Physical Therapist Assistant
Physical Therapist Assistant
Start your journey to become a physical therapist assistant (PTA)
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 outpatient independent practice settings.
Following graduation, graduates are eligible to sit for the state licensing examination. A criminal background check is required.
CAPTE STATEMENT ON ACCREDITATION:
Graduation from a physical therapist assistant education program accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is necessary for
eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.
Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree
earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an
accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible
to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the
candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to
determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should
be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT;www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available
on FSBPT's website.
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100
Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085
phone; 703-706-3245
accreditation@apta.org
Southwest Tennessee Community College is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist
assistant education program from CAPTE. The program plans to submit an Application
for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage,
in November 2025. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will
be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation
status is required prior to implementation of the professional/technical phase of
the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional/technical courses
until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement
of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation,
it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
Contact Us
- Union Avenue Campus Allied Health [H] Building, Room 106
- 901-333-5400
- 901-333-5391
- Jennifer Stevens, PTA, MS, Program Coordinator
- jstevens@southwest.tn.edu
- 901-333-5395
- Jeanie Jarrell, PT, Director of Clinical Education
- sjjarrell@southwest.tn.edu
- 901-333-5794
- Paula Walker, Allied Health Administrative Assistant
- pswalker@southwest.tn.edu
- 901-333-5400