Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Barnardsville NC

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist School near Barnardsville 28709

Barnardsville NC physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapist degree near Barnardsville NC is an important first step to starting a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been incapacitated due to injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must obtain the necessary training and education. A PT must also be licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research the ones you are considering to make sure they will supply a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is enroll in a school just because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that must be considered besides 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 what the educational options are.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Barnardsville NC physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying settings, including Barnardsville NC private practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously mentioned, physical therapists help individuals that are struggling with a lack of mobility and often pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a program of treatment to address the mobility problems and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also try to prevent any advancement of the disability. While the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other Barnardsville NC health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They can also supervise several physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Something to keep in mind for anyone considering getting into 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 long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

Barnardsville NC physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degrees offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the single 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 prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are short explanations of degree levels that are available in the Barnardsville NC area:

Associate Degrees train students to be physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have earned a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are usually provided by community or junior colleges, and require two years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally a component of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist education 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 integral initial step to practicing as a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically take four years to complete and commonly incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement in order to become a licensed practicing 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 3 years to complete, making the overall investment of time seven years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an essential component along with the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is required, not just for graduation but in some 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. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the current licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Barnardsville NC While not as prevalent as the more traditional options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist programs available, even more at the graduate level. Because of 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 in proximity of an available internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the course of study may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Barnardsville NC home. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition can be significantly lower than similar on campus options, and expenses for commuting are minimized. And many of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the right choice for those students that are dedicated enough to learn at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

By now you undoubtedly have made a decision regarding several of your preliminary queries, like the kind of physical therapist degree you would like to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are numerous PT schools within the Barnardsville NC area and across North Carolina, you’ll have to look into other qualifications as well in order to further reduce your list of college options. Moreover, you need to make sure that you select the school that is best for you. That’s the reason we have put together a list of critical questions that you need to ask the physical therapy programs you are reviewing. Ask each of the competing colleges these questions before making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist College Accredited? Find out if the schools you are reviewing have received accreditation from a national or a regional agency. 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 essential that both the physical therapy program and school you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Also, verify that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Along with ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be required for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapist community. There are a number of ways you can look into a PT school’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You may also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Call some Barnardsville NC physical therapist centers or other medical care facilities that you might have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any advice about your school options. It may also be prudent to contact the North Carolina Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the colleges.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of useful statistics that you need to find out about each of the physical therapist colleges you are looking at. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate may suggest 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 Barnardsville NC area? If a college has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care community is good or even excellent. It also verifies that the school has a wide network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the College Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you select provides both exceptional training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for North Carolina 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 therapy college. While licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on supplemental tests.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Ask if the physical therapist colleges you are evaluating have relationships with Barnardsville NC clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent way to get practical training in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may assist graduates and students develop professional connections in the Barnardsville healthcare community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that prefers to sit far in the back of the classroom or get lost in the crowd, you will likely want a smaller class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are looking at what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you a chance to talk with several of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy tech program as well.

Where is the College Located? For a number of students, the physical therapist college they choose will have to be within commuting distance of their Barnardsville NC residence. Individuals who have opted to attend classes online obviously will not have to trouble 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 decide to enroll in a college that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges commonly charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? The majority of DPT colleges offer some type of financial support to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department and find out what type of aid is obtainable. They at least should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you may qualify for. Some physical therapist colleges offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a school because the tuition is beyond your budget, ask what financial assistance might be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapy college you ultimately pick can provide the class schedule you need. This is particularly important if you decide to continue working while attending classes. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Barnardsville NC area, verify that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would have to enroll in. Also, ask what the procedure 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 Barnardsville North Carolina?

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

North Carolina Highway 197

North Carolina Highway 197 (NC 197) is a north/south state highway in Western North Carolina. The route is approximately 58 miles (93 km) in length and with its continuation into Tennessee as SR 395 connects Erwin, Tennessee to Flat Creek, North Carolina.[3] Portions of this highway lie within the Pisgah National Forest and is one of the few highways in the state with an unpaved portion.

Beginning at the state line with Tennessee, NC 197 enters the Pisgah National Forest and winds south down the Unaka escarpment to Poplar. South of Poplar, NC 197 begins the first of three segments where it follows the North Toe River and the former Clinchfield Railroad. It intersects and overlaps NC 226 for a short distance near Red Hill.

The final segment of NC 197 that follows the Toe River does so in the reverse direction as the previous two times this occurred. This segment comes after a railroad crossing and a new concrete arch bridge that carries the highway across the Toe River into Yancey County.

Enroll in the Right Physical Therapy College near Barnardsville NC

Deciding on the right physical therapy school is a necessary initial decision you need to make to begin a rewarding career in the healthcare profession. As we have discussed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you choose should both have outstanding reputations and accreditation. However there are other important questions that you should ask regarding your college of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapy college, bear in mind that numerous factors will lead you to your ultimate decision. You might want to visit different colleges to see their facilities and talk to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this program help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the field so you can make the right choice. And with the proper education and training, you can achieve your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Barnardsville NC.