Physical Therapist Assistant Program Mission Statement

Provide the community with diverse well-qualified entry level physical therapist assistants who can be employable in a variety of physical therapy settings in all jurisdictions of the United States. These entry level physical therapist assistants will be capable of providing safe, effective and ethical physical therapy treatments to the satisfaction of the supervising physical therapist.

Goals of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program

1. Produce graduates who meet standards for licensure or registration as physical therapist assistants in a variety of states.
2. Meet the accreditation standards of the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education for   Physical Therapist Assistant Programs.
3. Involve the faculty in advice concerning all aspects of the program including: curriculum, budget, student competency, clinical components and policy and procedures, etc.
4. Teach clinical techniques currently utilized in physical therapy practice.
5. Remain committed to diversity, equity, inclusion. 
6. Provide the student with a well-rounded general education and basic science core including courses which are transferable.
7. Provide a first semester core course (AHS 101 - Introduction to Allied Health Sciences) in which the student studies with other Allied Health practitioners.
8. Provide the technical material in an orderly manner such that:
   • Students have demonstrated competence in skills prior to the performance of those skills in the clinical setting.
   • Anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, pathology and disease entities are presented early in the program.
   • Reinforcement occurs in the clinic, via the writing of SOAP notes, during practice lab, in-service presentations and by questions asked by the instructor.
   • Advanced therapeutic exercises which require the knowledge of neurology are presented last.
   • The number of hours in the clinic escalates with each semester.  The clinical grading system for the students is dependent upon topics previously learned.
   • Problem solving via case studies prepares the student for the licensing examination.
   • All of the curriculum content areas including the clinical component as established in the Evaluative Criteria of Education Programs for the Preparation of Physical Therapist Assistants are taught.
   • Each course has been prepared in terms of behavioral objectives with specified competencies. The criteria for measuring these competencies are the quizzes, oral-practical, and written examinations, projects and the clinical evaluations.

The goals and objectives are one hundred percent consistent with and reflective of the program faculty's analysis of the assistant's role.

Detailed goals and objectives of each course are available for student perusal.  This document is in room E211A.  If you need assistance please contact the technical assistant.