Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Pleasant Garden NC

How to Select a Physical Therapist School near Pleasant Garden 27313

Pleasant Garden NC physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapist degree near Pleasant Garden NC is a critical first step to starting a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled as a result of illness or injury regain function and mobility. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must obtain the proper education and training. A PT must also be licensed in every state, many mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate those you are thinking about to ensure they will supply a superior education and meet your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is enroll in a college simply because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be considered besides location and cost. But before we talk about what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Pleasant Garden NC physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying locations, including Pleasant Garden NC hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and health clubs. What the facilities all have in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier touched on, physical therapists help people that are struggling with a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a course of treatment to deal with the mobility problems and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also try to prevent any advancement of the disability. While the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Pleasant Garden NC health specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They can also manage several physical therapy assistants who work for them in diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to take note of for anyone considering entering the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

Pleasant Garden NC physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degrees offered for individuals to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these alternatives, the only degree that is attainable to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are brief summaries of degree levels that are offered in the Pleasant Garden NC area:

Associate Degrees educate students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Applicants must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The programs are typically provided by junior or community colleges, and require 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually a portion of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapist education to ready candidates to progress to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important initial step to practicing as a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally take 4 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 licensed practicing 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 investment of time seven years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an essential component in addition to the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in a number of states for licensing also.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been phased out and is no longer available 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 requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Online Colleges

woman attending physical therapy school online in Pleasant Garden NC Although not as common as the on campus options, there are many accredited online physical therapy programs available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature 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 a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online portion of the program can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Pleasant Garden NC home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more affordable. Tuition can be somewhat lower than comparable on campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are minimized. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These benefits may make the online option the best choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

Topics to Ask Physical Therapist Schools

At this point you undoubtedly have come to decision concerning some of your preliminary queries, such as the kind of physical therapist degree you intend to obtain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are so many PT colleges within the Pleasant Garden NC area and across North Carolina, you’ll have to explore other qualifications also in order to further narrow your list of school choices. Furthermore, you need to be sure that you select the program that is best for you. That’s why we have collected a list of essential questions that you must ask the physical therapist schools you are thinking about. Ask all of the competing schools these questions before making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Ask if the schools you are looking at have earned 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 select an online school, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s essential that both the physical therapist school and program you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, verify that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. In addition to guaranteeing that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the Program’s Standing? In addition to accreditation, it’s imperative that the school and program you pick have excellent reputations within the physical therapist community. There are several ways you can research a PT program’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Call a few Pleasant Garden NC physical therapist centers or other health care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any advice about your school options. It may also be prudent to check with the North Carolina Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been submitted against the colleges.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of important statistics that you need to find out about all of the physical therapist colleges you are looking at. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. After the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the support of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Pleasant Garden NC area? If a school has a higher job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care field is good or even excellent. It also confirms that the college has a large network of contacts to help students gain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the program you enroll in provides both excellent training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for North Carolina or the state where you will be working. In every state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapy school. While licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internships Sponsored? Ask if the physical therapy colleges you are interested in have associations with Pleasant Garden NC hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific manner to receive hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may help students and graduates establish professional relationships in the Pleasant Garden healthcare community and help with job placement once licensed.

How Big are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of student that prefers to sit far in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will likely want a small class size. Small classes allow for more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapy schools you are reviewing what the average teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you a chance to speak with several of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist technician program as well.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they select will need to be within commuting distance of their Pleasant Garden NC 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 choose to enroll in a college that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges frequently charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? The majority of DPT colleges provide some form of financial assistance to their potential students. Find out if the schools you are examining have a financial aid department and see what type of aid is available. At a minimum they should help in getting a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. Some physical therapy colleges provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before you eliminate a program because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial assistance might be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapy college you finally select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while you attend school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Pleasant Garden NC area, make certain that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would need to enroll in. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Pleasant Garden North Carolina?

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

Pleasant Garden, North Carolina

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.4 square miles (40 km2), of which, 15.3 square miles (40 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.26%) is water.

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4,714 people, 1,783 households, and 1,383 families residing in the town. The population density was 307.2 people per square mile (118.6/km²). There were 1,874 housing units at an average density of 122.1 per square mile (47.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.19% White, 11.24% African American, 1.08% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population.

There were 1,783 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.97.

Select the Right Physical Therapy College near Pleasant Garden NC

Deciding on the ideal physical therapist school is a necessary first decision you must make to begin a fulfilling career in the healthcare field. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you choose should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. However there are additional critical questions that you need to ask concerning your college of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapy college, bear in mind that numerous factors will guide you to your final 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 school help me reach my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the field so you can make the best choice. And with the proper training and education, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Pleasant Garden NC.