Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Belton MO

How to Enroll In a Physical Therapist Degree Program near Belton 64012

Belton MO physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapy degree near Belton MO is an essential first step to launching a fulfilling career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been debilitated due to injury or illness gain back function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to obtain the necessary training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in all states, a large number mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to choosing a physical therapy school, it’s important to research those you are looking at to make certain they will deliver a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is select a school simply because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be considered besides cost and location. But before we cover what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Belton MO physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in diverse settings, such as Belton MO private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously touched on, physical therapists help individuals that are struggling with a lack of mobility and frequently pain due to injury or illness. After patient diagnosis, they design a course of treatment to address the mobility issues and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Strokes.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists work in close partnerships with other Belton MO medical professionals, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage several physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone thinking about entering 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 long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees

Belton MO 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 one degree that is available to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Below are short descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Belton MO area:

Associate Degrees train students to become 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 equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The degrees are typically offered by community or junior colleges, and require 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally part of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapy education to ready students to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important preliminary step to becoming a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally take 4 years to complete and often include an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are required if you want to become a practicing licensed physical therapist. The degree program also must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to complete, making the total commitment 7 years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an important element along with the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in a number of 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 United States. 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 instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Belton MO Although not as common as the more traditional alternatives, there are many accredited online physical therapist programs available, 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 near the college campus or nearby an available internship. However, the online segment of the course of study can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Belton MO residence. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more economical. Tuition might be significantly less than comparable on-campus options, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These advantages can make the online alternative the right choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

By now you undoubtedly have made a decision regarding several of your initial queries, such as the kind of physical therapist degree you want to attain, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But because there are so many PT colleges within the Belton MO area and across Missouri, you’ll have to research additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college options. Also, you need to make sure that you pick the program that is best 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 colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Ask if the schools you are considering have received accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As earlier stated, if you are pursuing a doctorate the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you choose an online school, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapist program and school you choose are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Besides guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be required for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist community. There are a number of ways you can look into a PT school’s reputation, beginning with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. Contact several Belton MO physical therapist 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 options. It might also be prudent to contact the Missouri 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 two important statistics that you need to find out about all of the physical therapist colleges you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might indicate that students left because of displeasure with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being hired with the support of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Belton MO area? If a college has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care community is good or perhaps excellent. It also affirms that the school has a wide network of contacts to help students get internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the school you choose provides both superior training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing criteria for Missouri or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapy program. Although licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on supplemental tests.

Are Internships Provided? Find out if the physical therapy schools you are assessing have associations with Belton MO clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only a great way to obtain hands on experience in a clinical environment, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may assist students and graduates develop professional connections in the Belton healthcare community and help with obtaining employment once licensed.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of person that likes to sit way in the rear of class 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 reviewing what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classes. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to converse with several of the instructors and students to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist school they select will need to be within commuting distance of their Belton MO residence. 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 importance. Something to consider is that if you decide to enroll in a school that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Assistance Offered? Most DPT colleges provide some form of financial support to their prospective students. Find out if the schools you are examining have a financial assistance office and find out what type of aid is obtainable. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. Some physical therapy colleges offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial assistance may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist college you finally select can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially crucial if you choose to continue working while you attend classes. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Belton MO area, verify that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, find out if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would need to enroll in. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Belton Missouri?

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

Belton, Missouri

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.32 square miles (37.09 km2), of which, 14.25 square miles (36.91 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) is water.[1]

As of the census[2] of 2013, there were 23,175 people, 8,623 households, and 6,083 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,622.2 inhabitants per square mile (626.3/km2). There were 9,440 housing units at an average density of 662.5 per square mile (255.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.7% White, 6.0% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.1% of the population.

There were 8,623 households of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.

Choose the Best Physical Therapist Degree Program near Belton MO

Choosing the right physical therapist program is an important first decision you need to make to launch a rewarding career in the health care profession. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you enroll in should both have exceptional reputations and accreditation. But there are additional important questions that you need to ask regarding your school of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapist program, bear in mind that many variables will guide you toward your ultimate decision. You might want to go to each of the colleges to see their facilities and speak with active 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 additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the field so you can make the right selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Belton MO.