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Learn More about PATHWAYS TO PROSPERITY: REFORM 3.0

 

The 2026–2027 FAFSA is Open! We encourage all students to apply early.
For help, contact us at financialaid@southwest.tn.edu.

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Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical Therapist Assistant

 

Start your journey to become a physical therapist assistant (PTA)

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 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), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.

Southwest Tennessee Community College is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist assistant education program from CAPTE. On October 31, 2025, the program submitted an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage. 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.

If candidacy is granted, the initial cohort will be admitted in Fall 2026 with a graduation date of May 2028. The date of the first licensure examination for which the graduates would be able to sit for the board exam will be July 2028.

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