Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Hendersonville NC

How to Select a Physical Therapy Program near Hendersonville 28739

Hendersonville NC physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapist degree near Hendersonville NC is an essential first step to beginning a rewarding career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been incapacitated as a result of injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must receive the necessary education and training. A PT must also be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research the ones you are looking at to make certain they will furnish a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing criteria. 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 relevant qualifications that need to be considered along with cost and location. But before we cover what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Hendersonville NC physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in a variety of settings, such as Hendersonville NC private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier stated, physical therapists help people that are suffering from a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a program of treatment to address the mobility issues and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also endeavor to prevent any progression of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

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

Licensed physical therapists practice in close partnerships with other Hendersonville NC health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, registered nurses and dentists. They can also supervise one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to keep in mind for anyone considering getting into the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degree Options

Hendersonville NC physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options offered for students to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these options, the single degree that is available to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are short descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Hendersonville NC area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or GED to qualify for enrollment. The programs are usually made available by junior or community colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapy training to ready candidates to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an essential preliminary step to practicing as a PT. Similar to the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they generally require 4 years to finish and often 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 investment of time seven years in the majority of cases. Clinical training is an intregal element in addition to the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not only for graduation but in a number of 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 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 existing licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Hendersonville NC While not as common as the more traditional alternatives, there are a number of accredited online physical therapist degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or in proximity of an available internship. Fortunately, the online portion of the curriculum may be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Hendersonville NC home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more affordable. Tuition might be somewhat lower than similar on campus options, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These benefits can make the online alternative the right choice for those students that are dedicated enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

At this point you undoubtedly have made a decision concerning several of your initial questions, including the type of physical therapy degree you intend to attain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are numerous PT schools within the Hendersonville NC area and across North Carolina, you’ll have to look into other qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of school choices. Furthermore, you need to make sure that you pick the program that is right for you. That’s why we have compiled a list of essential questions that you need to ask the physical therapy schools you are thinking about. Ask all of the potential schools these questions prior to making a final decision.

Is the Physical Therapy School Accredited? Find out if the schools you are looking at have received accreditation from a regional or a national 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 select an online college, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapist school and program you select 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 ensuring 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 Program’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s essential that the school and program you choose have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist community. There are multiple ways you can investigate a PT school’s reputation, starting with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews also. Contact several Hendersonville NC physical therapy centers or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can give you any recommendations about your school selections. It might also be prudent to check with the North Carolina Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of relevant statistics that you need to find out about each of the physical therapy schools you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A low 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 placed in jobs with the support of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Hendersonville NC area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the healthcare community is good or even excellent. It also confirms that the program has a wide network of contacts to help students get internships or employment after graduation.

Does the School Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the college you select provides both superior training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for North Carolina or the state where you will be practicing. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PT and PTA graduates, a number of states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Ask if the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing have relationships with Hendersonville NC hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific manner to obtain hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they may assist graduates and students form professional connections in the Hendersonville medical community and help with job placement after licensing.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of student that prefers to sit way in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will undoubtedly want a smaller class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are considering what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you a chance to converse with some of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy technician program also.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapy school they pick will need to be within travelling distance of their Hendersonville NC home. Students who have chosen to attend online classes naturally will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. One thing to consider is that if you choose to enroll in a school that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you may need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges typically charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Aid Provided? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial support to their prospective students. Ask if the schools you are examining have a financial assistance office and see what kind of assistance is offered. They at least should help in getting 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 eliminating a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial assistance may be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist college you ultimately select can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule night or weekend classes in the Hendersonville NC area, make sure that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss because of work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Hendersonville North Carolina?

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

Hendersonville, North Carolina

Hendersonville is a city in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. It is 22 miles (35 km) south of Asheville and is the county seat of Henderson County.[4] Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson.[5]

Chartered in 1847 as the county set of Henderson County (formed 1838), Hendersonville is traditionally known as "The City of Four Seasons". The town has a well-preserved Main Street and adjoining downtown areas with many restaurants, antique shops and boutiques in buildings that housed key local business until the mid-1980s. Its architecture reflects the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Much downtown revitalization has occurred since the early 1990s. Larger stores are almost entirely along the commercial strips extending outward from the downtown along U.S. Highway 64 east and U.S. Highways 176 and 25. There are historic neighborhoods outside the Main Street corridor, including the 5th Avenue neighborhood on the city's west side and the Druid Hills neighborhood north of downtown. Depressed areas are found along the city's east side, but redevelopment efforts are underway in the historic commercial district along 7th Avenue East.

The architectural focus of the downtown area is the historic Henderson County Courthouse, completed in 1905 and completely renovated in 2008. The city is also home to the newly restored City Hall (erected 1924) and the modern Henderson County Courthouse (1995).

Pick the Ideal Physical Therapy Degree Program near Hendersonville NC

Deciding on the best physical therapy college is a necessary initial decision you need to make to start a gratifying career in the health care profession. As we have discussed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you pick should both have exceptional reputations and accreditation. But there are additional important questions that you need to ask pertaining to your college of choice also. As you commence your search for a physical therapist program, bear in mind that a number of variables will lead you toward your ultimate decision. You may want to go to each of the campuses to view their facilities and speak with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me accomplish my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following 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 achieve your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Hendersonville NC.