Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - New York NY

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist Training Program near New York 10001

New York NY physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapist degree near New York NY is a critical first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the health care field. Physical therapists (PT) help people 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 acquire the proper training and education. A PT must additionally become licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before selecting a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate the ones you are thinking about to ensure they will furnish a quality education and meet your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is enroll in a school just because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be considered besides location and cost. But before we discuss what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What is a Physical Therapist?

New York NY physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse locations, including New York NY 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 touched on, physical therapists help individuals that are suffering from a lack of mobility and frequently pain caused by illness or injury. After patient diagnosis, they create a course of treatment to deal with the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also strive to stop any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Strokes.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

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

Physical Therapist Degrees

New York NY physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degree options available for individuals to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the only degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to progress to the doctoral level. Below are short explanations of degrees that are available in the New York NY area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to be physical therapy assistants, or may be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are usually provided by community colleges, and take about two years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually a portion of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist education to ready students to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral first step to practicing as a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they typically take 4 years to finish 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 must also 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 commitment seven years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an important element along with the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in several states for licensing as well.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been eliminated and is no longer attainable in the United States. A number of practicing physical therapists having a master’s or even 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 New York NY Although not as common as the on campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or nearby a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the curriculum can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s New York NY home. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of cases more economical. Tuition can be somewhat lower than similar on-campus options, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online alternative the right choice for those students that are disciplined enough to attend classes at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

At this point you undoubtedly have come to decision concerning some of your preliminary questions, like the type of physical therapist degree you intend 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 colleges within the New York NY area and throughout New York, you’ll have to explore other qualifications also in order to further narrow your list of college choices. Furthermore, you want to make certain that you pick the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapist programs you are considering. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making an ultimate selection.

Is the Physical Therapy College Accredited? Ask if the colleges you are considering have earned accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As earlier stated, if you are pursuing a doctoral degree the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you enroll in an online college, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapist school and program you enroll in are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Besides ensuring that you receive an excellent education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the Program’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s imperative that the school and program you select have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist community. There are a number of ways you can investigate a PT school’s reputation, starting with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Get in touch with a few New York NY physical therapist clinics or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any insight about your college options. It might also be a good idea to contact the New York Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of significant statistics that you should know about each of the physical therapist colleges you are considering. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate might 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 assistance of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the New York NY area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care community is good or perhaps exceptional. It also verifies that the program has a large network of contacts to help students obtain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the College Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you enroll in furnishes both superior training and a course of study that supports 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) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. While licensing requirements vary state by state for PT and PTA graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internship Programs Sponsored? Ask if the physical therapist colleges you are evaluating have partnerships with New York NY clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent means to receive practical training in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may assist graduates and students form professional connections in the New York medical community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of person that likes to sit far in the back of class or hide in the crowd, you will probably want a small class size. Smaller classes permit more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are looking at what the average student to teacher 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 talk with a few of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy technician program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For a number of students, the physical therapist school they select will need to be within travelling distance of their New York NY home. Students who have decided 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 keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a school that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges generally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges usually charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Assistance Provided? The majority of DPT colleges offer some type of financial support to their potential students. Ask if the colleges you are reviewing have a financial assistance department and find out what type of help is available. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any grants you may be eligible for. A number of physical therapist colleges provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a program because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid may be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapy school you finally select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you opt to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the New York NY area, confirm that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, find out if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would need to enroll in. Also, learn what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss as a result of illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near New York New York?

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

New York City

The City of New York, often called New York City (NYC) or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States.[9] With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698[7] distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2),[10][11] New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the United States.[12] Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass[13] and one of the world's most populous megacities,[14][15] with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area.[4][5] A global power city,[16] New York City has been described uniquely[17] as the cultural, financial, and media capital[18][19] of the world,[20][21][22][23][24] and exerts a significant impact upon commerce,[24]entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace[25][26] has inspired the term New York minute.[27] Home to the headquarters of the United Nations,[28] New York is an important center for international diplomacy.[29][30]

Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors,[31][32] New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a separate county of the State of New York.[33] The five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898.[34] The city and its metropolitan area constitute the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States.[35] As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York,[36][37][38] making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.[37][39][40] New York City is home to more than 3.2 million residents born outside the United States,[41] the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world.[42] In 2017, the New York metropolitan area produced a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of US$1.73 trillion.[43] If greater New York City were a sovereign state, it would have the 12th highest GDP in the world.[44]

New York City traces its origins to a trading post founded by colonists from the Dutch Republic in 1624 on Lower Manhattan; the post was named New Amsterdam in 1626.[45] The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664[45] and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York.[46] New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.[47] It has been the country's largest city since 1790.[48] The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries[49] and is a world symbol of the United States and its ideals of liberty and peace.[50] In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship,[51]social tolerance,[52] and environmental sustainability,[53][54] and as a symbol of freedom and cultural diversity.[55]

Pick the Best Physical Therapy College near New York NY

Choosing the ideal physical therapy school is a necessary first decision you have to make to start a gratifying career in the health care profession. As we have discussed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you enroll in should both have exceptional reputations and be accredited. But there are other relevant questions that you should ask pertaining to your school of choice as well. As you begin your search for a physical therapy college, keep in mind that numerous variables will guide you to your final decision. You might decide to visit different schools to see their facilities and talk with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this college help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental 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 fulfill your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in New York NY.