Why choose a career as a Physical Therapist Assistant?
Physical Therapist Assistants are skilled personnel who provide services that help improve mobility and relieve pain of patients suffering from injuries or disease. Working under the supervision of a physical therapist, you’ll train patients in the activities of daily living, use special equipment, and evaluate the patient's progress. You might use exercises, massages, electrical stimulation, paraffin baths, hot and cold packs, traction, and ultrasound to in working with your client.
If you’re interested in becoming a PTA, you must have a willingness to work with various, sometimes disabling, conditions, such as strokes, amputations, wound care, burns, low-back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy. You’ll work with all ages, pediatric to geriatric, and you’ll need good communication skills, physical dexterity and coordination, organization, and a positive attitude.
What can I study?
The Physical Therapy Assistant Program at MSU leads to an associate degree and takes approximately five semesters to complete. Students can apply for admission to the PTA program during the spring semester.
The second year of the program covers the technical portion of the PTA program and emphasizes areas specific to a career as a physical therapist assistant. Following completion of the PTA program, students are eligible to continue in courses that meet the requirements for either a bachelor’s degree in management or a bachelor’s degree in biology.
The management track is intended for those students who are interested in leadership roles a health care setting - director of rehabilitative services, for example - or for those who are interested in owning a physical therapy facility. A number of the course requirements for the management track can be completed through the School of Extended and Distance Learning.
The biology track is intended for those students who are planning to apply to either a master’s level or doctoral level physical therapy program. Since physical therapy programs differ in admissions requirements, it is highly recommended that students contact all programs for which they intend to apply to discuss admission requirements.
A number of the course requirements for the biology management track can be completed through the School of Extended and Distance Learning.
Why choose MSU?
Employment. Over the past 3 years, graduates of the PTA program who pass the licensure exam and actively seek employment have enjoyed 100% graduate employment rate over the past 3 years.
Student Physical Therapist Assistant Association. The SPTAA provides student interaction, problem solving, and discussion of professional issues among its members. The organization gives PTA students the opportunity to participate in and recognize the importance of community service projects and also provides campus and community representation of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program.
Past community service projects have included the Salvation Army’s Coat Drive, National MS Society Walk, clothing donations to local churches, donations to local food banks and women’s shelters, participation in local health fairs, and an Easter egg hunt for a local day care.
Career
Physical therapist assistants work in a broad range of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics or offices, rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing, extended care, education or research centers, schools, hospices, fitness centers, and other sports training facilities.
The average salary in southern West Virginia for physical therapists is $30,000-$32,000. Employment of physical therapist assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average through the year 2012. Over the long run, demand for PTAs will continue to rise due to the influence of these factors:
Over the past 3 years, graduates of the PTA program who pass the licensure exam and actively seek employment have enjoyed 100% graduate employment rate over the past 3 years.
Additional Information
Estimated Program Costs
Estimated Tuition: $21,000
Estimated Additional Costs: $788
Health physical
Drug screening
Criminal background investigation
BLS certification (includes CPR)
PTA Program text books
Name pins
Graduation pin
Graduation fee
Student Information Form
PTA Program Overview
Please see our catalog for program and degree requirements.
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