Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Blairsville PA

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist Degree Program near Blairsville 15717

Blairsville PA physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapy degree near Blairsville PA is a critical first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the medical care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been debilitated due to injury or illness gain back mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to get the proper training and education. A PT must additionally become licensed in every state, a large number 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 evaluate the ones you are considering to ensure they will provide a superior education and meet your state’s licensing criteria. What you should not do is choose 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 must be considered 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 is a Physical Therapist?

Blairsville PA physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in diverse locations, such as Blairsville PA private practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As previously mentioned, physical therapists help patients that are experiencing a lack of mobility and in many cases pain caused by injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they design a program of treatment to resolve the mobility problems and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive to stop any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Blairsville PA health professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They may also oversee one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone considering going into the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees Offered

Blairsville PA physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapy degrees offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these choices, the only degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are brief descriptions of degree levels that are offered in the Blairsville PA area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to be physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Candidates must have obtained a high school diploma or GED to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are most often provided by junior or community colleges, and require 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is typically a component of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy training to prep candidates to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important first step to becoming a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they generally take 4 years to finish and commonly include an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement if you want to become a licensed practicing physical therapist. The degree program also must 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 overall commitment seven years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an essential element in addition to the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is required, not just for graduation but in a number of states for licensing as well.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been phased out and is no longer attainable in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists having a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the existing licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Blairsville PA While not as common as the more traditional alternatives, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy programs available, more so 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 close to the school campus or in proximity of a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online part of the course of study may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Blairsville PA home. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more affordable. Tuition may be somewhat lower than similar on campus alternatives, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring 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 Therapy Colleges

At this point you most likely have come to decision regarding a few of your initial queries, including the type of physical therapy degree you want to attain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are numerous PT colleges within the Blairsville PA area and across Pennsylvania, you’ll need to look into other qualifications also in order to further reduce your list of college options. Moreover, you want to make certain that you select the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have compiled a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing. Ask all of the competing colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate selection.

Is the Physical Therapist College Accredited? Ask if the colleges you are reviewing have earned 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 school, it may also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapist program and school you select are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Along with ensuring that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the Program’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you select have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are several ways you can look into a PT school’s reputation, starting with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Get in touch with a few Blairsville PA physical therapist clinics or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can give you any recommendations about your program selections. It may also be a good idea to contact the Pennsylvania Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two useful statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate might suggest that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being hired with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Blairsville PA 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 exceptional. It also affirms that the college has a large network of contacts to assist students obtain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you enroll in provides both excellent training and a curriculum that supports the licensing requirements for Pennsylvania or the state where you will be working. 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 fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internships Sponsored? Inquire if the physical therapy schools you are interested in have partnerships with Blairsville PA hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a great way to get hands on training in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may assist graduates and students form professional relationships in the Blairsville health care community and assist with obtaining employment once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the sort of person that prefers to sit way in the rear of class or get lost in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a smaller class size. Small classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are considering what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you an opportunity to converse with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy tech program also.

Where is the College Located? For a number of students, the physical therapist school they pick will need to be within travelling distance of their Blairsville PA home. 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 local internships will be of importance. One thing to keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a college that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might 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 to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Help Provided? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial assistance to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial assistance office and see what type of help is offered. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. Some physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a school because the tuition is too expensive, ask what financial assistance may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to confirm that the physical therapist school you ultimately select can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly essential if you decide to continue working while you attend school. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Blairsville PA area, check that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would need to carry. Also, learn what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Blairsville Pennsylvania?

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

Blairsville, Pennsylvania

Blairsville was settled in 1818 and incorporated in 1825. In the past, railway shops, foundries, machine shops, enameling plants, and manufactories of plate glass and lumber employed the residents. It was the seat of Blairsville College, a Presbyterian institution opened in 1851, and currently houses a campus for Wyoming Technical Institute.

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 3,607 people, 1,631 households, and 983 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,591.3 people per square mile (1,001.9/km²). There were 1,830 housing units at an average density of 1,314.7 per square mile (508.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.68% White, 2.99% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.06% of the population.

There were 1,631 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.

Select the Ideal Physical Therapy School near Blairsville PA

Picking the right physical therapist college is a necessary initial decision you have to make to launch a rewarding career in the health care field. As we have discussed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you enroll in should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. But there are additional critical questions that you need to ask pertaining to your college of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapy college, bear in mind that numerous variables will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You might decide to go to each of the campuses to see their facilities and speak to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this school help me accomplish my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following 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 education and training, you can achieve your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Blairsville PA.