Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Tahoe City CA

How to Choose a Physical Therapist School near Tahoe City 96145

Tahoe City CA physical therapy school student with volunteer Getting a physical therapy degree near Tahoe City CA is a critical first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the healthcare field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated as a result of illness or injury gain back mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to receive 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 college. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s important to evaluate those you are considering to ensure they will deliver a quality education and meet your state’s licensing criteria. What you should not do is enroll in a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the lowest tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be evaluated in addition to cost and location. But before we cover 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?

Tahoe City CA physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse locations, including Tahoe City CA hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all have in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help individuals that are experiencing a lack of mobility and in many cases pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they create a course of treatment to resolve the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also try to prevent any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Tahoe City CA medical professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They may also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to keep in mind for anyone thinking about entering the physical therapy field, it is quite 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 Degree Options

Tahoe City CA physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapy degree options available for individuals to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these alternatives, the only degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short explanations of degrees that are offered in the Tahoe City CA area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to practice as physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are usually made available 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 component of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapy education to ready students to progress to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an important initial step to practicing as a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically take 4 years to finish and commonly incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated 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). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to finish, making the total commitment seven years in most cases. Clinical training is an essential component in addition to the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the completion of an internship is mandated, not solely for graduation but in a number of 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 United States. A number of licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the existing licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Tahoe City CA Although not as prevalent as the on campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live near the school campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online part of the program can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Tahoe City CA residence. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition might be somewhat less than similar on campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number 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 learn at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapy Colleges

At this point you most likely have made a decision regarding several of your initial queries, including the type of physical therapist degree you want to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to invest in your education. But because there are so many PT colleges within the Tahoe City CA area and across California, you’ll need to look into additional qualifications also so as to further narrow your list of school choices. Moreover, you want to make certain that you select the school that is right for you. That’s the reason we have put together a list of essential questions that you must ask the physical therapist schools you are thinking about. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Ask if the schools you are looking at have earned accreditation from a regional or a national agency. As previously mentioned, 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 school, it can also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist school and program you select are accredited, not simply the school. Also, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Along with ensuring that you receive a quality education, accreditation might be required for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the School’s Reputation? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you select have outstanding reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can research a PT college’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Get in touch with a few Tahoe City CA physical therapist clinics or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your program options. 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 Percentage? There are a two significant statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapy schools you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might indicate that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the assistance of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Tahoe City CA area? If a school 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 confirms that the program has a wide network of contacts to assist students gain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the College Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the school you enroll in furnishes both excellent training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing criteria for California or the state where you will be practicing. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PTA and PT graduates, a number of states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Find out if the physical therapist programs you are reviewing have associations with Tahoe City CA hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific means to get hands on training in a clinical environment, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they can help students and graduates establish professional relationships in the Tahoe City medical 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 rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a small class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are looking at what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you an opportunity to converse with some of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist school they pick will have to be within travelling distance of their Tahoe City CA home. Those who have opted to attend online classes obviously will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. Something to consider is that if you decide to enroll in a program that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges typically charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges generally charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Help Offered? The majority of DPT colleges supply some form of financial aid to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are examining have a financial assistance department and see what kind of help is obtainable. They at least should help in getting a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. A number of physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a school because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial assistance may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And last you need to confirm that the physical therapy program you finally select can provide the class schedule you need. This is particularly essential if you choose to continue working while you attend classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Tahoe City CA area, confirm that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would need to carry. Also, find out 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 Tahoe City California?

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

Tahoe City, California

Tahoe City (formerly, Tahoe)[2] is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California.[1] Tahoe City is located on Lake Tahoe, 14 miles (22.5 km) southeast of Donner Pass.[2] It lies at an elevation of 6250 feet (1905 m).[1]

The site was surveyed in 1863, and Tahoe House was built in 1864.[2] The Tahoe post office opened in 1871, closed for a period in 1896, and changed its name to Tahoe City in 1949.[2] The ZIP Code is 96145. Tahoe City is combined with Sunnyside for census purposes into Sunnyside-Tahoe City census-designated place (CDP).

Due to its high elevation, Tahoe City has a continental mediterranean climate (Köppen Dsb) with dry summers featuring very warm days and chilly nights, plus extremely snowy, though not thermally severe winters. The annual snowfall of 170.8 inches or 4.34 metres (median snowfall is 145.8 inches or 3.70 metres) is remarkable for a place with only twelve days typically not topping freezing: it is indeed so heavy that the mean maximum snow depth is as high as 52 inches or 1.32 metres despite much melting and refreezing due to persistent freeze/thaw cycles. As a comparison, higher, colder, but drier Bodie has a mean maximum snow depth of only 32 inches or 0.81 metres – three-fifths that of Tahoe City. The heaviest daily snowfall in Tahoe City was 42.0 inches (1.07 m) on January 15, 1952 and again on April 3, 1958, and the most in a season 341.4 inches or 8.67 metres between July 1937 and June 1938. The most snow on the ground has been 166 inches or 4.22 metres on March 20, 1952, and snow usually melts except in abnormally wet years during April; however there remained as much as 21 inches or 0.53 metres on the ground on average during May 1967 after a wet winter.

Pick the Ideal Physical Therapist Degree Program near Tahoe City CA

Picking the ideal physical therapy college is an important initial decision you must make to start a fulfilling career in the medical profession. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you enroll in should both have outstanding reputations and be accredited. However there are other critical questions that you should ask concerning your school of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapy school, bear in mind that many factors will guide you to your final decision. You might want to visit each of the campuses to see their facilities and talk to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the best choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can achieve your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Tahoe City CA.