How to Enroll In a Physical Therapist Degree Program near Baileyville 04694
Earning a physical therapy degree near Baileyville ME is a critical first step to launching a fulfilling career in the healthcare field. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been incapacitated as a result of injury or illness gain back mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to get the appropriate training and education. A PT must also be licensed in all states, a large number requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to investigate those you are considering to make sure they will provide a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing criteria. What you do not want to do is enroll in a school just because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be considered in addition to 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 is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?
Physical therapists work in varying settings, such as Baileyville ME hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help patients that are struggling with a lack of mobility and frequently pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a program of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive to prevent any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:
- Osteoporosis and Arthritis
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Head injuries.
- Cardiac arrest.
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
- Burn injuries.
- Hip Replacement.
- Sciatica.
- Cerebral Palsy.
Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Baileyville ME health specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, dentists and nurses. They can also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone thinking about getting into the physical therapy field, it is quite 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 Therapy Degrees
There are 3 physical therapist degrees offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these alternatives, the only degree that is available to become 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 degree levels that are available in the Baileyville ME area:
- Associate Degrees train students to become physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are typically provided by community colleges, and take about 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally part of the course of study.
- Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist education to prep students to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an integral initial step to practicing as a PT. Similar to the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they generally take 4 years to finish and commonly incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
- Doctorate Degrees are required if you want to become a practicing licensed physical therapist. The degree program must also be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to finish, making the overall investment of time seven years in most cases. Clinical training is an important element along with the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not just for graduation but in several 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 practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the current licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.
Physical Therapy Programs Online
Although not as common as the more traditional alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapy programs offered, more so at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live near the college campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online part of the program may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Baileyville ME home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition may be significantly less than comparable on campus alternatives, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages can make the online alternative the best choice for those students that are motivated enough to learn at home.
Questions to Ask Physical Therapy Programs
By now you undoubtedly have made a decision regarding some of your preliminary questions, including the type of physical therapist degree you would like to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are so many PT schools within the Baileyville ME area and throughout Maine, you’ll need to explore other qualifications also so as to further narrow your list of school options. Also, you want to make certain that you pick the program that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapist programs you are thinking about. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making an ultimate decision.
Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Find out if the colleges you are reviewing have earned accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As previously stated, 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 school, it may also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist school and program you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, check that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Besides guaranteeing that you obtain a quality education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial assistance.
What is the Program’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you pick have outstanding reputations within the physical therapy profession. There are several ways you can investigate a PT school’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also check online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Contact several Baileyville ME physical therapist clinics or other health care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any advice about your college selections. It might also be a good idea to contact the Maine Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the schools.
What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of significant statistics that you need to know about all of the physical therapy schools you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students dropped out due to dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the help of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Baileyville ME area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the healthcare community is good or even outstanding. It also confirms that the school has a broad network of contacts to help students get internships or employment after graduation.
Does the School Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the school you choose provides both excellent training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for Maine or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist program. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional tests.
Are Internship Programs Sponsored? Find out if the physical therapy colleges you are evaluating have partnerships with Baileyville ME hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific manner to receive hands on experience in a clinical environment, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may assist students and graduates form professional relationships in the Baileyville medical community and assist with job placement after licensing.
What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the sort of student that likes to sit way in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a smaller class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are looking at what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your final determination. This will also give you a chance to converse with a few of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy tech program as well.
Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they decide on will have to be within driving distance of their Baileyville ME home. Those who have opted to attend online classes naturally will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. Something to bear 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 may need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges generally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges usually charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.
Is Financial Aid Offered? Most DPT colleges provide some form of financial support to their potential students. Ask if the colleges you are examining 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 may qualify for. A number of physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, ask what financial aid may be available.
Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And last you need to confirm that the physical therapist college you finally choose can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly important if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule night or weekend classes in the Baileyville ME area, make sure that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss because of illness, work or family obligations.
Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Baileyville Maine?
If you are planning on attending a Physical Therapy School in the Baileyville ME area, the following information may prove to be both interesting and educational regarding the location of your future Alma Mater.
Baileyville, Maine
Baileyville is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,521 at the 2010 census.[5] Within the town is the census-designated place of Woodland. The town was originally settled by Quakers in 1780. In 1830, Ezekiel Bailey began the commercial manufacture of oilcloth. The business flourished and expanded until it comprised several factories, which burned down in 1921.[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 41.91 square miles (108.55 km2), of which, 37.15 square miles (96.22 km2) of it is land and 4.76 square miles (12.33 km2) is water.[2]
Water powered sawmills and paper mills at Woodland used wooden logs and pulpwood floated down the Saint Croix River. These mills were connected to the national rail network via the Maine Central Railroad and under Georgia-Pacific operation[7] originated or terminated over 6,000 railway carloads in 1973.[8] The Maine Central business has since been discontinued, and the only rail service left as of 2012 was a spur line that connected Woodland to St. Stephen, New Brunswick for the shipment of pulp and paper to Saint John.
Select the Best Physical Therapy Degree Program near Baileyville ME
Selecting the best physical therapy program is a necessary first decision you need to make to start a gratifying career in the healthcare profession. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you choose should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. However there are other important questions that you need to ask pertaining to your college of choice as well. As you begin your search for a physical therapy school, bear in mind that a number of factors will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You might want to visit each of the colleges to see their facilities and speak to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this school help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of supplemental questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal choice. And with the proper training and education, you can achieve your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Baileyville ME.
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