Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Ridge MD

How to Enroll In a Physical Therapy Degree Program near Ridge 20680

Ridge MD physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapist degree near Ridge MD is an essential first step to launching a fulfilling career in the healthcare industry. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been disabled due to illness or injury gain back mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to obtain the necessary education and training. A PT must also become licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before selecting a physical therapy school, it’s essential to investigate the ones you are looking at to make sure they will furnish a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is select a college just because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be evaluated in addition to location and cost. But before we cover what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Ridge MD physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying locations, including Ridge MD private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help individuals that are experiencing a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a course of treatment to address the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also strive to prevent any progression of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Ridge MD health professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them in diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone considering going into the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

Ridge MD physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these choices, the only degree that is offered to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Below are brief summaries of degree levels that are available in the Ridge MD area:

Associate Degrees educate students to practice as physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are usually made available by community colleges, and take about two years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally a portion of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy training to prepare students to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement 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 normally require 4 years to finish and usually incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement 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 3 years to finish, making the total commitment seven years in the majority of cases. Clinical training is an important component in addition to the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, 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 attainable in the USA. A number of practicing physical therapists having a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the current licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Programs Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Ridge MD Although not as prevalent as the more traditional options, there are many accredited online physical therapy programs available, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the school campus or nearby an available internship. However, the online portion of the course of study may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Ridge MD residence. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition can be significantly less than comparable on campus alternatives, and expenses for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online alternative the right choice for those students that are motivated enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

At this point you most likely have made a decision concerning a few of your preliminary questions, including the kind of physical therapy degree you intend to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are numerous PT colleges within the Ridge MD area and across Maryland, you’ll have to look into additional qualifications also so as to further reduce your list of school options. Moreover, you want to be sure that you pick the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapist programs you are reviewing. Ask all of the competing schools these questions prior to making a final decision.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Find out if the colleges you are reviewing have received 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 college, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy program and school you choose are accredited, not just the school. Also, check that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. Besides ensuring that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the Program’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s imperative that the college and program you select have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can research a PT program’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Get in touch with some Ridge MD physical therapy clinics 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 selections. It may also be prudent to contact the Maryland Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of useful statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapist schools you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might mean that students dropped out because of displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the help of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Ridge MD area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the health care field is good or perhaps exceptional. It also affirms that the program has a broad network of contacts to assist students get internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the school you select furnishes both exceptional training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for Maryland or the state where you will be practicing. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapist program. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internships Provided? Find out if the physical therapy programs you are interested in have associations with Ridge MD clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent manner to get practical training in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they may help graduates and students form professional relationships in the Ridge medical community and help with obtaining employment once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of student that prefers to sit way in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will probably want a small class size. Small classes allow for more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are researching what the average 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 an opportunity to converse with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist technician program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they choose will need to be within commuting distance of their Ridge MD home. Those who have decided to attend online classes obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. One thing to bear in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a school that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges generally 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 Aid Offered? The majority of DPT colleges supply some type of financial assistance to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial assistance department and find out what kind of assistance is offered. At a minimum they should help in securing 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 too expensive, learn what financial assistance may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapist college you finally choose can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially essential if you choose to continue working while you attend classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Ridge MD area, check that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would need to carry. Also, ask what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Ridge Maryland?

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

Keysers Ridge, Maryland

Keysers Ridge is an unincorporated community in northern Garrett County, Maryland. Named after William Keyser, vice president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at the time, it lies to the west of Grantsville on Interstate 68 and is bounded to the northwest by the Savage River State Forest.[2] It is primarily known for its key location on Interstate 68 and U.S. Route 40. In the past, Keysers Ridge was feared by travelers on the National Road due to its very harsh weather conditions as a result of its location at the top of a ridge to the west of Negro Mountain. The most snowfall ever recorded in a single winter in Maryland was during the winter of 2009-10, when 262.5 inches of snow fell at Keysers Ridge in Garrett County.

Pick the Best Physical Therapy Training Program near Ridge MD

Deciding on the best physical therapy program is an important initial decision you have to make to launch a rewarding career in the medical profession. As we have discussed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you decide on should both have exceptional reputations and be accredited. However there are other important questions that you need to ask concerning your college of choice also. As you commence your search for a physical therapy program, keep in mind that numerous factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You might decide to visit each of the schools to view their facilities and speak to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me achieve my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the appropriate choice. And with the proper training and education, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Ridge MD.