Category Archives: California

Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree – Yucca Valley CA

How to Enroll In a Physical Therapist Program near Yucca Valley 92284

Yucca Valley CA physical therapy school student with volunteerReceiving a physical therapist degree near Yucca Valley CA is an essential first step to launching a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been debilitated due to injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must acquire the proper training and education. A PT must also be licensed in all states, a large number mandating that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to investigate those you are thinking about to make sure they will supply a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you do not want to do is enroll in a college just because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be evaluated in addition to location and cost. But before we talk about what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Yucca Valley CA physical therapist helping patient walkPhysical therapists work in a variety of locations, such as Yucca Valley CA private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier touched on, physical therapists help people that are struggling with a lack of mobility and often pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a course of treatment to address the mobility problems and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also strive to stop any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

  • Osteoporosis and Arthritis
  • Car or motor cycle accidents
  • Strokes.
  • Cardiac arrest.
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
  • Fire injuries.
  • Knee Replacement.
  • Sciatica.
  • Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Yucca Valley CA health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to take note of for anyone considering getting into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely 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

Yucca Valley CA physical therapist applying acupuncture to patientThere are 3 physical therapist degree options offered for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the one degree that is available to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are brief summaries of degrees that are available in the Yucca Valley CA area:

  • Associate Degrees train 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 be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are usually made available by community or junior colleges, and take about 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is typically a component of the course of study.
  • Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist education to prep students to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral preliminary step to practicing as a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they generally require four years to finish and often incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
  • Doctorate Degrees are a requirement 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 finish, making the overall investment of time 7 years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component in addition to the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not solely for graduation but in some 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. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the existing licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Yucca Valley CAAlthough not as common as the on campus options, there are many accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, more so at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are incorporated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live close to the college campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online segment of the curriculum can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Yucca Valley CA residence. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition can be somewhat less than similar on-campus options, and expenses for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits may make the online option the right choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

At this point you most likely have come to decision concerning a few of your initial questions, including the type of physical therapy degree you want to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But considering there are so many PT colleges within the Yucca Valley CA area and across California, you’ll need to explore other qualifications also in order to further narrow your list of school choices. Also, you want to be sure that you choose the program that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of essential questions that you need to ask the physical therapist schools you are reviewing. Ask each of the competing colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited?  Ask if the colleges you are considering have received accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As previously 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 program, it may also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapy program and school you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Also, check that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. Besides ensuring that you receive an excellent education, accreditation might be required for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Reputation? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapy profession. There are multiple ways you can research a PT school’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 organizations for their reviews also. Call several Yucca Valley CA physical therapy clinics or other healthcare facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your college selections. It might also be a good idea to check with the California Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two significant statistics that you should know about each of the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students dropped out 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 support of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Yucca Valley CA area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the health care field is good or perhaps excellent. It also affirms that the school has a broad network of contacts to assist students get internships or jobs after graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the school you select furnishes both exceptional training and a course of study that supports the licensing criteria for California 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. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, some states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Find out if the physical therapist programs you are assessing have relationships with Yucca Valley CA clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only a great manner to receive hands on experience in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they may help graduates and students develop professional relationships in the Yucca Valley healthcare community and assist with job placement after licensing.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of person that prefers to sit far in the back of class or hide in the crowd, you will probably want a smaller class size. Smaller 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 classes. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you a chance to converse with a few of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy tech program as well.

Where is the College Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist college they pick will need to be within driving distance of their Yucca Valley CA residence. Those who have chosen to attend online classes obviously will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. Something to keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a college 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 normally charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? Most DPT colleges supply some type of financial aid to their potential students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department and see what kind of help is available. They at least should help in acquiring a student loan or any scholarships you may qualify for. A number of physical therapist schools 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 Program Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapist college you finally pick can provide the class schedule you need. This is particularly essential if you opt to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Yucca Valley CA area, verify that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours 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 illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Yucca Valley California?

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

Yucca Valley, California

Yucca Valley is an incorporated town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 20,700 as of the 2010 census. Yucca Valley lies 17 miles (27 km) west of Twentynine Palms, 27 miles (43 km) north of Palm Springs, 62 miles (100 km) south of Barstow via State Route 247, 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Lucerne Valley and 55 miles (89 km) east of San Bernardino.

Bordered in the west by the San Bernardino Mountains and in the south by the Joshua Tree National Park, the Yucca Valley community is located in the Mojave Desert at roughly 3,300 feet (1,000 m) above sea level.

Yucca Valley contracts its police and public safety services from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Fire suppression and ambulance services are provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department and Cal Fire.

Pick the Ideal Physical Therapy College near Yucca Valley CA

Selecting the right physical therapy program is a necessary initial decision you must make to begin a rewarding career in the healthcare field. As we have discussed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you decide on should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. But there are other critical questions that you should ask regarding your college of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapist school, keep in mind that many factors will guide you toward your final decision. You might want to visit different colleges to view their facilities and speak to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this school help me accomplish my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By following our list of supplemental questions, you will be able to narrow down the field so you can make the best selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Yucca Valley CA.

A Few More Interesting Locations in California

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