Allied Health

Physical Therapist Assistant

Department Chair: Barbara Larsson - (207) 453-5161

Visit the Physical Therapist Assistant Website
 

~ Associate in Applied Science Degree ~
 

Accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
1111 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 706-3245

www.apta.org/CAPTE

 

DESCRIPTION

   Physical Therapist Assistants, under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist, assist with specific components of treatment interventions. Their duties may include a variety of interventions including therapeutic exercises, functional training in both self-care and work reintegration, use of adaptive equipment, wound management, and the use of physical agents. They attain their requisite skills through extensive academic and clinical education. The Physical Therapist Assistant program is competency-based and provides sequential learning experiences progressing from theoretical to applied using patient simulations in the laboratory and finally to actual patient treatments in clinical education centers. During clinical education courses, students may practice at facilities throughout Maine under the supervision of clinical instructors.

   Applicants to the Physical Therapist Assistant program should be aware that physical therapist assistants are involved in the provision of direct care to patients. Under the supervision of a physical therapist, the physical therapist assistant may be responsible for selected procedural interventions, data collection, and communication, including written documentation associated with the completion of the intervention. The physical therapist assistant must also be able to make judgments and modifications regarding the safety and comfort of the patient having the intervention. Therefore, the student must have observational, communication, motor, cognitive, psychosocial, and behavioral abilities sufficient to carry out the above responsibilities. Technical accommodation can be made available for some disabilities in some of these areas, but a student must be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.

   For students to successfully complete the Physical Therapist Assistant program, they must be capable of performing with or without reasonable accommodation the following:

1. The physical ability to lift, move, and reposition patients; safely guard patients when standing and ambulating patients on level surfaces and stairs.
2. A visual acuity with corrective lenses to identify equipment calibrations, distinguish color changes of a patient’s skin, and collect patient data.
3. The manual dexterity to manipulate instrument dials and perform various therapeutic interventions.
4. The tactile ability to palpate pulses and palpate specific components of the musculoskeletal system.
5. A hearing ability with auditory aids to understand the normal speaking voice without viewing the speaker’s face, hear timers and call bells from  patients, take/hear blood pressure and lung sounds with a stethoscope, and hear alarms and emergency signals.
6. Effective communication when explaining procedures, receiving information verbally and from written documentation; documenting in a patient’s  chart; exhibiting appropriate interpersonal skills; and recognizing and responding appropriately to nonverbal behavior of self and others.
7. The ability to function safely under stressful conditions and the ability to adapt to an ever changing environment inherent in clinical situations  involving patient care.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

   All non-physical therapy courses required for the physical therapist assistant program must be completed prior to the spring semester of the second year in order to participate in Clinical Education II (PTS218). General education courses supportive to the Program may be taken prior to or concurrently with technical (PTS) courses. Students must achieve a minimum grade of “C” and/or “Pass” in all required general education and technical (PTS) courses in order to progress through the curriculum.

   Clinical education centers are statewide. Students may be assigned to a clinical education center that requires the student to commute a distance from home or assume a temporary residence near the center. Students are responsible for transportation and/or other living costs to and from clinical education centers.

   Applicants to certain programs should be aware that a criminal background check may be required while they are enrolled in the program, or as a condition of employment in the field; that certain internship and/or practicum sites, such as health care facilities, may limit or deny clinical privileges to those who have a prior or current criminal record; and that certain licensing boards may refuse to issue a license to practice based upon prior or current criminal offense(s). To learn more about whether the program or profession you are interested in has such requirements or limitations, please see the Department Chair.

PROGRAM MISSION

   The mission of the Physical Therapist Assistant program at Kennebec Valley Community College is to provide the opportunity for an education to prepare students for competent and safe practice as physical therapist assistants. Physical therapy is a growing and changing health care field which needs practitioners who can adapt to change and are socialized into lifelong learning. The program assumes a responsibility for developing a skilled work force to help meet the dynamic physical therapy needs of the community and to enhance the quality of existing physical therapy services. Through a cooperative effort with clinical education centers, the Physical Therapist Assistant program offers an opportunity for the students to develop necessary knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors to attain an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Physical Therapy.

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES

   Upon successful completion of the Physical Therapist Assistant program, the graduate is expected to:

1. Possess knowledge to successfully credential as a physical therapist assistant.
2. Competently and safely practice as a physical therapist assistant.
3. Demonstrate professional behaviors as a physical therapist assistant.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
 

   Students who have been accepted must:

1. Obtain a short white lab coat, KVCC/SPTA name pin, stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, watch with a sweep second hand, a gait belt, and goniometer.
2. Hold current Basic Life Support certification (CPR for the Healthcare Provider from the American Heart Association or Professional Rescuer from the American Red Cross).
3. Provide proof of immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (titer) Hepatitis B (series and titer) and a negative test for tuberculosis.
4. Agree to work with an outside agency to collect, document, and track required personal healthcare information (immunization status, BLS/CPR, 4. healthcare background checks, etc) as required by the PTA program. Each student is responsible for the cost of this service. Students are required to meet the PTA program’s deadlines for developing and maintaining a current personal healthcare information portfolio.
5. Have Internet access for online/Blackboard enhanced courses and/or discussions.
6. Assume responsibility for transportation and/or other living costs to and from clinical sites.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Typical settings include:
Hospitals	Rehabilitation Centers
Nursing Homes	Outpatient Clinics
Home Care Agencies	Community Health Centers
Pediatric Facilities	Private Practices
Sports Medicine Clinics

 

CRITERIA FOR GRADUATION

   Students must complete 67 credits in the Physical Therapist Assistant program, achieve a minimum grade of "C," or "PASS" criteria, in all courses, and attain a final GPA of 2.00 or higher. Many states, including Maine, require licensure to practice as a physical therapist assistant. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Physical Therapist Assistant Licensing Examination.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

FIRST SEMESTER		CREDIT HOURS
BIO213	Anatomy & Physiology I	4
ENG101	College Composition	3
PSY101	Introduction to Psychology	3
PTS105	Self-Paced Medical Terminology for PTAs	1
PTS107	Introduction to Kinesiology	2
PTS111	Physical Therapy I	4
SECOND SEMESTER		CREDIT HOURS
BIO214	Anatomy & Physiology II	4
COM104	Introduction to Communication	3
PTS112	Physical Therapy II	4
PTS116	Pathology	3
PTS117	Kinesiology	3
SUMMER SESSION	(5-WEEKS)	CREDIT HOURS
PTS120	PTA Clinical Education I	4
THIRD SEMESTER		CREDIT HOURS
MAT117	College Algebra	3
PSY215	Developmental Psychology	3
PTS215	Neuroscience	3
PTS211	Physical Therapy III	4
______	Humanities Elective	3
FOURTH SEMESTER		CREDIT HOURS
PTS218	PTA Clinical Education II	6
PTS220	PTA Clinical Education III	6
PTS222	PTA Seminar	1
	TOTAL CREDITS FOR AAS	67

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