Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Mounds OK

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist Program near Mounds 74047

Mounds OK physical therapy school student with volunteer Getting a physical therapist degree near Mounds OK is an important first step to launching a rewarding career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled due to injury or illness regain function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the necessary training and education. A PT must also be licensed in all states, many mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate those you are looking at to make certain they will furnish a superior education and comply with your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is enroll in a college just because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be evaluated in addition to location and cost. But before we cover what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Mounds OK physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse settings, including Mounds OK 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 patients that are experiencing a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a course of treatment to address the mobility issues and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also try to prevent any progression of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Strokes.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Mounds OK medical professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They can also manage several physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone thinking about entering the physical therapy field, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees

Mounds OK physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapist degree options offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these choices, the one degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or preparing them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are brief descriptions of degrees that are offered in the Mounds OK area:

Associate Degrees educate 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 qualify for enrollment. The degrees are usually offered by community or junior colleges, and take about two years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally a portion of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist education to ready candidates to progress to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an important preliminary step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take four years to finish and commonly incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement 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). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to complete, making the total commitment 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component in addition to the extensive classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the completion 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 available in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Programs Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Mounds OK Although not as prevalent as the on-campus alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live near the college campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the curriculum may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Mounds OK home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of cases more affordable. Tuition might be somewhat less than similar on-campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are reduced. And many of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the ideal choice for those students that are disciplined enough to attend classes at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Schools

At this point you undoubtedly have made a decision concerning several of your preliminary questions, including the type of physical therapy degree you intend to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to invest in your education. But because there are numerous PT schools within the Mounds OK area and across Oklahoma, you’ll have to research additional qualifications as well in order to further narrow your list of school choices. Moreover, you need to be sure that you select 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 therapy schools you are reviewing. Ask all of the competing colleges these questions before making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Ask if the programs you are reviewing have earned accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As previously stated, if you are pursuing a doctorate the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you select an online school, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapist school and program you enroll in are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Besides guaranteeing that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Standing? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are several ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Call several Mounds OK physical therapist centers or other healthcare facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can give you any recommendations about your program options. It might also be a good idea to contact the Oklahoma Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of important statistics that you should find out about all of the physical therapy programs you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A low rate might indicate that students left due to displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being hired with the help of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Mounds OK area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care field is good or even excellent. It also confirms that the program has a wide network of contacts to help students gain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the program you select provides both excellent training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing requirements for Oklahoma or the state where you will be working. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapy college. Although licensing requirements fluctuate 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 exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Ask if the physical therapist colleges you are interested in have relationships with Mounds OK clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific manner to get practical experience in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they may assist students and graduates form professional connections in the Mounds health care community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that prefers to sit way in the rear of class or get lost in the crowd, you will likely prefer a smaller class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with a few of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy tech program also.

Where is the College Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they choose will have to be within driving distance of their Mounds OK home. Students who have decided to attend classes online naturally will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. One thing to keep in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a college that is out of state or perhaps 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 normally charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? The majority of DPT colleges offer some type of financial assistance to their prospective students. Find out if the schools you are examining have a financial assistance office and see what type of aid is offered. At a minimum they should help in securing a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. Some physical therapist colleges offer scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a school because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial assistance may be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must confirm that the physical therapy school you finally select can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly crucial if you decide to continue working while you attend school. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Mounds OK 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 have to carry. Also, ask what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Mounds Oklahoma?

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

Mounds, Oklahoma

Mounds is a village in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located just south of Tulsa; the town's population was 1,168 at the 2010 census, an increase of 1.3 percent from 1,153 at the 2000 census.[3]

The post office for this community was established in 1895 and originally named "Posey", for the Creek poet Alexander Posey, who lived in Eufaula, Oklahoma. In 1898, the town was moved 5 miles (8 km) southwest and renamed "Mounds" for twin hills that were nearby. By 1901, the St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built a track through Mounds, and the town became an important cattle shipping point. Mounds incorporated as a city in the same year. The discovery of oil in the Glenn Pool field in 1905 turned Mounds into a shipping point for crude oil instead of cattle.[4]

Mounds had a population of 675 at statehood in 1907, rising to 701 in 1910. The oil boom played out in the 1920s, and the population declined from 1,078 in 1920 to 701 in 1930. Railroad activity became primarily shipping grain and cattle. As time went by, the population reached a low of 560 in 1950. Then a slow increase began. Employed residents now are commuters who work primarily in Sapulpa and Tulsa.[4]

Enroll in the Right Physical Therapy Degree Program near Mounds OK

Selecting the ideal physical therapy program is a necessary first decision you need to make to start a fulfilling career in the medical field. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you choose should both have outstanding reputations and be accredited. However there are other critical questions that you should ask regarding your college of choice also. As you commence your search for a physical therapy college, bear in mind that numerous variables will guide you to your ultimate decision. You might decide to visit different campuses to see their facilities and speak to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me accomplish 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 options so you can make the right choice. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Mounds OK.