Physical Therapy Assistant Programs - Questions Answered
Does a $25 per hour physical therapy assistant (PTA) job sound attractive? Do you have what it takes to be in this profession? What do you need to know about physical therapy assistant programs?
Physiotherapists, who supervise PTAs, know they can't handle the number of clients requiring rehabilitation without help. And PT assistants, even those just out of school, can take a load off their backs. Their two year training belies the intensity of preparation they undergo to become reliable on the job even straight from graduation.
Am I the right person to become a physical therapy assistant?
Physical therapy addresses the problem of mobility, that may have been caused by illness or injury. Patients that seek rehabilitation are not just unable to move normally but are often in pain and of a different mindset. While it is the licensed physical therapist who is tasked to evaluate, diagnose and prescribe treatment for these cases, physical therapy assistants step in to help conduct the therapy sessions and monitor each patient's progress.
Don't think you're going to make a good physical therapy assistant just because of the training you receive. In fact, most professionals will advice that you first be certain you are fit for the job. The challenges aren't just physical in nature for this health care provider, but requires a certain personality type.
You better love talking to people if you want to be a physical therapy assistant. A rehab session is equal parts medical and physical (massage, electric stimulation therapy, lifting, positioning, stretching) and pep talk. Good communication and listening skills are crucial if you want to become an effective therapy assistant.
Compassion and a genuine desire to help will also go a long way in aiding people to recover from their debilitating conditions. The biggest fulfillment for most PTAs is the knowledge they are able to help patients regain not just mobility but self confidence.
You'll need dollops of patience, kindness and love because you will be working with all types of people – young, old, big, small, rich, poor, Caucasians and Asians – and your ability to connect with each one is half the battle in getting them back on their feet.
Go to a rehabilitation clinic. Observe a physical therapy assistant at work. Ask questions. Better yet, volunteer just to get a feel for the environment. Ask yourself if this is something you want to do and are willing to stick with. Sure, the pay is among the highest, even at entry level. But you won't last if your heart and mind aren't in it. Physical therapy is not just a job. It is a profession and vocation.
What kind of preparation do you need?
Before scouting for prospective physical therapy assistant schools, find out what the general requirements are to facilitate admission to physical therapy assistant programs. It's a very competitive field that starts with application. In community colleges where tuition is far less costly ($7,000 to $10,000 for the entire program) than in private physical therapy colleges ($10,000 per year) there is often a waiting list for students.
The first thing you need to know is that prerequisites for most physical therapy assistant programs are previous college credits, especially in the areas of math (fractions, decimals, algebra), science (anatomy and physiology) and English. Completing undergraduate studies (even just an associate degree) will be a big advantage.
One tip given by a former student is to orient yourself with muscles – origin, insertion, action and innervation, among others – because this will be a big help once you're taking up kinesiology or the study of human movement. After all, this is the heart of physical therapy and the more you know and understand about it, the better a therapist you will make.
Get ready for lots of memorization. It's not just medical terminology that you will be up against in your training but a whole lot of concepts and theory that you must learn to live and breathe with to master this health care field. Think muscles, bones, joints and the healing process.
Physical therapy assistant programs are actually deceiving in the sense that what is mostly being taught in the two years are almost similar to the training for a physical therapist at the bachelor level. And this is why even with just an assistant position, PTAs are paid around the same rate as a PT.
GPA requirements are not as stringent in physical therapy assistant programs, and many PT applicants actually end up in a therapy assistant program because their grades did not meet the level set for physical therapy courses. Yet, because the job demands critical thinking skills and as much knowledge, physical therapy assistant hopefuls can't afford to slack off in their studies.
How important is clinical training in physical therapy assistant programs?
You can actually complete physical therapy assistant programs online, especially if you're doing this to start a second career. However, the one information that you should know from your prospective school is whether they will arrange or at least help you make arrangements for internship.
The value of practical experience in the field of physiotherapy cannot be overemphasized. That's what job of a PTA or even a PT is all about. Treatments by whatever modality can only succeed if you are highly skilled in performing them. And to gain the competence and confidence, you must have as much hands-on training as possible even while still in school.
Besides, you can't hope to pass the course if you fail the practical exams. Some other programs will give a passing mark if you score high in the written tests even if you flub the clinicals. Not so in PTA training. So be prepared to put in extra hours for lab sessions just to become more familiar with the skills and techniques.
The physical therapist vs the physical therapy assistant
While physical therapists in general acknowledge the invaluable role of the assistants in the workplace, they do have this one concern: the same billing rate. It's a source of concern for the physical therapy assistant in light of talks that insurance companies and government health care agencies could be disallowing reimbursements for physical therapy assistant services.
This is one issue that rankles physical therapy assistants, who contend they need equal respect and recognition for their expertise because in reality, they know just as much as a PT, (if not more if they are more senior than the therapist) although without the necessary credentials and initials after their name.
The four year difference in education (a masters or doctorate degree are minimum requirements to earn a license and practice as physical therapist) don't take into account that with the requirement for a prior two-year college education to be accepted into physical therapy assistant programs, the assistants have as much education as the physiotherapist.
They know everything the PT does, including performing all kinds of treatment modalities. And the only things they are not allowed to do is evaluate, diagnose, draw up treatment plans and discharge a patient.
PTAs argue they have the right to be billed equally as a licensed physiotherapist because of the work they perform on the job. Physical therapists, on the other hand, feel this is not the case because they have more training, and supposedly experience. On the high end, the physical therapy assistant salary with less than a year of experience can be as much as $48,000, while the lower end salary of a newbie PT is $49,000.
There is a lot to learn about being in the field of rehabilitation. And you should find out as much as you can about it before deciding whether the $35,000 a year tuition for physical therapy education is worth it or you can be just as successful spending $10,000 for entire physical therapy assistant programs.
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