Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Highland Falls NY

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Training Program near Highland Falls 10928

Highland Falls NY physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapy degree near Highland Falls NY is an essential first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the healthcare industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been incapacitated due to injury or illness regain function and mobility. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the proper education and training. A PT must also be licensed in every state, many mandating that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before selecting a physical therapy school, it’s necessary to evaluate the ones you are looking at to make certain they will furnish a superior education and meet your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is choose a school just because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the lowest tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be evaluated along with location and cost. But before we discuss 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 is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Highland Falls NY physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying settings, including Highland Falls NY private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier touched on, physical therapists help patients that are suffering from a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they create a program of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also try to stop any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Highland Falls NY health specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They can also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to keep in mind for anyone thinking about going into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees

Highland Falls NY physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for individuals to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the single degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are brief descriptions of degrees that are available in the Highland Falls NY area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to be physical therapy assistants, or can 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 take about two years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist training to prep students to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an essential preliminary step to practicing as a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take four 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 must also be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to complete, making the overall investment of time 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an important element in addition to the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not only for graduation but in several 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 eliminated and is no longer attainable in the USA. A number of practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Degrees Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Highland Falls NY While not as common as the on-campus alternatives, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy degrees offered, more so 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 requires that the student live near the college campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the curriculum may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Highland Falls NY home. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of cases more affordable. Tuition can be significantly less than similar on-campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are minimized. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These benefits can make the online option the right choice for those students that are disciplined enough to attend classes at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Schools

By now you probably have made a decision regarding several of your preliminary queries, including 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 since there are so many PT schools within the Highland Falls NY area and across New York, you’ll need to look into other qualifications as well in order to further narrow your list of college choices. Furthermore, you want to be sure that you choose the program that is best for you. That’s the reason we have compiled a list of critical questions that you need to ask the physical therapy schools you are reviewing. Ask each of the potential schools these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Find out if the programs you are considering have received 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 select an online program, it can also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist program and school you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, check that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Along with ensuring that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you select have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are multiple ways you can look into a PT program’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also check online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. Call several Highland Falls NY physical therapy centers or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your program selections. It may also be a good idea to check with the New York Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of important statistics that you need to find out about all of the physical therapist programs you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate may suggest that students dropped out because of dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Highland Falls NY area? If a college has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the health care community is good or perhaps outstanding. It also affirms that the school has a large network of contacts to assist students gain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you select furnishes both superior training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing requirements for New York or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapist school. Although licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, a number of states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on supplemental tests.

Are Internships Sponsored? Ask if the physical therapist programs you are interested in have partnerships with Highland Falls NY clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a great way to receive practical training in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may assist graduates and students develop professional relationships in the Highland Falls medical community and help with obtaining employment after licensing.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of student that likes to sit way in the rear of the classroom or get lost in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a small class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are considering what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classes. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your final determination. This will also give you a chance to converse with several of the instructors and students to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapist school they select will have to be within travelling distance of their Highland Falls NY home. Those who have decided to attend classes online obviously will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of importance. Something to consider is that if you choose to enroll in a school that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Help Offered? The majority of DPT schools supply some form of financial support to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial assistance office and find out what kind of aid is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in securing a student loan or any grants you may qualify for. A number of physical therapy colleges provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a college because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid might be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapy school you finally select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while you attend school. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Highland Falls NY area, make sure that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would need to carry. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss as a result of illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Highland Falls New York?

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

Highland Falls, New York

Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,900 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1906. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 3,900 people, 1,647 households, and 988 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,546.1 people per square mile (1,369.2/km2). There were 1,793 housing units at an average density of 1,630.3 per square mile (629.5/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 70.4% White, 13.0% African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.8% Native American or Alaskan Native, 9.1% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. 18.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,647 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.07.

Choose the Ideal Physical Therapy College near Highland Falls NY

Choosing the right physical therapy college is a necessary first decision you need to make to begin a gratifying career in the healthcare field. As we have discussed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you enroll in should both have outstanding reputations and be accredited. However there are other critical questions that you should ask regarding your college of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapist school, bear in mind that many variables will guide you toward your final decision. You may want to go to each of the schools to view their facilities and speak with current 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 following 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 Highland Falls NY.