Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Dacono CO

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Program near Dacono 80514

Dacono CO physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapist degree near Dacono CO is a critical first step to launching a fulfilling career in the healthcare field. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been debilitated due to injury or illness gain back mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must acquire the appropriate training and education. A PT must also be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate the ones you are thinking about to ensure they will furnish a superior education and meet your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is enroll in a college just because it happens to be the closest to your residence or it has the lowest tuition. There are other important qualifications that need to be considered in addition to location and cost. But before we talk about what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Dacono CO physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in a variety of locations, including Dacono CO hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help individuals that are struggling with a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they create a program of treatment to deal with the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also endeavor to prevent any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Dacono CO medical professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, dentists and nurses. They may also manage several physical therapy assistants who work for them in diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to keep in mind for anyone thinking about going into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Offered

Dacono CO physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for students to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these options, the only degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are brief summaries of degrees that are offered in the Dacono CO area:

Associate Degrees train students to practice as physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are most often provided by community or junior colleges, and require two years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapy education to prepare students to advance to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an important initial step to practicing as a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally require four years to finish and usually incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated in order to become a licensed practicing physical therapist. The degree program must also be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to finish, making the overall commitment 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical training is an important component along with the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the completion of an internship is required, not solely for graduation but in some states for licensing also.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been phased out and is no longer attainable in the United States. A number of licensed physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the existing licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Degrees

woman attending physical therapy school online in Dacono CO While not as common as the on campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are incorporated with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or in proximity of an available internship. However, the online segment of the course of study can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Dacono CO home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of cases more economical. Tuition may be significantly less than comparable on-campus alternatives, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the ideal choice for those students that are motivated enough to learn at home.

Topics to Ask Physical Therapy Schools

By now you most likely have come to decision concerning several of your initial questions, like the type of physical therapy degree you would like to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But considering there are numerous PT colleges within the Dacono CO area and across Colorado, you’ll have to research additional qualifications also in order to further reduce your list of school choices. Furthermore, you want to be sure that you enroll in the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have compiled a list of essential questions that you need to ask the physical therapy schools you are reviewing. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist School Accredited? Ask if the schools you are looking at have received accreditation from a regional or a national agency. As previously mentioned, if you are pursuing a doctoral degree the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you enroll in an online college, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapist program and school you select are accredited, not simply the school. Also, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to guaranteeing that you receive an excellent education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are a number of ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, starting with asking for references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Call a few Dacono CO physical therapist centers or other medical care facilities that you might have an interest in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations about your school options. It might also be prudent to check with the Colorado Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of important statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapist programs you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate might suggest that students dropped out because of dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the support of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Dacono CO area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care community is good or perhaps exceptional. It also confirms that the program has a wide network of contacts to help students gain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the program you select provides both excellent training and a course of study that supports the licensing criteria for Colorado or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist school. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Inquire if the physical therapy programs you are reviewing have partnerships with Dacono CO hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent means to receive practical experience in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they may help students and graduates form professional connections in the Dacono healthcare community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of student that likes to sit far in the rear of class or get lost in the crowd, you will likely prefer a small class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are researching what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with a few of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy tech program as well.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they decide on will need to be within commuting distance of their Dacono CO residence. Individuals who have decided to attend classes online naturally will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. One thing to bear in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a college that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges typically charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? Most DPT colleges offer some form of financial aid to their potential students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial assistance department and see what type of help is offered. They at least should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you may qualify for. Some physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a school because the tuition is beyond your budget, learn what financial assistance might be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to confirm that the physical therapy school you ultimately pick can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly important if you opt to continue working while you attend classes. If you need to schedule night or weekend classes in the Dacono CO area, check that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would need to enroll in. Also, find out what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss because of work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Dacono Colorado?

If you are planning on attending a Physical Therapy School in the Dacono CO area, the following information may prove to be both interesting and educational regarding the location of your future Alma Mater.

Dacono, Colorado

The city name's is an amalgamation of the names of Daisy Baum, Cora Van Vorhies and Nora Brooks.[8] Dacono was first settled in 1901, and early settlers moved there to work in the coal mines.[9] The city was incorporated in 1908.[10]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 3,015 people, 1,087 households, and 756 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,103.0 people per square mile (426.4/km²). There were 1,136 housing units at an average density of 415.6 per square mile (160.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.05% White, 0.43% African American, 0.96% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 17.98% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.04% of the population.

There were 1,087 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.32.

Enroll in the Right Physical Therapy School near Dacono CO

Choosing the ideal physical therapist school is an important initial decision you must make to start a fulfilling career in the health care profession. As we have discussed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you choose should both have outstanding reputations and accreditation. But there are additional important questions that you should ask regarding your college of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapist program, keep in mind that numerous factors will lead you to your final decision. You may decide to go to each of the campuses to view their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this school help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the field so you can make the ideal choice. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Dacono CO.