Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Sloatsburg NY

How to Select a Physical Therapist College near Sloatsburg 10974

Sloatsburg NY physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapist degree near Sloatsburg NY is a critical first step to launching a rewarding career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been incapacitated due to injury or illness gain back mobility and function. 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 also be licensed in every state, a large number requiring that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s essential to evaluate the ones you are considering to make sure they will deliver a quality education and comply with your state’s licensing criteria. What you should not do is select a school just because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be evaluated along with 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?

Sloatsburg NY physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse locations, including Sloatsburg NY private practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help people that are experiencing a lack of mobility and frequently pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a course of treatment to resolve the mobility problems and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also strive to prevent any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other Sloatsburg NY medical professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They may also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them in diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to keep in mind for anyone thinking about getting into the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees

Sloatsburg NY physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degrees offered for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the only degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either preparing 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 offered in the Sloatsburg NY area:

Associate Degrees train students to be physical therapy assistants, or may 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 require two years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally part of the course of study.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist education to prepare students to advance to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an important initial step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take four years to complete and often include an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement 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). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes three years to finish, making the total investment of time seven years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an intregal component along with the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is required, not just for graduation but in some states for licensing also.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has taken the place of the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been phased out and is no longer attainable in the USA. Some practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the present licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapist Programs Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Sloatsburg NY While not as common as the on-campus alternatives, there are some accredited online physical therapist degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are incorporated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live near the school campus or in proximity of an available internship. However, the online portion of the course of study may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Sloatsburg NY residence. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of instances more economical. Tuition might be significantly lower than comparable on-campus options, and expenditures for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These benefits may make the online alternative the ideal choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

By now you undoubtedly have made a decision concerning several of your initial queries, such as the kind of physical therapy degree you want to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But considering there are numerous PT schools within the Sloatsburg NY area and across New York, you’ll need to research additional qualifications as well in order to further narrow your list of school options. Moreover, you want to be sure that you enroll in the program that is best for you. That’s why we have put together a list of important questions that you need to ask the physical therapist programs you are reviewing. Ask all of the potential colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Ask if the schools you are considering have earned accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As previously mentioned, if you are pursuing a doctoral degree the program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). If you select an online college, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative 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. Along with guaranteeing that you receive an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Reputation? Along with accreditation, it’s imperative that the college and program you select have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist community. There are several ways you can research a PT program’s reputation, starting with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You may also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Get in touch with some Sloatsburg NY physical therapist centers or other medical care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your school selections. It might also be prudent to contact the New York Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of relevant statistics that you should know about each of the physical therapist programs you are considering. One is their graduation rate. A low rate may suggest that students left due to displeasure with the program, the instructors, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Sloatsburg NY area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care field is good or even excellent. It also confirms that the school has a large network of contacts to help students gain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the program you enroll in provides both superior training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for New York or the state where you will be practicing. In each state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PTA and PT graduates, a number of states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Ask if the physical therapist schools you are reviewing have associations with Sloatsburg NY hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific manner to receive hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they can help students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Sloatsburg medical community and assist with obtaining employment after licensing.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of student that likes to sit way in the back of class or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a small class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are considering what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may prefer 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 technician program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they pick will need to be within travelling distance of their Sloatsburg NY residence. Those who have decided to attend classes online naturally 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 choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges normally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges commonly charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Assistance Provided? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial assistance to their potential students. Find out if the colleges you are reviewing have a financial aid department and find out what kind of assistance is available. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any grants you might qualify for. Some physical therapy colleges offer scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a school because the tuition is too expensive, learn what financial assistance might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to confirm that the physical therapy program you ultimately pick can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you choose to continue working while attending classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Sloatsburg NY area, verify that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours 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 obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Sloatsburg New York?

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

Sloatsburg, New York

Sloatsburg is a village in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York, United States. Located east of Orange County, it is at the southern entrance to Harriman State Park. The population was 3,152 at the 2010 census.[2] The village is named after Stephen Sloat, an early European landowner.

The land that would become the village of Sloatsburg was part of the hunting grounds of the Minsi band of the Leni Lenape Indians, whose people occupied much of the mid-Atlantic area at the time of European encounter. The area was the site of a major Indian path through the Ramapo Mountains. The path was later improved as the New York to Albany road and, in 1800, the Orange Turnpike. It remains an important thoroughfare today as the New York State Thruway, New York State Route 17 and the Norfolk Southern Railway line run along its route.

Wynant Van Gelder, an ethnic Dutch colonist, purchased the area from the Minsi in 1738. In 1747, he gave it to his father-in-law, Isaac Van Deusen. When his daughter Marritge Van Deusen married Stephen Sloat, Isaac gave the couple the land in 1763. They built a stone house on the property and operated a tavern, which was a regular stop on the New York-to-Albany stage route. During the American Revolution, the Sloat House was headquarters for American troops stationed in the Ramapo Pass. The house is a private residence, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.There he established Sloat's Tavern, which became a regular stop on the New York to Albany stage route.

Choose the Right Physical Therapist College near Sloatsburg NY

Picking the best physical therapist school is a necessary initial decision you need to make to begin a gratifying career in the healthcare profession. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you enroll in should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. 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 school, keep in mind that a number of factors will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You may decide to go to different schools to view their facilities and speak with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me achieve my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By adhering to our list of additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the field so you can make the right choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Sloatsburg NY.