Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Pemaquid ME

How to Find the Right Physical Therapy Program near Pemaquid 04558

Pemaquid ME physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapist degree near Pemaquid ME is a critical first step to launching a fulfilling career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been disabled due to illness or injury regain function and mobility. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must obtain the appropriate training and education. A PT must also be licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s necessary to evaluate those you are considering to make sure they will deliver a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is select a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that must be evaluated in addition to cost and location. But before we cover what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Pemaquid ME physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in a variety of locations, including Pemaquid ME hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier touched on, physical therapists help individuals that are experiencing a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a course of treatment to resolve the mobility problems and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive to stop any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Strokes.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Pemaquid ME health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone considering entering the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and stand, crouch and kneel for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees Offered

Pemaquid ME physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degree options offered for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these options, the only degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are brief descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Pemaquid ME area:

Associate Degrees train students to practice as physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The programs are usually provided by community colleges, and take about 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually part of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist training to ready candidates to advance to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral preliminary step to becoming a PT. Similar to the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally take four years to finish and usually 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 must also be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to complete, making the overall investment of time seven years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component in addition to the substantial lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in some states for licensing also.

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. A number of licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Programs

woman attending physical therapy school online in Pemaquid ME While 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 combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online portion of the course of study may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Pemaquid ME home. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of cases more economical. Tuition can be significantly lower than similar on-campus options, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits may make the online option the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Colleges

By now you most likely have made a decision concerning a few of your preliminary queries, including the type of physical therapist degree you want to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But because there are so many PT schools within the Pemaquid ME area and throughout Maine, you’ll have to research other qualifications as well in order to further reduce your list of school choices. Furthermore, you want to make certain that you enroll in the school that is right for you. That’s why we have put together a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapist programs you are reviewing. Ask all of the potential schools these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy College Accredited? Find out if the programs you are looking at have earned accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As previously mentioned, 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 program, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapy school and program you select are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Besides guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the College’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s imperative that the school and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can investigate a PT program’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Call several Pemaquid ME physical therapist centers or other medical care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations about your college selections. It might also be prudent to contact the Maine 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 Rate? There are a couple of significant statistics that you need to find out about each of the physical therapist programs you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A low rate may mean that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the help of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Pemaquid ME area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the health care field is good or perhaps excellent. It also affirms that the program has a broad network of contacts to assist students gain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the college you choose provides both superior training and a course of study that satisfies the licensing requirements for Maine 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 therapist college. While licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, many states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Inquire if the physical therapy schools you are interested in have associations with Pemaquid ME clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific way to obtain practical experience 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 Pemaquid medical community and help with obtaining employment once licensed.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that likes to sit way in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a smaller class size. Small classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are considering what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classes. 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 some of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist technician program also.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist school they decide on will need to be within travelling distance of their Pemaquid ME home. Those who have decided to attend online classes obviously will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. One thing to consider 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 usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Aid Offered? The majority of DPT colleges supply some form of financial assistance to their potential students. Inquire if the colleges you are reviewing have a financial aid office and see what kind of assistance is obtainable. They at least should help in acquiring 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 too expensive, ask what financial assistance may be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must confirm that the physical therapy program you finally choose can offer the class schedule you need. This is particularly crucial if you choose to continue working while attending classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Pemaquid ME 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 courses or credit hours you would have to enroll in. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss as a result of work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Pemaquid Maine?

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

Bristol, Maine

Bristol, known from 1632 to 1765 as Pemaquid (/ˈpɛməkwɪd/; today a village within the town) is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,755 at the 2010 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. During the 17th and early 18th century, New France defined the Kennebec River as the southern boundary of Acadia, which put Bristol within Acadia.[4]

Once territory of the Wawenock (or Walinakiak, meaning "People of the Bay") Abenaki Indians, early Bristol was one of the most important and embattled frontier settlements in the province. Beginning with seasonal fishing, as early as 1625 the English established at Pemaquid Point a year-round trading post for fur trading. In 1631, the area was granted as the Pemaquid Patent by the Plymouth Council to Robert Aldsworth and Gyles Elbridge, merchants from Bristol, England.[5]

In 1664, the Duke of York (the future King James II) claimed Pemaquid was within his patent, which also included Sagadahoc and recently acquired New Amsterdam. To help anglicize the latter into New York City, Governor Sir Edmund Andros had some of its Dutch inhabitants transported to Pemaquid, now called Jamestown for its royal owner. By 1665, the village had approximately 30 houses.[5]

Select the Ideal Physical Therapist Training Program near Pemaquid ME

Deciding on the right physical therapy college is an important first decision you have to make to start a fulfilling career in the medical field. As we have addressed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you pick should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. However there are other important questions that you should ask pertaining to your school of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapist program, keep in mind that numerous variables will lead you to your final decision. You may decide to go to different campuses to view their facilities and talk with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me accomplish my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the right choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can fulfill your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Pemaquid ME.