skip to main content
Search

Southwest locations are CLOSED Fridays. Majority of services and classes are virtual. Find out more!

Hero Image
 

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. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

PTA Student Financial Fact Sheet

Accreditation

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Southwest Tennessee community College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.  The program’s current status is probationary accreditation; for more information see www.capteonline.org/WhatWeDo/RecentActions/PublicDisclosureNotices/.  

If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 901.333.5395 or email Jennifer C. Stevens at jstevens@southwest.tn.edu.

Program Outcomes

2018 and 2019 graduation rates were 100% and 100% respectively. The 2-year average graduation rate is 100%.

2019 and 2020 graduation rates were 100% and 100% respectively. The 2-year average graduation rate is 100%.

2020 and 2021 graduation rates were 100% and 93.3% respectively. The 2-year average graduation rate is 96.7%.

Some students did not complete the program due to academic, financial, medical, or personal reasons.

NPTE First-Time Pass Rates/Ultimate Licensure Pass Rate

Class of 2021 69.2%/84.6%
Class of 2020 63.3%/79.0%
Class of 2019 68.4%/84.2%

Average two-year, ultimate NPTE Pass Rates:

2020-2021 81.8%
2019-2020 81.6%

 

Year Employment Rates*

2021 91.7%
2020 90.9%
2019 100%

* Percent of graduates who sought employment and were employed within the profession within one year of graduation.

Average Two-Year Employment Rates:

2020-2021 91.3%
2019-2020 95.5%
2018-2019 100%

 

Academic Map

Physical Therapist Assistant A.A.S. Academic Map

 

Contact Us

  • Union Avenue Campus Allied Health [H] Building, Room 106
  • 901-333-5400
  • 901-333-5391
  • Jennifer Stevens, PTA, MS, Program Coordinator
  • 901-333-5395
  • Allison Swearingen, PT, DPT, Director of Clinical Education
  • 901-333-5794

Related Links