Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Moore SC

How to Select a Physical Therapy Training Program near Moore 29369

Moore SC physical therapy school student with volunteer Getting a physical therapist degree near Moore SC is an important first step to beginning a rewarding career in the medical care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been disabled due to illness or injury gain back mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the appropriate training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate the ones you are considering to make sure they will deliver a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing criteria. 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 relevant qualifications that must 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 cover what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Moore SC physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse locations, including Moore SC 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 individuals that are suffering from a lack of mobility and frequently pain caused by illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also endeavor to prevent any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Moore SC medical professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage several physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone thinking about getting into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Offered

Moore SC physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degree options offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the single degree that is offered to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are brief summaries of degrees that are offered in the Moore SC area:

Associate Degrees train students to become physical therapy assistants, or may be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are typically provided by community colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is typically a portion of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist education to prepare students to advance to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an integral preliminary step to practicing as a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally require four years to finish and often incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated 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). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to finish, making the overall investment of time seven years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an important element along with the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not solely 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 phased out and is no longer attainable 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 present licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapist Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Moore SC While not as prevalent as the more traditional options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist degrees available, more so at the graduate level. Due to 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 college campus or in proximity of an available internship. However, the online segment of the course of study can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Moore SC home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of instances more economical. Tuition can be somewhat lower than comparable on-campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These benefits can make the online alternative the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Colleges

By now you undoubtedly have come to decision concerning some of your preliminary queries, including the type of physical therapist degree you want to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are numerous PT schools within the Moore SC area and across South Carolina, you’ll need to look into additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college choices. Also, you want to make sure that you select the college that is best for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapy programs you are reviewing. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Find out if the schools you are considering have earned accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As earlier mentioned, 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 college, it may also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapist school and program you select are accredited, not just the school. Also, verify that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Besides ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation might be required for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the Program’s Reputation? Along with accreditation, it’s essential that the college and program you select have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are multiple ways you can research a PT school’s reputation, starting with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Call several Moore SC physical therapist clinics or other medical care facilities that you might have an interest in working for and ask if they can give you any advice about your college selections. It might also be prudent to contact the South Carolina Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two significant statistics that you should find out about all of the physical therapist schools you are looking at. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students left because of displeasure 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 Moore SC area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the healthcare community is good or even exceptional. It also confirms that the school has a large 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 course of study that supports the licensing criteria for South Carolina or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapist program. Although licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internships Sponsored? Inquire if the physical therapist schools you are evaluating have associations with Moore SC clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only a great manner to obtain practical experience 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 form professional relationships in the Moore healthcare community and help with obtaining employment after licensing.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of person that prefers to sit far in the rear of class or get lost in the crowd, you will likely want a smaller class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are researching what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may prefer to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you a chance to converse with some of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist tech program also.

Where is the College Located? For many students, the physical therapy school they decide on will have to be within travelling distance of their Moore SC residence. Individuals who have chosen to attend online classes obviously 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 choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or perhaps 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 to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Help Provided? Most DPT colleges offer some form of financial support to their potential students. Find out if the colleges you are examining have a financial aid office and see what kind of help is available. At a minimum they should help in obtaining a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. Some physical therapy 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 might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And last you need to confirm that the physical therapy school you ultimately pick can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you opt to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule night or weekend classes in the Moore SC area, make certain that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would have to carry. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss as a result of work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Moore South Carolina?

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

Moore, South Carolina

At one point, Moore was home to the studio of the Marshall Tucker band. The band is now defunct and the studio is no longer used, but it still stands on Main Street (South Carolina Highway 290) beside the post office and Presbyterian Church. Moore is also home to Walnut Grove Plantation, one of the first colonial English settlements in South Carolina. It was instrumental as a bastion of patriotism during the American Revolutionary War. Moore is the former home of the Bruns Racing Team, which recently refocused its efforts from car racing to airplanes and scuba diving.

Moore boasts three schools. They are part of the Spartanburg District 5 and 6 School system. First is R.D. Anderson Applied Technology and Vocational School, the tech prep center for Byrnes, Dorman, and Woodruff High Schools. River Ridge Elementary is the newest elementary school in Spartanburg District 5. Also, Anderson Mill Elementary School, a part of Spartanburg District 6, and Dawkins Middle School, also part of Spartanburg District 6, are located in Moore.

Pick the Best Physical Therapy Degree Program near Moore SC

Picking the right physical therapist program is an important initial decision you need to make to start a rewarding career in the healthcare field. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you enroll in should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. But there are additional critical questions that you need to ask pertaining to your school of choice also. As you commence your search for a physical therapist college, keep in mind that numerous variables will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You may decide to go to each of the campuses to see their facilities and speak to current 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 adhering to our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Moore SC.