Physical Therapist Assistant, AS

The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program is designed to provide students with entry-level skills and knowledge to work under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist in the rehabilitation of patients with musculoskeletal and/or neuromuscular deficits, injury, disease, or disorders. Graduates will be eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Exam for licensing; a passing score is required to practice in the field of physical therapy. Enrollment in the PTA core program is limited to 25 students by the Commission of Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) with admission once a year in January. While in the program, students will attend class or internships all day, five days a week, for three and half consecutive semesters and must complete the coursework together as a cohort. All PTA courses are provided in an on-campus format from 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Thursday on the Charlotte Campus. Graduation from a physical therapist [assistant] education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 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. 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. The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Florida SouthWestern State 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. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call Dr Cynthia Vaccarino 239-489-9349 or email Cynthia.vaccarino@fsw.edu. Secondary application submitted by September 15 The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)Program admits students once per year and starts each Spring semester. The curriculum includes a combination of classroom, laboratory, and clinical education experiences. The PTA program has limited enrollment due to the rigorous clinical education requirements for the program. Acceptance to Florida SouthWestern State College does not imply acceptance into the Physical Therapist program. Each applicant must meet specific criteria listed in the admission policies. Admission to the program is determined by admissions points, academic transcript evaluation, and affective skills demonstration. Admissions points are awarded for the completion of General Education and Program Specific Requirement coursework, all of which must be completed prior to starting the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. Pre-admission requirements include satisfactory completion of the following: After acceptance, students must complete the following: The clinical education component of the program includes two full time clinical experiences that provide students with appropriate role modeling and an opportunity to interact with individuals with impairments common to the clinical setting. The clinical affiliations are coordinated with the goal to provide the student with the opportunity to apply new skills at various levels of attainment, as well as ensure adequate didactic education prior to clinical education. The Program Director and the ACCE is responsible for assuring each student has the required experiences appropriate to the level of education. The integrated internship begins in the beginning of third semester of core coursework and is 40 hours a week for 7 weeks (minimum of 280 hours). The termin