Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - River Grove IL

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Degree Program near River Grove 60171

River Grove IL physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapy degree near River Grove IL is an important first step to starting a fulfilling career in the health care field. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been disabled as a result of injury or illness gain back function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the appropriate education and training. A PT must additionally become licensed in all states, many mandating that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before selecting a physical therapy school, it’s necessary to investigate those you are thinking about to make certain they will provide a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you do not want to do is choose a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the most affordable 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?

River Grove IL physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in varying settings, including River Grove IL private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help people that are suffering from a lack of mobility and frequently pain due to injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they create a course of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also strive to stop any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other River Grove IL health specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage several physical therapy assistants who work for them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone considering going into the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

River Grove IL physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the one degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or preparing them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short descriptions of degrees that are offered in the River Grove IL area:

Associate Degrees train students to become physical therapy assistants, or may be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are usually provided by junior or community colleges, and require two 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 developed as pre-physical therapist education to ready candidates to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral first step to practicing as a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they generally take 4 years to finish and commonly include an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated 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). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to finish, making the total investment of time 7 years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an essential component in addition to the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, not just 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 phased out and is no longer offered in the United States. A number of practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapist Online Schools

woman attending physical therapy school online in River Grove IL Although not as common as the on-campus alternatives, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist programs offered, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or in proximity of a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online part of the course of study may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s River Grove IL home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition may be significantly less than similar on campus options, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These benefits may make the online option the best choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

Topics to Ask Physical Therapy Colleges

At this point you undoubtedly have made a decision regarding several of your preliminary queries, like the type of physical therapy degree you would like to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are so many PT schools within the River Grove IL area and throughout Illinois, you’ll need to research other qualifications as well so as to further reduce your list of college choices. Furthermore, you want to be sure that you enroll in the program that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of important questions that you need to ask the physical therapy programs you are thinking about. Ask all of the potential colleges these questions before making a final decision.

Is the Physical Therapist School Accredited? Find out if the schools you are reviewing have earned accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As previously stated, if you are pursuing a doctorate 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 obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapist program and school you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Besides guaranteeing that you obtain a quality education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the School’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you select have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist community. There are multiple ways you can research a PT program’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also check online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Get in touch with several River Grove IL physical therapy clinics or other health care facilities that you might have an interest in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations about your college selections. It might 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 schools.

What is the School’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a two useful statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapy programs you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A low rate may indicate that students dropped out because of displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the help of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the River Grove IL area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the healthcare community is good or perhaps excellent. It also verifies that the college has a broad network of contacts to help students obtain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the college you select provides both superior 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) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. While licensing requirements differ state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internships Provided? Find out if the physical therapy schools you are interested in have partnerships with River Grove IL clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent means to receive practical training in a clinical environment, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may help students and graduates develop professional connections in the River Grove medical community and help with obtaining employment after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of student that likes to sit far in the back 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 therapy schools you are considering what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may prefer to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the College Located? For many students, the physical therapy school they choose will have to be within travelling distance of their River Grove IL residence. Students who have opted to attend classes online obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of importance. Something to consider is that if you decide to enroll in a program that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges commonly charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges usually charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Help Provided? Most DPT colleges provide some form of financial assistance to their potential students. Inquire if the schools you are reviewing have a financial assistance department and see what type of help is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in getting a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. A number of physical therapy schools offer scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a program because the tuition is beyond your budget, learn what financial assistance might be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must verify that the physical therapist college you finally select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you choose to continue working while attending classes. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the River Grove IL area, check that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss as a result of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near River Grove Illinois?

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

River Grove, Illinois

River Grove is located at 41°55′33″N 87°50′24″W / 41.92583°N 87.84000°W / 41.92583; -87.84000 (41.925830, -87.840135).[4] According to the 2010 census, River Grove has a total area of 2.39 square miles (6.19 km2), all land.[5]

Just as nearby Elmwood Park and Oak Park are named after their historic elm and oak trees, River Grove gets its two-part name first from the community's shallow muddy plains river, and second from the majestic groves of American ash trees lining shore of the (Aux) Des Planes River "Bottomland." Credit goes to the village's early German and Nordic settlers who, already holding a great reverence for the "mystic ash" through old world traditions, felt that they were home again among the familiar groves of ash trees, "just like the ones they left behind." Up until the modern day extinction event of the American ash tree species 2006–2018, River Grove was the home to Cook County's second-oldest green ash with an estimated age of 240 in the "old growth" Lafrombose Woods, along with several other living examples of locally evolved white, green, black and blue ash types 110–160 years of age scattered around the village. Because the invasive Asian emerald ash borer kills off young trees long before they reach seeding age of 10, scientists theorize that the "Fraxinus/ash" species will no longer be able to germinate continued generations by 2018 within the local woods, or only 12 years after EAB was first discovered in River Grove.[6][7]

As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 10,227 people and 4,427 households in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 87.5% White (76.7% Non-Hispanic white), 1.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.2% Asian, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.6% of the population.

Pick the Best Physical Therapist Training Program near River Grove IL

Selecting the right physical therapy program is an important initial decision you need to make to launch a rewarding career in the healthcare profession. As we have discussed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you choose should both have exceptional reputations and accreditation. But there are other critical questions that you should ask regarding your school of choice also. As you commence your search for a physical therapist school, keep in mind that a number of variables will lead you toward your final decision. You may decide to visit different schools to view their facilities and talk to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this school help me accomplish my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of supplemental questions, you will be able to narrow down the field so you can make the ideal choice. And with the proper training and education, you can fulfill your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in River Grove IL.