Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Atlantic Beach FL

How to Find the Right Physical Therapy College near Atlantic Beach 32233

Atlantic Beach FL physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapist degree near Atlantic Beach FL is an essential first step to starting a fulfilling career in the healthcare field. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled due to injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must receive the necessary education and training. A PT must additionally become licensed in every state, a large number requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate those you are thinking about to make certain they will deliver a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is choose a college just because it happens to be the nearest 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 the questions you should be asking, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Atlantic Beach FL physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying settings, including Atlantic Beach FL private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help patients that are suffering from a lack of mobility and often pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to address the mobility issues and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also try to stop 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
Strokes.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close association with other Atlantic Beach FL health professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone considering going into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees

Atlantic Beach FL physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degrees available for individuals to enroll in 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 focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or preparing them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are short explanations of degrees that are offered in the Atlantic Beach FL 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 equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are most often offered by junior or community colleges, and require two years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy education to ready students to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an integral first step to becoming a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they typically take four years to complete and commonly incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated in order to become a practicing licensed 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 complete, making the total investment of time seven years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an intregal element in addition to the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Therefor 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 eliminated and is no longer available in the United States. A number of licensed physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Programs Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Atlantic Beach FL While not as common as the on campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy programs available, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live near the college campus or in proximity of a sponsored internship. However, the online segment of the course of study may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Atlantic Beach FL residence. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition can be somewhat lower than comparable on campus options, and costs for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These advantages may make the online alternative the right choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Schools

By now you most likely have come to decision regarding some of your preliminary questions, like the type of physical therapy degree you would like to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are numerous PT colleges within the Atlantic Beach FL area and throughout Florida, you’ll need to explore other qualifications as well in order to further narrow your list of college choices. Also, you want to make sure that you enroll in the college that is best for you. That’s why we have put together a list of important questions that you need to ask the physical therapy colleges you are considering. Ask each of the potential schools these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist College Accredited? Find out if the schools you are considering have received accreditation from a regional or a national organization. As previously mentioned, if you are pursuing a doctorate the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you select an online program, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapy program and school you select are accredited, not just the school. Also, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Along with guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation might be required for state licensing as well as for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you select have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are several ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Contact some Atlantic Beach FL physical therapy centers or other medical care facilities that you might have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any advice about your program selections. It may also be prudent to contact the Florida 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 couple of relevant statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapy programs you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might indicate that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being hired with the assistance of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Atlantic Beach FL area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care field is good or even excellent. It also verifies that the college has a wide network of contacts to help students obtain internships or jobs after graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the school you choose furnishes both excellent training and a course of study that satisfies the licensing criteria for Florida or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapy school. While licensing requirements vary state by state for PT and PTA graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Inquire if the physical therapist schools you are interested in have partnerships with Atlantic Beach FL hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific manner to obtain hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they can help students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Atlantic Beach healthcare community and help with job placement once licensed.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of person that prefers to sit way in the back of the classroom or get lost in the crowd, you will undoubtedly want a smaller class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are considering what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classes. 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 speak with a few of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program also.

Where is the Program Located? For a number of students, the physical therapist school they decide on will have to be within commuting distance of their Atlantic Beach FL residence. Those who have opted to attend online classes obviously will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of importance. One thing to bear in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a school that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges commonly charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges commonly charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Help Provided? The majority of DPT colleges offer some form of financial aid to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial assistance office and find out what type of assistance is available. They at least should help in obtaining a student loan or any grants you might qualify for. Some physical therapist schools offer scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a school because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must confirm that the physical therapist program you finally pick can offer the class schedule you need. This is particularly important if you decide to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Atlantic Beach FL area, check that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, find out what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Atlantic Beach Florida?

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

Atlantic Beach, Florida

Atlantic Beach is a city in Duval County, Florida, United States and part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with Jacksonville in 1968, Atlantic Beach, along with Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Baldwin, remained quasi-independent. Like the other towns, it maintains its own municipal government, but its residents vote in the Jacksonville mayoral election and have representation on the Jacksonville city council. The population was 12,655 at the 2010 census.[5]

In 1900 Henry Flagler built the Mayport branch of the railroad and erected a station north of where the Adele Grage Cultural Center is currently located.[6] Soon afterwords Flagler built a large hotel called the Continental Hotel on the railroad line between Pablo Beach (Jacksonville Beach) and Mayport. The hotel was a summer resort with 250 guest rooms. There was also a dance pavilion, tennis courts and a fishing pier. In 1913 the railroad sold most of the land to the Atlantic Beach Corporation which then began paving streets, installing lights, and water and sewer lines. In that same year the Continental Hotel changed its name to the Atlantic Beach Hotel.[7] However, during World War I people were afraid to come to the coast and the Atlantic Beach Corporation went bankrupt. To make matters worse the Atlantic Beach Hotel burned down on September 20, 1919. After the war land began to sell again and settlement grew. The Town of Atlantic Beach was incorporated in 1926 and the first charter was adopted in 1929. The first town hall burned down in 1932 and a new one was built in 1932. The newly established Mayport Naval Station and the construction of the Mathews Bridge led to further development of the town. The boundaries of Atlantic Beach were extended in 1987 with the annexation of Seminole Beach and again in 1996 by extending the westerly boundary to the Intracoastal Waterway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.0 square miles (33.6 km2), of which 3.5 square miles (9.0 km2) is land and 9.5 square miles (24.6 km2) (73.07%) is water.[5]

Pick the Best Physical Therapy College near Atlantic Beach FL

Choosing the ideal physical therapist program is an important first decision you have to make to begin a rewarding career in the healthcare field. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you choose should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. But there are other important questions that you need to ask regarding your college of choice as well. As you begin your search for a physical therapist program, keep in mind that many factors will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You might want to visit each of the colleges to see their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this college help me achieve my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the best selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can fulfill your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Atlantic Beach FL.