapist assistant program must take a standardized state board examination in order to receive a license to practice. Licensure is applied for in each state that you wish to practice, but you only have to pass the examination once. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy administers the examination, developed by the Professional Examination Service, and schools are provided an annual report of their passage rate.

Established in 1996, the WCC Physical Therapist Assistant Program has prepared over 250 graduates for employment in health care. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education accredits the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Wallace Community College. The program has earned full accreditation status through June 2014.

Career Opportunities:
Employment for physical therapist assistants is expected to grow much faster than average (20% or higher) because of increasing demand for physical therapy services.  Job prospects for physical therapist assistants are expected to be very good.

Changes to restrictions on reimbursement for physical therapy services by third-party payers will increase patient access to services and, thus, increase demand. The increasing number of people who need therapy reflects, in part, the increasing elderly population. The elderly population is particularly vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions that require therapeutic services. These patients often need additional assistance in their treatment, making the roles of assistants vital. In addition, the large baby-boom generation is entering the prime age for heart attacks and strokes, further increasing the demand for cardiac and physical rehabilitation.   Medical and technological developments should permit an increased percentage of trauma victims and newborns with birth defects to survive, creating added demand for therapy and rehabilitative services.  Physical therapists are expected to increasingly use assistants to reduce the cost of physical therapy services. Once a patient is evaluated and a treatment plan is designed by the physical therapist, the physical therapist assistant can provide many parts of the treatment, as directed by the therapist.

Skills Needed:

• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
• Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Physical therapist assistants need a moderate degree of strength because of the physical exertion required in assisting patients with their treatment. In some cases, assistants need to lift patients. Frequent kneeling, stooping, bending, and standing for long periods also are part of the job.  The hours and days that physical therapist assistants work vary with the facility. About 28 percent of all physical therapist assistants work part-time. Many outpatient physical therapy offices and clinics have evening and weekend hours, to coincide with patients' personal schedules.

Expected Earnings/Salary:

• Median annual wages of physical therapist assistants were $49,810 in May 2010.
• The middle 50 percent earned between $40,240 and $59,.050.
• The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,070 ($14.92/hr.), and the highest 10 percent earned more than $68,820 ($33.09). 
• The median annual salary for the Dothan, Alabama area is reported to be $39,413.

CATALOG INFORMATION (Course and Admission Requirements)(pdf)