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

How to Pick a Physical Therapist Training Program near Stuyvesant 12173

Stuyvesant NY physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapy degree near Stuyvesant NY is an essential first step to starting a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated due to illness or injury gain back mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must acquire the appropriate training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s essential to investigate those you are considering to ensure they will furnish a quality education and meet your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is enroll in a college just because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be evaluated besides location and cost. But before we discuss what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Stuyvesant NY physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse locations, including Stuyvesant NY private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. 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 individuals that are struggling with a lack of mobility and often pain caused by illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to resolve the mobility problems and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also endeavor to prevent any progression of the disability. Although the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Stuyvesant NY health professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also supervise several physical therapy assistants who work under them in diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone considering entering the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

Stuyvesant 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 alternatives, the one degree that is attainable to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are short summaries of degrees that are available in the Stuyvesant NY area:

Associate Degrees train students to be physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are most often offered by junior or community colleges, and take about 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually a portion of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapy training to prep students to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important first step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take four years to finish and commonly include an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are required in order to become a licensed practicing 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 3 years to complete, making the overall investment of time seven years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an important element in addition to the substantial lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not solely 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 phased out and is no longer offered in the USA. Some practicing physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Schools

woman attending physical therapy school online in Stuyvesant NY While not as common as the more traditional alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapy programs offered, even more 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 requires that the student live close to the college campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online portion of the program may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Stuyvesant NY residence. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition can be significantly less than similar on campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And many of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These benefits can make the online alternative the best choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Schools

At this point you probably have come to decision concerning several of your preliminary questions, including the type of physical therapist degree you intend to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But considering there are numerous PT schools within the Stuyvesant NY area and throughout New York, you’ll need to research additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college choices. Also, you want to make sure that you pick the program that is ideal for you. That’s why we have put together a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapy colleges you are thinking about. Ask all of the competing colleges these questions before making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Find out if the programs you are looking at have received accreditation from a regional or a national agency. As earlier mentioned, 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 school, it can also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapist school and program you select are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, check that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to ensuring that you obtain a quality education, accreditation may be required for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the School’s Reputation? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you choose have exceptional reputations within the physical therapy profession. 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 search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. Get in touch with several Stuyvesant NY physical therapy centers or other healthcare facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any insight about your program selections. It might also be prudent to contact the New York Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of significant statistics that you should know about all of the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing. One is their graduation rate. A low rate might indicate that students left because of dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the assistance of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Stuyvesant NY area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the health care community is good or even exceptional. It also affirms that the college has a broad network of contacts to help students gain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the College Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the college you enroll in furnishes both exceptional 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) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapy school. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PT and PTA graduates, some states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internships Provided? Ask if the physical therapist schools you are interested in have associations with Stuyvesant NY hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific manner to obtain practical training in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they can help students and graduates form professional connections in the Stuyvesant healthcare community and assist with obtaining employment once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the type of student that prefers to sit way in the back of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a small 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 classes. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you an opportunity to converse with a few of the instructors and students to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist school they decide on will need to be within commuting distance of their Stuyvesant NY residence. Those who have chosen to attend online classes obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. Something to consider 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 generally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges commonly charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? Most DPT colleges provide some form of financial aid to their prospective students. Ask if the schools you are examining have a financial aid department and see what type of assistance is available. They at least should help in getting a student loan or any grants you may qualify for. Some physical therapy schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial aid may be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist school you finally pick can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while you attend classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Stuyvesant NY area, check that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would need to enroll in. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss because of illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Stuyvesant New York?

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

Stuyvesant High School

Stuyvesant High School (pronounced /ˈstaɪvɪsənt/)[9] commonly referred to as Stuy (pronounced /staɪ/)[9][10][11] is a specialized high school in New York City, United States. Operated by the New York City Department of Education, these specialized schools offer tuition-free accelerated academics to city residents. Stuyvesant is a college-preparatory high school.

Stuyvesant was established as an all-boys school in the East Village in 1904. An entrance examination was mandated for all applicants starting in 1934, and the school started accepting female students in 1969. Stuyvesant moved to its current location at Battery Park City in 1992 because the school had become too large. The old building now houses several high schools.

Admission to Stuyvesant involves passing the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. Each November, about 30,000 eighth- and ninth-grade students take the three-hour test for admittance to eight of the nine specialized high schools. Approximately 900 to 950 applicants are accepted to Stuyvesant each year.[12] The school has a wide range of extracurricular activities,[13] including two student publications and a theater competition called SING!. Notable alumni have included mathematician Paul Cohen, string theorist Brian Greene, physicist Lisa Randall, and genomic researcher Eric Lander.

Enroll in the Best Physical Therapist School near Stuyvesant NY

Deciding on the right physical therapy program is a necessary initial decision you have to make to begin a gratifying career in the healthcare field. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you choose should both have outstanding reputations and accreditation. However there are other critical questions that you need to ask pertaining to your school of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapist school, keep in mind that many factors will lead you to your ultimate decision. You may want to visit each of the schools to see their facilities and talk to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me realize my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the best choice. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Stuyvesant NY.