Physical Therapist Assistant Program Mission Statement
- Produce a well qualified entry level physical therapist assistant who functions under
the supervision of the physical therapist in a variety of physical therapy settings
and is capable of providing physical therapy treatments as outlined by the physical
therapist to the satisfaction of the physical therapist.
- Produce graduates who meet standards for licensure or registration as physical therapist
assistants in a variety of states.
- Meet the accreditation standards of the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy
Education for Physical Therapist Assistant Programs.
- Involve the faculty in advice concerning all aspects of the program including: curriculum,
budget, student competency, clinical components and policy and procedures, etc.
- Teach clinical techniques currently utilized in physical therapy practice.
- The mission of the PTA Program is consistent with the mission of the college.
Goals of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program
- Provide the student with a well-rounded general education and basic science core including
courses which are transferable.
- Provide the program within less than 80 academic weeks.
- Meet the degree requirements of New York State and Nassau Community College.
- Provide a first semester core course (AHS 101 - Introduction to Allied Health Sciences)
in which the student studies with other Allied Health practitioners.
- 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. The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice and the Normative
Model for the Physical Therapist Assistant as published by the American Physical Therapy
Association are utilized.
- 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 from
the technical assistant.
Students must be familiar with the Guide for Physical Therapy Practice and the Normative
Model of Practice for the Physical Therapist Assistant. Both may be purchased from
the American Physical Therapy Association 1-800-999-APTA or are available for perusal from the technical assistant.