Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Baileyville KS

How to Find the Right Physical Therapy Program near Baileyville 66404

Baileyville KS physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapy degree near Baileyville KS is an important first step to launching a rewarding career in the healthcare industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been debilitated due to illness or injury regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the appropriate training and education. A PT must also become licensed in all states, a large number mandating that the licensee receive 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 considering to make certain they will furnish a quality education and meet your state’s licensing criteria. What you should not do is choose a college just because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has the lowest tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that must be considered in addition to 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 the options for education.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Baileyville KS physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in a variety of locations, such as Baileyville KS hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help people that are experiencing a lack of mobility and frequently pain caused by injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they develop a course of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close association with other Baileyville KS health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They can also oversee several physical therapy assistants who work under them in diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to keep in mind for anyone thinking about getting into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees

Baileyville KS physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degrees available for students to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these alternatives, the one degree that is attainable to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are short descriptions of degrees that are available in the Baileyville KS area:

Associate Degrees educate students to be physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are typically made available by community colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually a portion of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist training to ready candidates to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an integral first step to becoming a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically require 4 years to complete and often 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). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to finish, making the overall investment of time 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical training is an important element in addition to the extensive classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the completion of an internship is mandated, not only 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 offered in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists having a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Baileyville KS Although not as common as the more traditional options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are incorporated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live close to the college campus or in proximity of an available internship. However, the online portion of the curriculum may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Baileyville KS home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition might be somewhat less than similar on-campus alternatives, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the best choice for those students that are motivated enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapist Colleges

By now you probably have made a decision regarding a few of your initial questions, including the type of physical therapist degree you would like to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are so many PT schools within the Baileyville KS area and across Kansas, you’ll need to explore other qualifications as well in order to further narrow your list of school options. Furthermore, you want to make sure that you enroll in the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of essential questions that you must ask the physical therapist schools you are reviewing. Ask each of the competing schools these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Ask if the colleges you are considering have received accreditation from a regional or a national agency. As earlier 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 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 recognized accrediting agency. Along with ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be required for state licensing as well as for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have outstanding reputations within the physical therapy community. There are several 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 agencies for their reviews also. Call several Baileyville KS physical therapy clinics or other health care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any insight about your school options. It might also be a good idea to check with the Kansas Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two important statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapist programs you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might mean that students dropped out due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Baileyville KS area? If a college has a higher job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the medical care community is good or perhaps outstanding. It also verifies that the college has a broad network of contacts to assist students get internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the school you select furnishes both excellent training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for Kansas or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapy college. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PTA and PT graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Inquire if the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing have relationships with Baileyville KS hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific manner to get hands on training in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may assist graduates and students form professional connections in the Baileyville medical community and assist with obtaining employment after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of person that likes to sit way in the rear of class or hide in the crowd, you will likely want a small class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with a few of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist technician program as well.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapy school they choose will have to be within commuting distance of their Baileyville KS home. Students who have decided to attend online classes 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 college that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might be required 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 live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? The majority of DPT schools supply some type of financial assistance to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department and see what type of assistance is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in getting a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. Some physical therapist colleges provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is too expensive, learn what financial aid might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must confirm that the physical therapist school you ultimately choose can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially crucial if you decide to continue working while you attend classes. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Baileyville KS area, confirm that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to enroll in. Also, ask what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss because of illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Baileyville Kansas?

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

Baileyville, Kansas

The community was founded as Haytown, then renamed by Willis J. Bailey and his father to Baileyville. In 1903, Willis became the 16th Governor of Kansas Willis J. Bailey.[1] The first post office in Baileyville was established in 1880.[2]

Enroll in the Best Physical Therapist School near Baileyville KS

Deciding on the right physical therapy program is an important initial decision you have to make to start a gratifying career in the health care profession. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you choose should both have outstanding reputations and be accredited. However there are additional critical questions that you should ask concerning your college of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapy college, keep in mind that many variables will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You may want to go to different schools to view their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me accomplish 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 best choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can achieve your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Baileyville KS.