Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Sand Springs OK

How to Pick a Physical Therapist Program near Sand Springs 74063

Sand Springs OK physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapist degree near Sand Springs OK is an important first step to starting a fulfilling career in the medical care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been disabled as a result of injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they must obtain the appropriate training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research those you are looking at to make sure they will deliver a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is enroll in a college simply because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be evaluated besides location and cost. But before we talk about 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 Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Sand Springs OK physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying settings, such as Sand Springs OK hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As earlier mentioned, physical therapists help people that are struggling with a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to address the mobility problems and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any advancement of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Sciatica.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other Sand Springs OK health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also supervise several physical therapy assistants who work for them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to bear in mind 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 kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

Sand Springs OK physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degrees offered for students to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these alternatives, the single degree that is attainable to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or preparing them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are brief explanations of degree levels that are available in the Sand Springs OK 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 equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are typically provided by community or junior colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed 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 preliminary step to becoming a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take 4 years to finish and commonly incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated in order to become a licensed practicing physical therapist. The degree program must also be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to complete, making the total commitment 7 years in most cases. Clinical or practical training is an essential component along with the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in some states for licensing also.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been eliminated and is no longer attainable in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists having a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the present licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Sand Springs OK While not as common as the more traditional options, there are some accredited online physical therapist degrees offered, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live close to the college campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the course of study can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Sand Springs OK home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of instances more economical. Tuition might be somewhat less than comparable on campus options, and expenses for commuting are minimized. And many 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 motivated enough to learn at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

At this point you most likely have made a decision regarding a few of your preliminary questions, such as the kind of physical therapy degree you want to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But considering there are so many PT colleges within the Sand Springs OK area and across Oklahoma, you’ll have to look into additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college options. Furthermore, you want to be sure that you choose the school that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapy schools you are thinking about. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

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 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 choose an online school, it may also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist program and school you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, check that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. Along with ensuring that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you pick have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are multiple ways you can look into a PT college’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 agencies for their reviews also. Get in touch with a few Sand Springs OK physical therapist centers or other health care facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any insight about your college selections. It may also be a good idea to check with the Oklahoma Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two important statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A low rate might indicate that students dropped out because of dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the support of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Sand Springs OK area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the medical care community is good or perhaps exceptional. It also confirms that the school has a wide network of contacts to assist students obtain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the college you enroll in provides both excellent training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing criteria for Oklahoma or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapy college. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, a number of states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internships Provided? Ask if the physical therapy colleges you are evaluating have partnerships with Sand Springs OK hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a terrific manner to obtain practical experience in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they can assist graduates and students establish professional relationships in the Sand Springs health care community and assist with job placement once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of student that likes to sit way in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will probably prefer a small class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapy 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 decision. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with several of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacy tech program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they choose will need to be within travelling distance of their Sand Springs OK residence. Students who have decided to attend classes online naturally will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. Something to keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a college that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges typically charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Assistance Offered? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial support to their potential students. Ask if the colleges you are looking at have a financial assistance department and see what kind of help is offered. At a minimum they should help in obtaining a student loan or any grants you might qualify for. A number of physical therapy colleges offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before you eliminate a college because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid may be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapist college you ultimately choose can provide the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you opt to continue working while you attend classes. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Sand Springs OK area, make sure that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would have to carry. Also, ask what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Sand Springs Oklahoma?

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

Sand Springs, Oklahoma

Sand Springs is a city in Osage and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A western suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 18,906 in the 2010 U. S. Census, an increase of 8.3 percent from 17,451 at the 2000 census.[3]

The city was founded in 1911, by philanthropist Charles Page, a wealthy businessman in Oklahoma. He envisioned Sand Springs as a haven for orphans and widows. He helped found and develop Sand Springs as a model city that included all components of a total community.[4]

Page bought 160 acres of land in Tulsa County, Oklahoma in 1908, intending to build a home for orphan children. The first 27 children, who had been abandoned by the Hook & Anchor Orphanage in Tulsa, were housed in a tent. This was soon replaced by a frame building large enough to house 50 children.

Pick the Right Physical Therapy Degree Program near Sand Springs OK

Deciding on the right physical therapist school is an important initial decision you must make to start a rewarding career in the medical field. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you enroll in should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. But there are other relevant questions that you should ask concerning your school of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapist college, bear in mind that many factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You may want to go to each of the colleges to see their facilities and talk with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this program help me reach my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the right choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can achieve your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Sand Springs OK.