The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is a health-care professional who works under the supervision of a physical therapist. The PTA works with a variety of patients who have been disabled by illness, accident, or congenital handicap. The duties of a PTA include assisting the physical therapist in implementing treatment programs that may involve exercise, manual therapy and hydrotherapy; the use of heat, cold, electricity, or sound; and reporting to the physical therapist on the patient's responses. As clinicians, PTAs work in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, rehabilitation centers, and for physical therapists in independent practice settings.
Following graduation, graduates are eligible to sit for the state licensing examination; a criminal background check is required. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
Recommendation: Schedule an advising session with a PTA faculty member to learn more about the program.
To be eligible for consideration for admission to the PTA program, an applicant must meet the minimum requirements listed below. (Note: Meeting requirements does not assure admission to the PTA program.)
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENGL 1010 | English Composition I |
| BIOL 2010 | Principles of Anatomy and Physiology I* |
| BIOL 2020 | Principles of Anatomy and Physiology II* |
| PHYS 1210 | Physics for the Health Sciences |
| PSYC 1010 | General Psychology I |
| AHS 1020 | Medical Terminology |
*Applicants must have completed within the previous 3 years, both Anatomy and Physiology I and II.
The PTA Admission Committee meets at the end of the spring semester and ranks each applicant according to his or her Admission Index, which is derived from the variables listed below. Each variable is multiplied by the assigned weight, and an index obtained by summing the results:
The first 20 applicants with the highest Admission indices are selected for admission to the program. Refer to the Admission and Retention Procedures Allied Health Programs for more information related to the selection process and calculation of an Admission Index.
Students must maintain a minimum grade of C in all PTA courses. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the program. Students dismissed for academic reasons may be considered for readmission the following year under current policy, based on space availability. The Admission Committee will review the student's transcript to identify substantially revised courses to be retaken. Students desiring readmission must submit a written application to the Admissions Committee 30 days prior to registration for that term.
Criminal background checks are required at the student's expense. Based on the results of these checks, an affiliated clinical site may determine to not allow your presence at their facility. This could result in your inability to successfully complete the program requirements. A criminal background check may preclude licensure, certification, and/or employment. A separate criminal background check is required, at the student's expense, to apply for initial licensure in Tennessee; applicants will have their fingerprints scanned.
Physical Therapist Assistant students are required to accumulate a variety of information. The students are expected to comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate the information given. The program must ensure that students are capable of practicing the new accumulation of information. The program must also ensure that patients are not placed in jeopardy by students with impaired intellectual, physical or emotional functions.
Students in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Southwest Tennessee Community College must meet the following technical standards. The students also understand that some courses will have additional lab requirements that will be outlined in course syllabi.
PTA students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other treatment specific procedures. Additionally, PTA students must be able to perform motor movements reasonably required to provide general physical therapy, including the physical strength to stand and ambulate with a walker, cane, or crutches and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. PTA students must also have the physical strength to lift and transfer an adult patient. In addition, in the course PTA 2620 Clinical Arts III, students must be able to: offer heavy manual resistance to classmates during an exercise session; bend, squat and kneel and include a variety of developmental sequence positions, including prone, prone on elbows, quadruped, etc.; engage in a variety of functional activities including rolling from supine<->prone; creeping on hands and knees, lifting oneself into a wheelchair from the floor; rolling out of a wheelchair onto a therapy mat, etc.; lift completely dependent classmates from one place to another using an airlift, NDT, 3 man and 2 man technique; and perform various wheelchair maneuvers including lateral shifts, wheelies and falling backward while sitting in a wheelchair.
PTA students must be able to observe demonstrations and participate in laboratory experiments as required in the curriculum. Such observation necessitates the functional use of vision, hearing and other sensory modalities. Candidates must have visual perception which includes dept and acuity.
PTA students must be able to communicate English effectively both orally and in written form with faculty, peers, patients, and other allied health personnel. Students must have the ability to complete reading assignments and search and evaluate the literature. Students must be able to complete written assignments and maintain written records. PTA students must also have the ability to use therapeutic communication, such as attending, clarifying, coaching, facilitating, and touching. These skills must be performed in clinical settings, as well as in the classroom and in laboratory environments.
PTA students must possess the emotional well-being required for use of intellectual abilities, exercise of sound judgment, prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the evaluation and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Students must be able to adapt to ever-changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in stressful situations in the classroom and clinical setting.
In addition to tuition fees and and the purchase of books, students may have additional costs ranging from $400 to $800 to include uniforms, physical examinations, laboratory tests, immunizations, and graduation. After graduating the cost to take the PTA licensure exam will range from $600 to $700.
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