Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Hampshire IL

How to Choose a Physical Therapist School near Hampshire 60140

Hampshire IL physical therapy school student with volunteer Getting a physical therapy degree near Hampshire IL is an essential first step to starting a rewarding career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated as a result of injury or illness gain back function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to get the proper education and training. A PT must also become licensed in all states, a large number requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s important to evaluate the ones you are considering to ensure they will provide a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is choose a school simply because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be evaluated along with cost and location. But before we cover what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Hampshire IL physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse settings, including Hampshire IL 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 touched on, physical therapists help patients that are experiencing a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to illness or injury. After patient diagnosis, they create a program of treatment to resolve the mobility issues and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also endeavor to stop any progression of the disability. Though the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Hampshire IL health professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They may also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them in diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to keep in mind for anyone thinking about going into the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Offered

Hampshire IL physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the single degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short descriptions of degrees that are offered in the Hampshire IL area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are most often made available by community colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally a component of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapy training to prepare students to advance to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral initial step to practicing as a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally require 4 years to finish and often include an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement if you want to become a practicing licensed physical therapist. The degree program also must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to finish, making the total commitment seven years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an intregal element in addition to the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in a number of states for licensing as well.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has taken the place of the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been phased out and is no longer available in the United States. Some practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the existing licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Degrees Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Hampshire IL While not as common as the more traditional alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapy programs available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the school campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online part of the course of study can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Hampshire IL home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition can be significantly less than similar on campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These advantages can make the online option the right choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Colleges

By now you probably have come to decision concerning a few of your initial queries, including the type of physical therapist degree you want to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are numerous PT schools within the Hampshire IL area and throughout Illinois, you’ll have to look into other qualifications also in order to further narrow your list of college choices. Moreover, you want to make certain that you enroll in the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have put together a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapist schools you are considering. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Find out if the programs you are looking at have received accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As earlier stated, if you are pursuing a doctoral degree the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you select an online college, it can also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist program and school you choose are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, verify that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Along with ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the College’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are a number of ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. Contact some Hampshire IL physical therapist clinics or other health care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any advice about your school options. It may also be prudent to contact the Illinois Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two useful statistics that you should know about each of the physical therapy programs you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might suggest that students dropped out due to displeasure with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the support of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Hampshire IL area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the medical care community is good or perhaps exceptional. It also affirms that the college has a wide network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the school you select provides both excellent training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for Illinois or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapist school. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, some states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Inquire if the physical therapy schools you are evaluating have partnerships with Hampshire IL clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a great means to receive practical experience in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they can help students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Hampshire health care community and help with job placement once licensed.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that likes to sit far in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will probably prefer a smaller class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are researching what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classes. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with some of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist technician program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist school they select will have to be within commuting distance of their Hampshire IL home. Individuals who have opted to attend classes online naturally will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. One thing to bear in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges commonly charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges generally charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Aid Provided? The majority of DPT schools offer some type of financial support to their potential students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office and find out what kind of assistance is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in getting a student loan or any scholarships you might qualify for. Some physical therapy colleges provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a program because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid may be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapist school you finally pick can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule night or weekend classes in the Hampshire IL area, make certain that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would need to carry. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Hampshire Illinois?

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

Hampshire, Illinois

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 2,490 people, 1,015 households, and 792 families residing in the village. There were 1,051 housing units at an average density of 215.5 per square mile (83.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.21% White, 0.10% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.14% Asian, and 0.62% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.41% of the population.

There were 1,015 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 17.5% 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 2.86 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the village, the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

Pick the Right Physical Therapy Training Program near Hampshire IL

Picking the right physical therapist program is a necessary initial decision you must make to begin a fulfilling career in the healthcare field. As we have discussed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you select should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. However there are additional critical questions that you need to ask concerning your college of choice as well. As you begin your search for a physical therapy school, keep in mind that numerous variables will guide you toward your final decision. You might want to visit each of the campuses to view their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this school help me reach my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal selection. And with the proper training and education, you can achieve your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Hampshire IL.