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

How to Pick a Physical Therapy Program near Yonkers 10701

Yonkers NY physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapist degree near Yonkers NY is an essential first step to launching a fulfilling career in the medical care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated due to illness or injury regain function and mobility. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must receive the necessary education and training. A PT must also be licensed in all states, a large number requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s necessary to research the ones you are considering to ensure they will deliver a superior education and comply with your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is select a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be considered in addition to cost and location. But before we discuss what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Yonkers NY physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in a variety of locations, including Yonkers NY private practices, hospitals, 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 touched on, physical therapists help patients that are struggling with a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to address the mobility problems and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also endeavor to prevent any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Yonkers NY medical specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, dentists and nurses. They may also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to keep in mind for anyone thinking about entering the physical therapy field, 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 Therapy Degrees Available

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

Associate Degrees prepare students to practice as physical therapy assistants, or can 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 typically provided by community or junior colleges, and require 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is typically a portion of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapy education to ready students to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an important preliminary step to practicing as a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they typically take four years to finish and commonly include an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated if you want to become a licensed practicing 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 finish, making the total commitment 7 years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an essential component in addition to the substantial lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in several 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 phased out and is no longer offered in the USA. 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 implemented.

Physical Therapy Colleges Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Yonkers NY While not as prevalent as the on campus alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, more so at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This requires 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 Yonkers NY home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more affordable. Tuition might be significantly lower than similar on-campus options, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits can make the online alternative the ideal choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

At this point you most likely have made a decision concerning several of your initial queries, such as the kind of physical therapy degree you intend to attain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But because there are so many PT colleges within the Yonkers NY area and throughout New York, you’ll need to look into additional qualifications as well so as to further reduce your list of school choices. Furthermore, you want to make sure that you pick the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of critical questions that you need to ask the physical therapist programs you are thinking about. Ask all of the competing colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist School Accredited? Ask if the schools you are reviewing have received accreditation from a regional or a national organization. As earlier 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 can also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist program and school you select are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation might be required for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the School’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can investigate a PT program’s reputation, starting with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You may also check online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Get in touch with several Yonkers NY physical therapist clinics or other medical care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can give you any recommendations about your school selections. 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 schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of useful statistics that you should know about all of the physical therapy colleges you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate may indicate that students left because of dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being hired with the help of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Yonkers NY area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the healthcare community is good or perhaps outstanding. It also affirms that the school has a large network of contacts to assist students get internships or employment after graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you select provides both exceptional 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) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. Although licensing requirements differ 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 Internship Programs Offered? Find out if the physical therapist programs you are assessing have partnerships with Yonkers NY hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a great means to receive hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they can help graduates and students develop professional connections in the Yonkers medical community and assist with obtaining employment after licensing.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the type of student that prefers to sit far in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will undoubtedly want a smaller class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are reviewing what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may prefer to sit in on one or more classes before making your final determination. This will also give you a chance to talk with some of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist technician program also.

Where is the College Located? For a number of students, the physical therapist college they choose will need to be within travelling distance of their Yonkers NY home. Students 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. One thing to consider is that if you choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges normally charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? The majority of DPT schools provide some type of financial aid to their prospective students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office and find out what kind of aid is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in getting a student loan or any scholarships you might qualify for. A number of physical therapy colleges provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial assistance might be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to confirm that the physical therapist school you ultimately select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially essential if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Yonkers NY area, make sure that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would have to enroll in. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss because of illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Yonkers New York?

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

Yonkers, New York

Yonkers (/ˈjɒŋkərz/[5]) is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of New York, behind New York City, Buffalo, and Rochester. The population of Yonkers was 195,976 as enumerated in the 2010 United States Census and is estimated to have increased by 2.5% to 200,807 in 2016.[6] It is an inner suburb of New York City, directly to the north of the Bronx and approximately two miles (3 km) north of the northernmost point in Manhattan.

Yonkers' downtown is centered on a plaza known as Getty Square, where the municipal government is located. The downtown area also houses significant local businesses and non-profits, and serves as a major retail hub for Yonkers and the northwest Bronx.

The city is home to several attractions, including the Untermyer Park and Gardens; Hudson River Museum; Saw Mill River daylighting, wherein a parking lot was removed to uncover a river; Science Barge; Sherwood House; and Yonkers Raceway, a harness racing track that has renovated its grounds and clubhouse and added legalized video slot machine gambling in 2006 in a "racino" called Empire City.

Select the Right Physical Therapy College near Yonkers NY

Deciding on the ideal physical therapy school is a necessary initial decision you have to make to begin a gratifying career in the medical profession. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you pick should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. But there are other critical questions that you need to ask pertaining to your school of choice as well. As you begin your search for a physical therapist college, keep in mind that many variables will guide you toward your final decision. You may decide to go to different schools to view their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this school help me reach my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the right choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Yonkers NY.