Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Cressona PA

How to Select a Physical Therapy Training Program near Cressona 17929

Cressona PA physical therapy school student with volunteer Getting a physical therapist degree near Cressona PA is an essential first step to launching a rewarding career in the healthcare industry. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been incapacitated as a result of illness or injury regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they need to obtain the appropriate training and education. A PT must additionally become licensed in every state, many mandating that the licensee receive 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 looking at to make certain they will furnish a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is choose a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has the lowest tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be considered in addition to 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 Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Cressona PA physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying locations, including Cressona PA private practices, hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all have 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 illness or injury. After patient diagnosis, they design a program of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any advancement of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Cressona PA medical specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They may also oversee one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them in diagnosing and treating their patients. Something to keep in mind for anyone considering entering the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists routinely lift patients and heavy equipment, and stand, crouch and kneel for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degree Options

Cressona PA physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are three physical therapy degrees available for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these alternatives, the one degree that is offered to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees target either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Below are short explanations of degree levels that are available in the Cressona PA area:

Associate Degrees educate students to be 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 qualify for enrollment. The programs are most often made available by community colleges, and require 2 years for completion. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist training to prepare students to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be a candidate for the doctoral program, they are an essential initial step to becoming a PT. Similar to the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically take 4 years to complete and commonly include an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are a requirement in order 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 three years to complete, making the overall investment of time 7 years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an important component along with the extensive lab and classroom instruction. Consequently the completion of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in some states for licensing as well.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been phased out and is no longer attainable in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the existing licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Online Schools

woman attending physical therapy school online in Cressona PA While not as common as the on-campus alternatives, there are some accredited online physical therapist programs offered, even more 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 school campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online portion of the program may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Cressona PA home. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in a number of cases more affordable. Tuition can be significantly lower than comparable on-campus alternatives, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the right choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

By now you probably have made a decision regarding several of your initial queries, such as the kind of physical therapist degree you would like to attain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to invest in your education. But considering there are numerous PT colleges within the Cressona PA area and across Pennsylvania, you’ll need to look into additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of school options. Furthermore, you need to make certain that you pick the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have put together a list of critical questions that you must ask the physical therapy schools you are considering. Ask all of the potential schools these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy College Accredited? Ask if the schools you are reviewing have received accreditation from a national or a regional 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 may also obtain accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy school and program you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Also, verify that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. In addition to ensuring that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation may be required for state licensing as well as for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Ranking? In addition to accreditation, it’s essential that the school and program you pick have excellent reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are multiple ways you can investigate a PT college’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they refer their students to. You may also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Get in touch with some Cressona PA physical therapy centers or other medical care facilities that you might 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 check with the Pennsylvania 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 significant statistics that you need to find out about each of the physical therapy colleges you are considering. First is their graduation rate. A low rate may suggest that students left because of displeasure with the program, the instructors, or both. Once 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 Cressona PA area? If a school has a higher job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care community is good or perhaps excellent. It also verifies that the school has a wide network of contacts to help students gain internships or employment after graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the program you choose furnishes both superior training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for Pennsylvania 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 therapist college. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, some states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed as well as passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Sponsored? Find out if the physical therapist colleges you are evaluating have relationships with Cressona PA hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Not only are internships an excellent means to receive hands on training in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they can help graduates and students form professional relationships in the Cressona medical community and help with job placement after licensing.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the sort of student that prefers to sit far in the rear of the classroom or get lost in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a small class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing what the typical 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 converse with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program also.

Where is the Program Located? For a number of students, the physical therapy school they pick will need to be within travelling distance of their Cressona PA home. Students who have decided to attend classes online 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 bear 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 might need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Help Offered? The majority of DPT schools provide some form of financial support to their prospective students. Ask if the colleges you are reviewing have a financial aid department and find out what kind of assistance is offered. They at least should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you may be eligible for. Some physical therapy colleges offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a program because the tuition is too expensive, learn what financial assistance might be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And last you need to verify that the physical therapy school you finally choose can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly essential if you choose to continue working while attending classes. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the Cressona PA area, confirm that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would need to carry. Also, ask what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss due to work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Cressona Pennsylvania?

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

Cressona, Pennsylvania

Cressona is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. Formed in 1857 from part of North Manheim Township, it was founded by and named for John Chapman Cresson, a Philadelphia civil engineer and manager of the Schuylkill Navigation Company, President of the Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad and chief engineer of Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

Until the Mine Hill Road was built in Cressona, the borough remained mostly wilderness, with some minor agricultural areas. In 1831, the Mine Hill and Schuylkill Railroad was completed, and the tracks went through Cressona. The borough was historically called West Haven, but the name was changed to Cressona. The borough was incorporated on February 2, 1857.[3]

Cressona is located at 40°37′49″N 76°11′35″W / 40.63028°N 76.19306°W / 40.63028; -76.19306 (40.630214, −76.193003).[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), all of it land.

Select the Best Physical Therapy Training Program near Cressona PA

Choosing the ideal physical therapist college is an important initial decision you have to make to begin a gratifying career in the health care profession. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you pick should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. But there are other important questions that you need to ask pertaining to your school of choice as well. As you commence your search for a physical therapist college, bear in mind that a number of variables will guide you to your final decision. You might decide to go to each of the colleges to view their facilities and speak to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this school help me reach my goal of becoming a licensed practicing physical therapist? By adhering to our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the best selection. And with the proper training and education, you can achieve your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Cressona PA.