Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Mathiston MS

How to Choose a Physical Therapy School near Mathiston 39752

Mathiston MS physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapy degree near Mathiston MS is an essential first step to launching a fulfilling career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been disabled as a result of illness or injury gain back mobility and function. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to get the proper training and education. A PT must also become licensed in all states, a large number requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research those you are thinking about to make sure they will deliver a superior education and meet your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is choose a school simply because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that must be evaluated 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 what the educational options are.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Mathiston MS physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in diverse settings, such as Mathiston MS private practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously touched on, physical therapists help people that are experiencing a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to deal with the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other Mathiston MS medical professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They can also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone thinking about getting into the physical therapy field, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

Mathiston MS physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degrees offered for individuals to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these options, the single degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short explanations of degrees that are available in the Mathiston MS area:

Associate Degrees educate students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are typically made available by junior or community colleges, and take about two years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is typically part of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapy education to prep candidates to advance to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an important first step to practicing as a PT. Similar to the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically require four years to finish and often include an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement in order to become a licensed practicing 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 total investment of time seven years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component along with the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not only for graduation but in some states for licensing also.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been eliminated and is no longer offered in the United States. Some practicing physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Schools

woman attending physical therapy school online in Mathiston MS While not as prevalent as the on campus options, there are some accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the school campus or nearby a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online portion of the program may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Mathiston MS residence. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition can be significantly lower than similar on campus options, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These benefits may make the online alternative the ideal choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapist Colleges

At this point you probably have made a decision concerning a few of your preliminary questions, such as the type of physical therapy degree you intend to attain, where you prefer 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 Mathiston MS area and across Mississippi, you’ll need to explore other qualifications as well in order to further reduce your list of school options. Furthermore, you want to make certain that you select the college that is right for you. That’s why we have put together a list of important questions that you need to ask the physical therapist colleges you are thinking about. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making an ultimate selection.

Is the Physical Therapy College Accredited? Ask if the programs you are looking at have received 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 imperative that both the physical therapist school and program you enroll in are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, verify that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. In addition to ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Standing? In addition to accreditation, it’s imperative that the school and program you choose have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist community. There are multiple ways you can look into a PT program’s reputation, starting with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also check online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Get in touch with several Mathiston MS physical therapy clinics or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your program options. It might also be prudent to check with the Mississippi 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 Rate? There are a two relevant statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapy schools you are looking at. First is their graduation rate. A low rate may indicate that students left due to displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once 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 Mathiston MS area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the healthcare field is good or even exceptional. It also verifies that the program has a broad network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the college you select provides both superior training and a course of study that satisfies the licensing requirements for Mississippi or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist program. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Ask if the physical therapy colleges you are assessing have relationships with Mathiston MS hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a great manner to obtain practical experience in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may help graduates and students develop professional relationships in the Mathiston healthcare community and assist with obtaining employment after licensing.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that prefers to sit far in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will probably prefer a smaller class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are looking at what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classes. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with a few 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 college they select will have to be within commuting distance of their Mathiston MS residence. Individuals who have opted to attend online classes naturally 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 decide to enroll in a college that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges typically charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Help Offered? The majority of DPT schools supply some type of financial assistance to their potential students. Ask if the colleges you are examining have a financial assistance office and find out what type of assistance is offered. At a minimum they should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. Some physical therapy schools provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is too expensive, ask what financial assistance may be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist program you finally pick can offer the class schedule you need. This is particularly crucial if you decide to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Mathiston MS area, confirm that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to enroll in. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Mathiston Mississippi?

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

Mathiston, Mississippi

Mathiston is located at 33°32′12″N 89°7′36″W / 33.53667°N 89.12667°W / 33.53667; -89.12667 (33.536549, -89.126529).[3] Most of the town is in Webster County with a portion on the south side extending into Choctaw County.[4] In the 2000 census, 643 of the town's 720 residents (89.3%) lived in Webster County and 77 (10.7%) in Choctaw County.[5]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 720 people, 294 households, and 194 families residing in the town. The population density was 289.7 people per square mile (111.6/km²). There were 323 housing units at an average density of 130.0 per square mile (50.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 80.00% White, 18.33% African American, 0.69% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.

There were 294 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.11.

Pick the Ideal Physical Therapy Degree Program near Mathiston MS

Selecting the right physical therapist college is an important initial decision you have to make to launch a gratifying career in the healthcare profession. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you choose should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. However there are other important questions that you need to ask regarding your college of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapy program, keep in mind that a number of factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You may want to go to each of the campuses to view their facilities and speak to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this school help me realize 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 field so you can make the ideal selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Mathiston MS.