Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Sandy Spring MD

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist College near Sandy Spring 20860

Sandy Spring MD physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapist degree near Sandy Spring MD is an essential first step to launching a fulfilling career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been incapacitated as a result of injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must acquire the proper training and education. 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 enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s important to evaluate the ones you are looking at to make sure they will deliver a quality education and comply with your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is select a school just because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other important qualifications that need to be evaluated besides location and cost. But before we discuss what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Sandy Spring MD physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse settings, including Sandy Spring MD hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier stated, physical therapists help patients that are suffering from a lack of mobility and often pain due to injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they create a program of treatment to resolve the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive to prevent any progression of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Strokes.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Sandy Spring MD medical specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage several physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to take note of for anyone considering going into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

Sandy Spring MD physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapist degrees offered for individuals to enroll in at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the one 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 advance to the doctoral level. Below are brief descriptions of degrees that are available in the Sandy Spring MD area:

Associate Degrees train students to be physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have a high school diploma or GED to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are most often provided by junior or community colleges, and require 2 years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is usually a component of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist education to prep students to progress to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important preliminary step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally require four years to complete and usually incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement in order to become a practicing licensed 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 three years to finish, making the total commitment 7 years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an intregal component in addition to the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the completion of an internship is required, not only for graduation but in several states for licensing as well.

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 USA. Some licensed physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the present licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Colleges Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Sandy Spring MD While not as common as the more traditional options, there are many accredited online physical therapy degrees offered, even more at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on structure of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live close to the college campus or in proximity of a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the course of study can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Sandy Spring MD residence. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more affordable. Tuition can be significantly less than similar on campus options, and expenditures for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring 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 Colleges

By now you undoubtedly have come to decision concerning several of your preliminary questions, including the kind of physical therapist degree you would like to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are numerous PT schools within the Sandy Spring MD area and throughout Maryland, you’ll have to look into other qualifications as well in order to further reduce your list of school options. Moreover, you need to make certain that you select the college that is ideal for you. That’s why we have put together a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapist schools you are considering. Ask each of the competing colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Ask if the colleges you are looking at have received accreditation from a regional or a national agency. As earlier 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 choose an online college, it may also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy school and program you select are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, check that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Besides guaranteeing that you obtain a quality education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Ranking? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have outstanding reputations within the physical therapy profession. There are several ways you can look into a PT program’s reputation, starting 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 agencies for their reviews also. Get in touch with several Sandy Spring MD physical therapy clinics or other healthcare facilities that you might have an interest in working for and ask if they can give you any insight about your program options. It might also be prudent to contact the Maryland 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 two important statistics that you should find out about all of the physical therapy programs you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate might suggest that students left because of displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the support of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Sandy Spring MD area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the medical care field is good or perhaps excellent. It also verifies that the school has a large network of contacts to help students get internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the school you choose furnishes both excellent training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for Maryland 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 college. Although licensing requirements vary 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 supplemental tests.

Are Internships Sponsored? Find out if the physical therapy schools you are reviewing have relationships with Sandy Spring MD hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a great means to get hands on training in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may assist students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Sandy Spring healthcare community and assist with job placement after licensing.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that likes to sit far in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a smaller class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy colleges you are researching 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 determination. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with some of the instructors and students to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy technician program also.

Where is the Program Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist school they choose will have to be within driving distance of their Sandy Spring MD residence. Students who have decided to attend classes online obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. Something to keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a school that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges normally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Help Provided? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial support to their prospective students. Inquire if the schools you are considering have a financial assistance office and see what kind of assistance is available. At a minimum they should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you may be eligible for. Some physical therapist colleges provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, ask what financial assistance might be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to confirm that the physical therapist school you finally pick can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially crucial if you decide to continue working while attending classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Sandy Spring MD area, confirm that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would have to carry. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss as a result of illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Sandy Spring Maryland?

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

Sandy Spring, Maryland

The United States Census Bureau combines Sandy Spring with the nearby community of Ashton to form the census-designated place of Ashton-Sandy Spring,[3] and all census data are tabulated for this combined entity.

One of the very early land owners in the Sandy Spring area was Richard Snowden, who patented (purchased) the 1,000 acres (4 km2) "Snowden's Manor" in 1715.[1] Snowden gradually enlarged his property with additional land purchases over the next few decades until it was surveyed at over 9,000 acres (36 km2) as "Snowden's Manor Enlarged" in 1743.

Another important early landowner, Major John Bradford, had patented over 2,000 acres (8 km2) in the Sandy Spring area, including "Charley Forest" in 1716,[1] "Charley Forest Enlarged", "Higham", and "Discovery." Bradford sold off large parts of these properties, but Snowden's son-in-law, James Brooke, later bought up the original Charley Forest land as well as other land in the area, eventually owning over 22,000 acres (90 km2) by the 1760s.[4]

Choose the Right Physical Therapy School near Sandy Spring MD

Deciding on the right physical therapy school is an important first decision you need to make to launch a fulfilling career in the health care field. As we have discussed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you select should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. However there are other critical questions that you should ask concerning your college of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapy program, keep in mind that many variables will guide you to your ultimate decision. You might decide to visit different schools to view their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me reach my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By following our list of supplemental questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the right choice. And with the proper education and training, you can accomplish your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Sandy Spring MD.