Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Newbury NH

How to Pick a Physical Therapist Degree Program near Newbury 03255

Newbury NH physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapist degree near Newbury NH is a critical first step to launching a fulfilling career in the medical care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated as a result of illness or injury regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must acquire the necessary education and training. A PT must also be licensed in all states, a large number mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s important to evaluate the ones you are thinking about to make sure they will supply a superior education and comply with your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is choose a college just because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that must be evaluated along with cost and location. 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?

Newbury NH physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in diverse settings, including Newbury NH hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. 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 often pain due to injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they develop a program of treatment to address the mobility problems and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any progression of the disability. Though the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Strokes.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Newbury NH health professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. 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 bear in mind for anyone considering entering the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees Available

Newbury NH physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degrees available for students to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the only degree that is attainable to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short descriptions of degrees that are available in the Newbury NH 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 GED to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are usually provided by community colleges, and require two years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is usually part of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist training to ready candidates to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important initial step to becoming a PT. Similar to 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 required 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). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to complete, making the total investment of time 7 years in most cases. Clinical training is an important component along with the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is required, 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 available in the USA. Some practicing physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the existing licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Newbury NH Although not as prevalent as the on-campus options, there are many accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, clinical lab work and internships are combined with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live near the school campus or nearby an available internship. However, the online segment of the course of study may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Newbury NH home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition can be somewhat less than similar on-campus options, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits can make the online alternative the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Topics to Ask Physical Therapy Colleges

At this point you probably have come to decision regarding some of your initial queries, like the type of physical therapist degree you would like to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are numerous PT colleges within the Newbury NH area and across New Hampshire, you’ll have to look into additional qualifications as well in order to further reduce your list of school choices. Also, you need to make certain that you select the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of essential questions that you need to ask the physical therapy colleges you are considering. Ask all of the competing schools these questions before making a final decision.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Ask if the programs you are considering have earned accreditation from a regional or a national organization. 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 program, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy program and school you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. Besides guaranteeing that you receive an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the School’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s essential that the college and program you pick have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist community. There are a number of ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, beginning with requesting 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. Contact a few Newbury NH physical therapy centers or other healthcare facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations about your school options. It might also be prudent to check with the New Hampshire Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two relevant statistics that you need to know about all of the physical therapy programs you are reviewing. One is their graduation rate. A low rate might indicate that students dropped out because of dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. Once 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 Newbury NH area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care field is good or even exceptional. It also verifies that the school has a wide network of contacts to assist students gain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the College Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the school you choose furnishes both excellent training and a course of study that supports the licensing criteria for New Hampshire or the state where you will be practicing. 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. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Ask if the physical therapist schools you are evaluating have relationships with Newbury NH clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent means to obtain practical training in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may help graduates and students form professional connections in the Newbury medical community and help with obtaining employment after licensing.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of person that likes to sit far in the rear of class or hide in the crowd, you will probably want a smaller class size. Smaller classes permit more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are looking at what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your final determination. This will also give you a chance to converse with a few of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy tech program also.

Where is the College Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they pick will have to be within driving distance of their Newbury NH residence. Individuals who have decided to attend online classes naturally will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of importance. One thing to bear 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 need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges normally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges usually charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Assistance Offered? The majority of DPT schools supply some form of financial aid to their prospective students. Ask if the colleges you are looking at have a financial assistance office and see what kind of assistance is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in obtaining a student loan or any grants you might qualify for. A number of physical therapy schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a program because the tuition is beyond your budget, ask what financial aid might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must verify that the physical therapist college you ultimately select can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while attending classes. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Newbury NH area, make certain 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, learn what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss as a result of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Newbury New Hampshire?

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

Newbury, New Hampshire

Newbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,072 at the 2010 census.[1] Newbury is home to part of Lake Sunapee, including Mount Sunapee State Park Beach. Mount Sunapee Resort, a ski area in Mount Sunapee State Park, is in the west. The town includes the villages of Blodgett Landing and South Newbury.

Situated at the south end of Lake Sunapee, this town has gone through numerous name changes. It started in 1753 as "Dantzic", after the Baltic seaport. The first provincial grant in 1754 named the town "Hereford", in honor of Edward Devereaux, Viscount Hereford. Colonial Governor John Wentworth renewed the grant in 1772 under the name "Fishersfield", for his brother-in-law, John Fisher. The town was finally incorporated as "Newbury" in 1837, as suggested by settlers originally from Newbury, Massachusetts.

The Fells Historic Site, located adjacent to the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge, is part of 876 acres (3.55 km2) protected of a forest country estate. Protection efforts have enabled Lake Sunapee to consistently be named one of the cleanest lakes in the state.

Enroll in the Ideal Physical Therapy Degree Program near Newbury NH

Deciding on the best physical therapist college is an important initial decision you need to make to launch a gratifying career in the health care field. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you pick should both have outstanding reputations and accreditation. But there are other important questions that you should ask regarding your college of choice as well. As you begin your search for a physical therapy program, keep in mind that a number of factors will lead you to your ultimate decision. You might want to visit different colleges to view their facilities and speak with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me realize 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 field so you can make the ideal selection. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Newbury NH.