Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Platteville CO

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Program near Platteville 80651

Platteville CO physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapy degree near Platteville CO is an important first step to starting a fulfilling career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated as a result of illness or injury gain back function and mobility. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must receive the appropriate education and training. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, many requiring that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s necessary to research the ones you are thinking about to ensure they will provide a superior 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 closest to your residence or it has cheapest tuition. There are other important qualifications that need to be considered along with cost and location. But before we discuss 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?

Platteville CO physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in diverse settings, including Platteville CO hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help individuals that are experiencing a lack of mobility and often pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they create a course of treatment to address the mobility problems and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive to stop any progression of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

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

Licensed physical therapists practice in close partnerships with other Platteville CO medical specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also oversee one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone thinking about getting into the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees Offered

Platteville CO physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapy degree options offered for individuals to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the single degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are brief descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Platteville CO 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 typically made available by community or junior colleges, and require two years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally a portion of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist education to ready students to progress to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an important initial step to becoming a PT. Similar to the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally require four years to finish and usually include an internship program of at least 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). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to finish, making the overall commitment seven years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an important component in addition to the substantial lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not just 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 eliminated and is no longer available in the USA. A number of licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Platteville CO Although not as prevalent as the more traditional alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapy degrees available, more so 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 college campus or nearby a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the program can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Platteville CO residence. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition might be significantly lower than similar on-campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These benefits can make the online option the ideal choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

By now you probably have come to decision concerning a few of your preliminary questions, like the kind of physical therapist degree you want to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But considering there are numerous PT schools within the Platteville CO area and across Colorado, you’ll need to explore other qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college options. Furthermore, you want to make sure that you pick the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing. Ask all of the potential colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Ask if the programs you are looking at have received accreditation from a national or a regional organization. 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 obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy program and school you select are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. In addition to ensuring that you obtain a quality education, accreditation might be required for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the College’s Reputation? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Get in touch with several Platteville CO physical therapy centers or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any insight about your school options. It may also be a good idea to check with the Colorado Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of significant statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapist schools you are considering. One is their graduation rate. A low rate may indicate that students dropped out due to displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. After the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the help of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Platteville CO area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care community is good or perhaps outstanding. It also confirms that the school has a large network of contacts to help students obtain internships or jobs after graduation.

Does the Program Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you enroll in furnishes both excellent training and a course of study that satisfies the licensing requirements for Colorado or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapy school. While licensing requirements differ state by state for PT and PTA graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Find out if the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing have partnerships with Platteville CO clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific means to obtain hands on training 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 establish professional connections in the Platteville healthcare community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of student that prefers to sit way in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a small class size. Small classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are looking at what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may prefer to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you a chance to speak with several of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist technician program also.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they decide on will need to be within travelling distance of their Platteville CO home. Those who have decided to attend classes online naturally 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 bear 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 be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges normally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges normally charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Most DPT colleges offer some type of financial assistance to their prospective students. Find out if the colleges you are considering have a financial aid office and see what type of help is available. At a minimum they should help in securing a student loan or any scholarships you might be eligible for. Some physical therapy schools offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before you eliminate a program because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist college you ultimately choose can provide the class schedule you need. This is particularly essential if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Platteville CO area, make certain that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, check if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to enroll in. Also, learn what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss as a result of illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Platteville Colorado?

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

Platteville, Colorado

The Fort St. Vrain Generating Station, originally a nuclear power plant and now operating as a natural gas powered electricity generating facility operated by Xcel Energy, is approximately one-quarter-mile northwest of Platteville.

As of the census[12] of 2010, there were 2,485 people, 951 households, and 935 families residing in Platteville. The population density was 1,606.5 people per square mile (618.3/km²). There were 819 housing units at an average density of 555.1 per square mile (213.7/km²). The racial makeup of Platteville was 73.84% White, 0.55% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 22.24% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.19% of the population.

There were 786 households out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.50.

Select the Ideal Physical Therapist Degree Program near Platteville CO

Picking the ideal physical therapy college is a necessary first decision you need to make to start a rewarding career in the medical field. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you select should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. However there are additional critical questions that you need to ask pertaining to your school of choice also. As you start your search for a physical therapy college, bear in mind that many factors will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You might decide to visit different campuses to view their facilities and speak to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me achieve my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the field so you can make the ideal choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can achieve your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Platteville CO.