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

How to Choose a Physical Therapist College near Lovington 61937

Lovington IL physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapist degree near Lovington IL is a critical first step to starting a rewarding career in the healthcare field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been disabled due to illness or injury regain function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to get the appropriate training and education. A PT must also become licensed in every state, many requiring that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s important to research those you are looking at to make sure they will provide a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing criteria. What you do not want to do is choose a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your residence or it has the lowest tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be considered along with location and cost. But before we cover what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist?

Lovington IL physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in varying locations, including Lovington IL hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier stated, physical therapists help individuals that are suffering from a lack of mobility and often pain caused by illness or injury. After patient diagnosis, they create a course of treatment to address the mobility issues and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also endeavor to stop any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Lovington IL health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They may also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to keep in mind for anyone thinking about entering the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

Lovington 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 alternatives, the one degree that is available to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are brief summaries of degrees that are available in the Lovington IL area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are typically made available by community or junior colleges, and require 2 years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is usually a portion of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist training to prepare candidates to advance to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important first step to practicing as a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take four years to complete and usually incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement if you want to become a practicing licensed 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 total commitment 7 years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an important component along with the extensive classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not solely for graduation but in several states for licensing as well.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been eliminated and is no longer available in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the existing licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Degrees Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Lovington IL While not as common as the on campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live close to the college campus or in proximity of an available internship. Fortunately, the online part of the curriculum may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Lovington IL home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition might be significantly lower than similar on campus options, and expenses for commuting are minimized. And many of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

By now you most likely have made a decision regarding a few of your preliminary queries, including the kind of physical therapy degree you would like to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But because there are numerous PT schools within the Lovington IL area and across Illinois, you’ll have to explore additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college choices. Moreover, you need to make sure that you pick the college that is ideal for you. That’s why we have compiled a list of critical questions that you need to ask the physical therapist programs you are reviewing. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Ask if the colleges you are looking at have received accreditation from a regional or a national organization. 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 select an online program, it can also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapy program and school you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Also, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. In addition to ensuring that you receive an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you select have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist profession. 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 can also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Get in touch with some Lovington IL physical therapy centers or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations about your program selections. It may also be a good idea to contact the Illinois Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two relevant statistics that you need to know about all of the physical therapy schools you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A low rate may mean that students dropped out due to dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. After the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the help of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Lovington IL area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care community is good or even outstanding. It also affirms that the program has a broad network of contacts to help students obtain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the school you select furnishes both exceptional training and a curriculum that supports the licensing requirements for Illinois or the state where you will be practicing. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapy program. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internships Offered? Find out if the physical therapist colleges you are interested in have partnerships with Lovington IL clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent way to obtain hands on training in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may help students and graduates establish professional connections in the Lovington healthcare community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of student that likes to sit way in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a small class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are looking at what the average student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you a chance to talk with a few of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy tech program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist school they choose will have to be within driving distance of their Lovington IL residence. Individuals who have decided to attend online classes obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. One thing to keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a college that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges normally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges usually charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial aid to their prospective students. Find out if the colleges you are reviewing have a financial assistance department and see what type of assistance is offered. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. A number of physical therapy schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid may be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapy program you ultimately pick can offer the class schedule you need. This is particularly crucial if you choose to continue working while you attend school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Lovington IL area, make certain that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would need to enroll in. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss as a result of work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Lovington Illinois?

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

Lovington, Illinois

Lovington is a village in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,222 at the 2000 census, and 1,167 at a 2009 estimate. Lovington was named after Andrew Love, the first postmaster in the area.

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,222 people, 504 households, and 338 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,518.4 people per square mile (589.8/km²). There were 536 housing units at an average density of 666.0 per square mile (258.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.77% White, 0.25% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.25% Asian, and 0.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population.

There were 504 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95.

Choose the Ideal Physical Therapist Degree Program near Lovington IL

Deciding on the right physical therapist college is a necessary first decision you must make to start a rewarding career in the healthcare field. As we have addressed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you pick should both have exceptional reputations and accreditation. But there are additional important questions that you need to ask regarding your school of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapy school, keep in mind that a number of factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You might want to go to different campuses to view their facilities and talk to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the field so you can make the ideal selection. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Lovington IL.