Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Fair Play SC

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist Training Program near Fair Play 29643

Fair Play SC physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapy degree near Fair Play SC is an essential first step to launching a rewarding career in the healthcare industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been incapacitated as a result of injury or illness gain back mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must get the appropriate training and education. A PT must also be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s necessary to evaluate those you are looking at to make certain they will provide a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is select a school just because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has cheapest tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be evaluated besides location and cost. But before we discuss 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?

Fair Play SC physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in a variety of locations, such as Fair Play SC hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier touched on, physical therapists help individuals that are experiencing a lack of mobility and frequently pain caused by illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they create a program of treatment to deal with the mobility problems and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also endeavor to stop any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Fair Play SC health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They can also oversee several physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to keep in mind for anyone considering going into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

Fair Play SC physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapy degrees available for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the only degree that is available to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are brief descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Fair Play SC area:

Associate Degrees educate students to be physical therapy assistants, or may be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or GED to qualify for enrollment. The programs are most often provided by junior or community colleges, and require 2 years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally a component of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy training to prepare candidates to progress to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement 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 generally take 4 years to complete and often incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement if you want to become a practicing licensed 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 finish, making the total investment of time 7 years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an important element along with the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is required, not solely 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 United States. A number of practicing physical therapists having 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 Therapist Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Fair Play SC While not as common as the on-campus options, there are some accredited online physical therapist programs available, more so at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or nearby an available internship. However, the online segment of the curriculum can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Fair Play SC residence. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of cases more economical. Tuition can be significantly lower than similar on campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits can make the online option the right choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

Topics to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

At this point you probably have come to decision regarding some of your preliminary questions, like the type of physical therapist degree you intend to attain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But since there are so many PT colleges within the Fair Play SC area and across South Carolina, you’ll need to explore additional qualifications also so as to further reduce your list of college choices. Furthermore, you want to make sure that you pick the school that is right for you. That’s the reason we have put together a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapist colleges you are thinking about. Ask each of the potential schools these questions before making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Ask if the colleges you are considering have earned accreditation from a regional or a national organization. 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 choose an online school, it can also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapist program and school you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Also, check that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Besides guaranteeing that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation might be required for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the Program’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s imperative that the school and program you pick have outstanding reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple 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 rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Call several Fair Play SC physical therapy clinics or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your program selections. It might also be a good idea to check with the South Carolina Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the School’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a two important statistics that you should know about each 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. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Fair Play SC area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the health care community is good or even excellent. It also verifies that the program has a large network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the college you choose furnishes both exceptional training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for South Carolina 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 therapist school. While licensing requirements vary state by state for PT and PTA graduates, some states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internships Offered? Find out if the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing have partnerships with Fair Play SC clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent means to obtain hands on training in a clinical environment, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they can assist students and graduates establish professional relationships in the Fair Play health care community and assist with job placement once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the sort of person that likes to sit way in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a smaller class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing what the average student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist technician program as well.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapist school they select will need to be within travelling distance of their Fair Play SC home. Individuals who have decided to attend online classes 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 may have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges generally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges normally charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Most DPT schools provide some form of financial assistance to their prospective students. Find out if the colleges you are examining have a financial aid office and find out what type of assistance is offered. They at least should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. Some physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a program because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial assistance might be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must confirm that the physical therapy program you finally select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially essential if you decide to continue working while attending classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Fair Play SC area, make sure that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, check if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would have to enroll in. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss due to work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Fair Play South Carolina?

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

South Carolina Highway 243

South Carolina Highway 243 (SC 243) is a 8.4-mile-long (13.5 km) highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway travels on an east–west direction (though signed as north-south) from SC 59 and SC 182 in Fair Play to Interstate 85 (I-85) exit 11 and SC 24. The highway closely parallels I-85 to the north.

SC 243 begins at an intersection with SC 59 and SC 182 in the census designated place of Fair Play, Oconee County. Numerous businesses surround the intersection which also is the southern terminus of SC 182. SC 243 travels east along East Fair Play Boulevard past houses, a store, churches, a cemetery, and a post office. Whitfield Road splits off from the road and travels south to I-85's exit 4. SC 243 continues east-northeast into Anderson County through a mix of farmland and woods. At the highway's end, it intersects SC 24 in front of a cafe. On the opposite side of SC 24, I-85's exit 11 southbound on and off-ramps are present. The northbound ramps of the interchange are located south of this point near SC 24.[2]

Choose the Ideal Physical Therapist Training Program near Fair Play SC

Deciding on the right physical therapy school is a necessary initial decision you have to make to launch a rewarding career in the medical field. As we have discussed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you choose should both have outstanding reputations and be accredited. However there are other critical questions that you should ask pertaining to your college of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapy program, bear in mind that a number of factors will guide you toward your ultimate decision. You may want to visit different colleges to view their facilities and speak with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important 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 ideal choice. And with the proper training and education, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Fair Play SC.