Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Patterson NY

How to Choose a Physical Therapist Training Program near Patterson 12563

Patterson NY physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapist degree near Patterson NY is an important first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled as a result of injury or illness regain function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must receive the necessary training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to investigate those you are considering to make sure they will provide a superior education and meet your state’s licensing requirements. What you do not want to do is choose a college simply because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be considered along with cost and location. But before we cover what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Patterson NY physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in a variety of locations, including Patterson NY hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help people that are struggling with a lack of mobility and in many cases pain caused by injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they design a course of treatment to address the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Patterson NY medical professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They may also manage several 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 getting into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

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

Associate Degrees educate students to be physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are typically offered by junior or community colleges, and take about 2 years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is usually part of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy training to prepare students to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an integral initial step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they typically take four years to complete and usually incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated if you want to become a practicing licensed physical therapist. The degree program also must 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 total investment of time 7 years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an essential component in addition to the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the completion of an internship is required, not just for graduation but in a number of 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 eliminated and is no longer attainable in the USA. A number of licensed physical therapists having a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the current licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Patterson NY While not as prevalent as the on-campus alternatives, there are some 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 necessitates that the student live close to the school campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online segment of the curriculum can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Patterson NY residence. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition can be somewhat less than comparable on campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And many of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These benefits may make the online option the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

By now you undoubtedly have come to decision regarding a few of your initial questions, such as the type of physical therapy degree you want to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to invest in your education. But considering there are numerous PT colleges within the Patterson NY area and throughout New York, you’ll need to look into additional qualifications also so as to further narrow your list of school choices. Furthermore, you need to make sure that you choose the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapy programs you are thinking about. Ask all of the potential colleges these questions prior to making a final decision.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Find out if the schools you are reviewing have received accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As previously 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 select an online school, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapy school and program you choose are accredited, not just the school. Also, verify that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. In addition to ensuring that you receive an excellent education, accreditation may be required for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Ranking? In addition to accreditation, it’s imperative that the school and program you select have exceptional reputations within the physical therapy profession. There are multiple ways you can investigate 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 organizations for their reviews also. Contact a few Patterson NY physical therapist clinics or other healthcare facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any insight about your school options. It may also be prudent to contact the New York Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the colleges.

What is the College’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two important statistics that you need to know about all of the physical therapist colleges you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A low rate might mean that students left because of displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the help of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Patterson NY area? If a college has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the healthcare field is good or perhaps outstanding. It also confirms that the school has a wide network of contacts to assist students get internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the college you choose provides both excellent training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing criteria for New York or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internships Offered? Find out if the physical therapist schools you are interested in have associations with Patterson NY hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific manner to get practical experience in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may assist students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Patterson healthcare community and help with job placement once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of student that likes to sit far in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a smaller class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are reviewing what the average student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you a chance to speak with a few of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy technician program also.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist school they choose will have to be within commuting distance of their Patterson NY home. Students who have chosen to attend online classes obviously will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. Something 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 often 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? Most DPT colleges offer some form of financial support to their prospective students. Ask if the colleges you are looking at have a financial aid office and find out what kind of aid is obtainable. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. Some physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before you eliminate a program because the tuition is beyond your budget, learn what financial aid might be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist program you ultimately choose can offer 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 Patterson NY area, check that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, find out if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would need to carry. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss because of illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Patterson New York?

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

Patterson, New York

Patterson is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The town is in the northeast part of the county. Interstate 84 passes through the southwest part of the town. The population was 12,023 at the 2010 census. The town is named after early farmer Matthew Paterson. The reason Patterson was spelled with two "t"s was due to the looseness with which Paterson spelled his own last name.[3]

The town was first settled around 1720 in The Oblong, which was a disputed area in southeastern New York also claimed by the colony of Connecticut. The Oblong was a strip of land approximately 2.9 km wide between Dutchess County, New York, and Connecticut, ceded to New York in the 1731 Treaty of Dover. Between 1720 and 1776 a large number of mostly Connecticut families settled in the southern Oblong. They could not settle west of it because that land was privately owned by the Philipse Family. It had been granted a patent for virtually all of the remainder of the area of the future Putnam County.

The first such settlers in the Oblong were the Hayt family, who built a house at The Elm in 1720.[4] Another early settler was Jacob Haviland, who settled Haviland Hollow in 1731. The first village in Putnam County, the hamlet of Patterson, was originally called Frederickstown. The eastern part of the future Putnam County was called Southeast Precinct (not the same as the current town of Southeast).

Select the Ideal Physical Therapist Degree Program near Patterson NY

Choosing the best physical therapist college is an important first decision you must make to begin a fulfilling career in the health care profession. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you pick should both have outstanding reputations and accreditation. But there are other relevant questions that you need to ask regarding your school of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapy school, bear in mind that numerous factors will lead you to your ultimate decision. You may want to visit each of the colleges to see their facilities and speak with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this program help me accomplish my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the right choice. And with the proper training and education, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Patterson NY.