Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Cedar Rapids IA

How to Enroll In a Physical Therapist School near Cedar Rapids 52401

Cedar Rapids IA physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapist degree near Cedar Rapids IA is an essential first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled as a result of illness or injury gain back function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to receive the necessary training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, many mandating that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So prior to choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to evaluate the ones you are looking at to make sure they will deliver a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is enroll in a college simply because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other relevant 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 address what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Cedar Rapids IA physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying locations, such as Cedar Rapids IA private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help people that are suffering from a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they design a program of treatment to address the mobility problems and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also endeavor to stop any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other Cedar Rapids IA medical professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They may also supervise several physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone considering getting into the physical therapy field, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and stand, crouch and kneel for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

Cedar Rapids IA physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapist degrees offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these choices, the one degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short summaries of degree levels that are offered in the Cedar Rapids IA area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to become physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are most often provided by community or junior colleges, and require 2 years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally a portion of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist training to ready candidates to advance to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral preliminary step to becoming a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they typically require 4 years to complete and usually include 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 also must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to complete, making the total investment of time 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an intregal element in addition to the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in some 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 USA. A number of practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the current licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapist Degrees Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Cedar Rapids IA Although not as prevalent as the on campus alternatives, there are some accredited online physical therapy programs available, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live near the school campus or in proximity of an available internship. However, the online segment of the program can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Cedar Rapids IA residence. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition may be significantly lower than comparable on campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits can make the online option the ideal choice for those students that are disciplined enough to attend classes at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

At this point you undoubtedly have come to decision concerning a few of your preliminary questions, such as the type of physical therapist degree you want to earn, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to invest in your education. But because there are so many PT colleges within the Cedar Rapids IA area and throughout Iowa, you’ll need to research additional qualifications as well in order to further narrow your list of school choices. Furthermore, you want to be sure that you select the college that is ideal for you. That’s why we have compiled a list of essential questions that you must ask the physical therapist colleges you are thinking about. Ask all of the potential schools these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Ask if the schools you are reviewing have earned accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As earlier stated, if you are pursuing a doctorate the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you choose an online school, it may also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy school and program you select are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, check that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. In addition to ensuring that you obtain a quality education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing as well as for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s essential that the school and program you choose have excellent reputations within the physical therapist community. There are several ways you can research a PT school’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they refer their students to. You may also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Get in touch with a few Cedar Rapids IA physical therapist centers or other health care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any insight about your school selections. It might also be prudent to check with the Iowa Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been filed against the colleges.

What is the School’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a two useful statistics that you should know about each of the physical therapist colleges you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students dropped out due to displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. After the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Cedar Rapids IA area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the medical care field is good or even outstanding. It also affirms that the college has a large network of contacts to help students obtain internships or jobs after graduation.

Does the College Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the program you choose provides both excellent training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing requirements for Iowa or the state where you will be working. In every state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapy program. While licensing requirements vary state by state for PT and PTA graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Sponsored? Inquire if the physical therapy programs you are evaluating have partnerships with Cedar Rapids IA clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific 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 supplemental benefit, they can assist graduates and students develop professional connections in the Cedar Rapids medical community and assist with job placement after licensing.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of person that prefers to sit far in the rear of class or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly want a smaller class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are looking at what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you a chance to converse with a few of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy technician program also.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist college they pick will need to be within travelling distance of their Cedar Rapids IA residence. Students who have decided to attend online classes obviously will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. Something to keep in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a program that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you may be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges generally charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

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

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must verify that the physical therapy college you finally select can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while you attend classes. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Cedar Rapids IA area, make sure that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, find out if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would have to enroll in. Also, find out what the procedure 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 Cedar Rapids Iowa?

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

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids /ˈsiːdər ˈræpɪdz/ is the second-largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, 20 miles (32 km) north of Iowa City and 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. It is a part of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor of Linn, Benton, Cedar, Jones, Johnson, and Washington counties.[5]

As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 126,326.[6][7] The estimated population of the three-county Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the nearby cities of Marion and Hiawatha, was 255,452 in 2008.[8] Cedar Rapids is an economic hub of the state, located in the core of the Interstate 380.

The Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is also a part of a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with the Iowa City MSA. This CSA plus two additional counties are known as the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids (ICR) Corridor and collectively have a population of over 450,000.

Choose the Ideal Physical Therapy College near Cedar Rapids IA

Choosing the ideal physical therapy school is an important first decision you have to make to start a rewarding career in the health care field. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you select should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. But there are additional important questions that you need to ask concerning your school of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapist school, keep in mind that a number of factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You may decide to go to different campuses to see their facilities and talk to 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 supplemental questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal selection. And with the proper training and education, you can achieve your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Cedar Rapids IA.