Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - West Chester OH

How to Select a Physical Therapist Training Program near West Chester 45069

West Chester OH physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapist degree near West Chester OH is an essential first step to starting a fulfilling career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been incapacitated as a result of injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the appropriate education and training. A PT must additionally be licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s essential to investigate the ones you are thinking about to make certain they will provide a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is enroll in a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the most affordable tuition. There are other significant qualifications that must be evaluated besides location and cost. But before we discuss what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

West Chester OH physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in varying settings, including West Chester OH hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier stated, physical therapists help people that are suffering from a lack of mobility and often pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a course of treatment to address the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also try 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
Strokes.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close partnerships with other West Chester OH health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They may also supervise several physical therapy assistants who work for them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Something to take note of for anyone considering getting into the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift heavy equipment as well as patients, and stand, crouch and kneel for long periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees

West Chester OH physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapy degree options offered for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these choices, the single degree that is offered to practice as 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. Below are short summaries of degrees that are available in the West Chester OH area:

Associate Degrees educate students to be physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent to qualify for enrollment. The programs are most often provided by junior or community colleges, and take about two years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is typically a portion of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are developed as pre-physical therapy training to prep students to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an integral first step to becoming a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically require 4 years to finish and usually 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 finish, making the total commitment 7 years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component in addition to the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is required, not solely 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 eliminated and is no longer available in the United States. A number of practicing physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the current licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Programs Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in West Chester OH While not as prevalent as the more traditional alternatives, there are some accredited online physical therapy programs offered, more so at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on nature of the training, clinical lab work and internships are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live near the school campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online part of the program can be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s West Chester OH residence. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more affordable. Tuition might be somewhat less than similar on campus options, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And many of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits can make the online option the best choice for those students that are motivated enough to attend classes at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

At this point you probably have come to decision concerning several of your preliminary queries, like 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 considering there are so many PT schools within the West Chester OH area and across Ohio, you’ll have to research additional qualifications also in order to further reduce your list of school choices. Also, you want to be sure that you pick the school that is right for you. That’s why we have compiled a list of essential questions that you must ask the physical therapist programs you are thinking about. Ask each of the competing schools these questions prior to making a final decision.

Is the Physical Therapist Program Accredited? Find out if the colleges you are considering have earned accreditation from a regional or a national organization. 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 enroll in an online school, it can also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapy program and school you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Also, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Along with guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial aid.

What is the School’s Ranking? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you pick have excellent reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are a number of ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, starting with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Get in touch with some West Chester OH physical therapist centers or other health care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any advice about your college selections. It might also be a good idea to contact the Ohio 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 significant statistics that you need to find out about each of the physical therapist schools you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students dropped out due to displeasure with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the help of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the West Chester OH area? If a school has a higher job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the medical care field is good or perhaps outstanding. It also confirms that the school has a wide network of contacts to help students get internships or jobs after graduation.

Does the School Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the school you enroll in furnishes both exceptional training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for Ohio or the state where you will be working. In every state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapist college. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internships Offered? Inquire if the physical therapist colleges you are evaluating have relationships with West Chester OH clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships an excellent means to get practical experience in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they may help students and graduates establish professional relationships in the West Chester health care community and help with obtaining employment once licensed.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of student that likes to sit far in the back of the classroom or get lost in the crowd, you will probably prefer a smaller class size. Small classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are looking at what the typical 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 talk with some of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy technician program also.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they pick will have to be within commuting distance of their West Chester OH home. Individuals who have opted 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 importance. One thing to keep in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a program that is out of state or perhaps 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 frequently charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? The majority of DPT schools provide some type of financial support to their potential students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial assistance office and see what type of help is offered. They at least should help in getting a student loan or any scholarships you might qualify for. A number of physical therapist schools offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a program because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial assistance may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to verify that the physical therapist school you ultimately select can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially crucial if you opt to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the West Chester OH area, verify that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would need to carry. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near West Chester Ohio?

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

Keehner Park

Keehner Park is a public park located in West Chester, Ohio. The park is locally renown as a location for various community events, such as free concerts and outdoor performances. The park offers playgrounds, picnic shelters, athletic and sport areas, walking trails, and several additional utilities.[1]

Voter approval to use funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources resulted in the creation of Keehner park in 1976. The park is named after a local farming family that existed in the early days of West Chester.[1] Keehner Park is the current home of a reconstructed[3] 1833 log cabin, relocated to the park from Preble County in 1990.[4]

Keehner Park frequently serves as host to a variety of community events. One of the more well known events is the West Chester Concert Series. Sponsored by Fifth Third, the event occurs each Saturday in the park's amphitheater, featuring performances by a variety of local music groups.[5] Historically the park has hosted nature education programs; stargazing; Easter egg hunts; Halloween events with wagon rides, petting zoos, haunted trails,[6] costume contests, and other autumn themed attractions; seasonal decorations of the log cabin; and other annual events.[7]

Enroll in the Best Physical Therapist Training Program near West Chester OH

Selecting the ideal physical therapy college is a necessary initial decision you have to make to start a gratifying career in the healthcare field. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you enroll in should both have exceptional reputations and be accredited. However there are additional critical questions that you should ask pertaining to your college of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapy program, keep in mind that numerous factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You might decide to go to each of the campuses to see their facilities and talk with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me realize 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 ideal choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can fulfill your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in West Chester OH.