Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Oregon City OR

How to Choose a Physical Therapy College near Oregon City 97045

Oregon City OR physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapy degree near Oregon City OR is a critical first step to beginning a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been incapacitated as a result of injury or illness regain function and mobility. But before they may legally practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to obtain the appropriate training and education. A PT must also be licensed in all states, a large number mandating that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before choosing a physical therapy school, it’s essential to evaluate those you are looking at to ensure they will provide a quality education and meet your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is select a college simply because it happens to be the closest to your residence or it has the lowest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that need to be considered besides 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 what the educational options are.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Oregon City OR physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in a variety of locations, such as Oregon City OR hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and sports facilities. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As earlier stated, physical therapists help individuals that are struggling with a lack of mobility and in many cases pain due to illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also strive 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
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Oregon City OR medical specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also manage several physical therapy assistants who work for them assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Something to bear in mind for anyone considering getting into the physical therapy field, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Offered

Oregon City OR physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degree options offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these options, the one degree that is attainable to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are brief descriptions of degrees that are available in the Oregon City OR area:

Associate Degrees educate students to become physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are most often made available by junior or community colleges, and require 2 years for completion. An internship or other form of clinical training is normally a component of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy training to prepare candidates to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an essential first step to becoming a PT. As with most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take 4 years to complete and commonly incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are required 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 investment of time 7 years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an essential component along with the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is required, not only for graduation but in some states for licensing as well.

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. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the existing licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Oregon City OR While not as prevalent as the on-campus options, there are many accredited online physical therapist degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, clinical lab work and internships are incorporated with the online classes. This necessitates that the student live near the college campus or in proximity of an available internship. However, the online part of the curriculum can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Oregon City OR home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition may be significantly less than comparable on-campus options, and expenditures for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages can make the online option the ideal choice for those students that are motivated enough to learn at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Colleges

At this point you probably have come to decision concerning several of your initial queries, like the kind of physical therapist degree you would like to earn, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much you can afford to invest in your education. But since there are numerous PT colleges within the Oregon City OR area and throughout Oregon, you’ll have to explore additional qualifications also in order to further reduce your list of school choices. Furthermore, you need to make sure that you choose the college that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have compiled a list of critical questions that you need to ask the physical therapist programs you are reviewing. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions before making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Find out if the programs you are reviewing have earned accreditation from a regional or a national agency. As previously mentioned, if you are pursuing a doctorate 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 receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist school and program you choose are accredited, not just the school. Also, check that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. In addition to guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation might be mandated for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the College’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s essential that the college and program you choose have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are multiple ways you can research a PT college’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You can also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Get in touch with several Oregon City OR physical therapist clinics or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your college selections. It may also be a good idea to contact the Oregon Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been filed against the colleges.

What is the School’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two useful statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapy colleges you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A low rate might suggest that students dropped out because of displeasure with the program, the instructors, or both. After the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the help of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Oregon City OR area? If a program has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care field is good or even outstanding. It also verifies that the college has a broad network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the program you enroll in provides both exceptional training and a course of study that satisfies the licensing criteria for Oregon 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 program. While licensing requirements vary state by state for PTA and PT graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Sponsored? Ask if the physical therapy schools you are reviewing have associations with Oregon City OR hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships a great way to receive practical training in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may help students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Oregon City healthcare community and assist with obtaining employment once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of student that prefers to sit way in the rear of class or hide 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 therapist schools you are looking at 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 final decision. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with a few of the instructors and students to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist technician program as well.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist school they pick will have to be within driving distance of their Oregon City OR home. Students who have chosen to attend online classes obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. One thing to consider 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 usually charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? The majority of DPT schools supply some type of financial support to their prospective students. Inquire if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office and see what type of assistance is offered. At a minimum they should help in getting a student loan or any grants you may qualify for. A number of physical therapist colleges provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before eliminating a school because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must verify that the physical therapy college you ultimately choose can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly important if you decide to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Oregon City OR area, make sure that they are offered. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would have to carry. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss as a result of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Oregon City Oregon?

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

Oregon City, Oregon

Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. Established in 1829 by the Hudson's Bay Company, in 1844 it became the first U.S. city west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 31,859.

Known in recent decades as the site of several large paper mills on the Willamette River, the city played a significant role in the early history of the Oregon Country. It was established by Hudson's Bay Company's Dr. John McLoughlin in 1829 near the confluence of the Clackamas River with the Willamette to take advantage of the power of Willamette Falls to run a lumber mill. During the 1840s and 1850s it was the destination for those wanting to file land claims after traveling the Oregon Trail as the last stop on the trail.[5][6]

It was the capital of the Oregon Territory from its establishment in 1848 until 1851, and rivaled Portland for early supremacy in the area. In 1846, the city's newspaper, the Oregon Spectator, was the first American newspaper to be published west of the Rocky Mountains. Oregon City College was established in 1849 as a Baptist school, but was defunct by the 1870s.[7] Oregon City was the site of the Beaver Coins Mint, producing the short-lived independent Oregon Territory currency in 1849.[8]

Pick the Ideal Physical Therapy School near Oregon City OR

Picking the ideal physical therapist college is an important initial decision you have to make to begin a gratifying career in the healthcare field. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you select should both have outstanding reputations and accreditation. However there are additional relevant questions that you need to ask concerning your school of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapy program, bear in mind that numerous factors will guide you to your final decision. You may decide to go to different schools to see their facilities and talk with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical 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 be able to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can achieve your dream to become a practicing physical therapist in Oregon City OR.