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Course: Physical Therapy Assistance
Couch potatoes beware: As a student of physical therapy assistance (PTA), you’ll be on the go, dashing from class to clinic. You’ll also be on your feet a lot, helping patients regain their ability to move. You’ll learn the exercises and techniques physical therapists (PTs) use to rehabilitate patients as well as the other skills you’ll need to support a PT in her work.
Students of physical therapy assistance learn how to aid physical therapists as they help people cope with and recover from injury and illness.
Are You Ready To...?
- Learn how to communicate with physical therapists, patients, families, and other members of the health-care team
- Practice keeping patient records
- Help PTs examine patients
- Assist patients with exercises
- Learn muscle testing and other ways of assessing patients
- Wear a uniform while working in the clinic
- Divide your time between academics and hands-on training
It Helps To Be...
In good shape as well as interested in helping others: you’ll have to lift and move patients. You should also work hard in your high school science classes to prepare for the challenging course work in this major.
College Checklist
- Will the program prepare you to take the state licensing exam (if your state requires it)? What is the school’s passing rate for the exam?
- Will you train with state-of-the-art physical therapy equipment and technology?
- Does the clinical component allow the flexibility to work in different clinical settings and in different specialty areas, such as sports medicine and pediatrics?
- Does the college have a job-placement center?
Did You Know?
Men were barred from the first professional physical therapy organization for almost twenty years.
Course Spotlight
You’ll also learn how past medical practices affected the role of the physical therapist, as well as current issues, laws, rules, and regulations. You’ll even get some basics about how physical therapists diagnose and treat different conditions. Expect your fair share of quizzes, exams, as well as a research paper -- and you may have to do a little role-playing in class, too.