Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Dresden OH

How to Pick a Physical Therapist Training Program near Dresden 43821

Dresden OH physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapy degree near Dresden OH is an essential first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been disabled as a result of injury or illness gain back function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to obtain the proper education and training. A PT must also become licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research those you are thinking about to make sure they will provide a quality education and meet your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is select a school just because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the lowest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be considered besides cost and location. But before we talk about 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 Do Physical Therapists Do?

Dresden OH physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in a variety of locations, including Dresden OH hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier touched on, physical therapists help people that are struggling with a lack of mobility and frequently pain due to illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they create a program of treatment to address the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive to prevent any advancement of the disability. While the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Dresden OH health professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone considering going into the physical therapy profession, it is rather 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 Available

Dresden OH physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options offered for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these options, the only degree that is available to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are brief descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Dresden OH area:

Associate Degrees train students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have a high school diploma or GED to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are most often provided by community or junior colleges, and take about two years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally a portion of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist training to prepare candidates to advance to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an essential preliminary step to practicing as a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take 4 years to complete and often 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 total commitment seven years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component in addition to the substantial lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not only for graduation but in a number of 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 eliminated and is no longer available in the United States. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the current licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Dresden OH Although not as prevalent as the on-campus options, there are many accredited online physical therapy programs available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are incorporated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live close to the school campus or nearby a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the program may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Dresden OH home. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition can be significantly less 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 may make the online alternative the right choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

Topics to Ask Physical Therapist Schools

At this point you probably have made a decision concerning some of your initial questions, such as the kind of physical therapy degree you intend to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are numerous PT colleges within the Dresden OH area and throughout Ohio, you’ll need to look into other qualifications also in order to further reduce your list of school options. Furthermore, you need to make certain that you pick the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have compiled a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapy programs you are reviewing. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate selection.

Is the Physical Therapist College Accredited? Find out if the colleges you are considering have earned accreditation from a national or a regional organization. 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 school, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist school and program you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Along with guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the Program’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can look into a PT program’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Call several Dresden OH physical therapist centers or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can give you any advice about your college options. It might also be prudent to check with the Ohio Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of important statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapy colleges you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might suggest that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the assistance of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Dresden OH area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the healthcare community is good or perhaps outstanding. It also affirms that the program has a broad network of contacts to help students gain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the school you select provides both superior training and a course of study that supports the licensing criteria for Ohio or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist school. While licensing requirements vary 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 additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Inquire if the physical therapist programs you are interested in have associations with Dresden OH clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific way to receive 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 help students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Dresden health care community and help with job placement once licensed.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of person that likes to sit far in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly want a smaller class size. Small classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges 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 final decision. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with some of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program also.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they decide on will have to be within commuting distance of their Dresden OH residence. Students who have chosen to attend classes online obviously will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. Something to keep in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a program that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges generally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges generally charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? Most DPT schools supply some type of financial assistance to their prospective students. Find out if the colleges you are looking at have a financial aid department and see what kind of assistance is offered. At a minimum they should help in securing a student loan or any grants you might qualify for. Some physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a school 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 therapist school you finally choose can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you opt to continue working while you attend school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Dresden OH area, verify that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, find out if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would need to carry. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss as a result of work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Dresden Ohio?

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

Dresden, Ohio

Dresden is a village in Jefferson and Cass townships in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, along the Muskingum River at the mouth of Wakatomika Creek. It was incorporated on March 9, 1835.[6] The population was 1,529 at the 2010 census.

Dresden is located on or near the site of a Shawnee (Native American) village known as Wakatomika, which gave its name to Wakatomika Creek, the creek that empties into the Muskingum River near the northern edge of the village. These were the easternmost of the Shawnee villages, and the home of the most hostile of that tribe. David Zeisberger, the Moravian missionary, preached there in 1773 in an effort to convert them; but the wrongs done to Chief Logan and other Ohio Native Americans were discussed at this place with much rancor, and war parties had been going out from here against the white settlers in spite of attempts by the Delaware (tribe) to intercede.[7] On August 7, 1774,[8] Colonel Angus McDonald brought 400 men from Fort Pittsburg in the Wakatomica Campaign of Lord Dunmore's War to fight the Shawnee. The settlement of Wakatomika, as well as four other villages, was burned to the ground and three chiefs were taken prisoner.[9][10]

Seth Adams of Boston also settled the area in 1799[12] and is said to have cultivated the first tomatoes in the county from seed he got from New Orleans. He was also one of the first to plant apple trees and helped to introduce full blooded Merino sheep to the United States. He also built one of the first houses in Dresden.[11]

Enroll in the Best Physical Therapist College near Dresden OH

Picking the best physical therapist program is a necessary first decision you need to make to launch a fulfilling career in the medical field. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you enroll in should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. However there are other relevant questions that you need to ask regarding your college of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapist program, keep in mind that many factors will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You might decide to visit different colleges to view their facilities and talk with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this college help me accomplish my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the field so you can make the best selection. And with the proper training and education, you can achieve your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Dresden OH.