Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Belfast TN

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Program near Belfast 37019

Belfast TN physical therapy school student with volunteer Getting a physical therapist degree near Belfast TN is a critical first step to launching a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been disabled due to illness or injury regain mobility and function. But before they may legally practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must receive the necessary training and education. A PT must also become licensed in all states, a large number mandating that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to selecting a physical therapy school, it’s important to research the ones you are looking at to ensure they will supply a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you should not do is enroll in a school simply because it happens to be the closest to your residence or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that must 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 Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Belfast TN physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse settings, such as Belfast TN hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and sports facilities. What the facilities all have in common is that they have the equipment for the diagnosis and rehabilitation treatment of patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help individuals that are struggling with 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 problems and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also strive 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.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Belfast TN health professionals, 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. One thing to keep in mind for anyone considering entering the physical therapy field, it is rather 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

Belfast TN physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for students to enroll in at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these options, the one 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 prepping them to advance to the doctoral level. Below are short summaries of degree levels that are offered in the Belfast TN area:

Associate Degrees train students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are usually made available by community colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is usually part of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapy training to prepare students to move up to the doctoral level. While they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an integral initial step to practicing as a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they typically require 4 years to finish and usually include an internship program of at least 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 finish, making the overall commitment 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical training is an important component in addition to the considerable classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not just for graduation but in several 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 attainable 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 implemented.

Physical Therapist Online Programs

woman attending physical therapy school online in Belfast TN While not as prevalent as the on-campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy programs available, more so at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on nature of the training, internships and clinical lab work are combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live near the school campus or nearby an available internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the curriculum may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Belfast TN home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more affordable. Tuition might be somewhat less than comparable on-campus options, and expenses for commuting are minimized. And many of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, ensuring a quality education. These advantages can make the online option the right choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapy Colleges

At this point you most likely have made a decision regarding several of your initial questions, like the type of physical therapy degree you want 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 Belfast TN area and across Tennessee, you’ll need to look into additional qualifications as well in order to further reduce your list of college options. Also, you want to make certain that you choose the school that is best for you. That’s why we have put together a list of important questions that you need to ask the physical therapy programs you are considering. Ask all of the potential schools these questions before making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Find out if the schools you are looking at have received accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As previously 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 select an online school, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy program and school you select are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. Along with guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be mandated for state licensing as well as for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the School’s Ranking? Along with accreditation, it’s essential that the college and program you select have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist community. There are several ways you can look into a PT program’s reputation, starting with asking for 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 also. Get in touch with a few Belfast TN physical therapist clinics or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can offer any recommendations about your college selections. It might also be prudent to check with the Tennessee Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been submitted against the schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of useful statistics that you should find out about all of the physical therapy programs you are looking at. First is their graduation rate. A lower rate might indicate that students dropped out because of dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, 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 Belfast TN area? If a school has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care field is good or perhaps excellent. It also affirms that the program has a large network of contacts to assist students gain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the school you select provides both exceptional training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for Tennessee or the state where you will be practicing. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapy school. Although licensing requirements differ state by state for PTA and PT graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on supplemental tests.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Find out if the physical therapist schools you are interested in have partnerships with Belfast TN clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific means to obtain hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they may help students and graduates form professional connections in the Belfast health care community and assist with obtaining employment after licensing.

How Large are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that prefers to sit far in the back of class or hide in the crowd, you will likely prefer a smaller class size. Smaller classes permit more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are reviewing what the average student to teacher 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 a few of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the pharmacist technician program also.

Where is the College Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapist college they decide on will need to be within commuting distance of their Belfast TN home. Those who have opted 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 importance. One thing to bear in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a school that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you may need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges typically charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Assistance Provided? The majority of DPT schools offer some form of financial aid to their potential students. Inquire if the colleges you are examining have a financial aid office and see what type of help is available. They at least should help in obtaining a student loan or any grants you might qualify for. A number of physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before you eliminate a college because the tuition is too expensive, find out what financial aid might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the physical therapist program you ultimately pick can offer the class schedule you need. This is particularly important if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Belfast TN area, make sure that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, find out what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Belfast Tennessee?

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

BT postcode area

Belfast had already been divided into numbered districts. Today, the Belfast post town covers postcode districts BT1 to BT17 and part of BT29. In common with all addresses in Northern Ireland, Belfast postcodes start with the letters BT, a mnemonic of the capital city's name. The commercial centre of the city is designated BT1 and the surrounding districts form a roughly sequential clockwise ring around the city. The postcode of the Royal Mail offices at Tomb Street in Belfast is BT1 1AA.

The remainder of Northern Ireland is divided into 43 other post towns which are further divided into postcode districts BT18–BT49, BT51–BT57, BT58 (non-geographic postcode district reassigned from Belfast to Newtownabbey post town), BT60–BT71, BT74–BT82 and BT92–BT94. Certain addresses in BT29 located at Belfast International Airport (a total of 31 delivery points) are in the post town of BELFAST despite being geographically under the post town of CRUMLIN, which has the remaining 7,206 delivery points in that postcode area.[2]

Choose the Best Physical Therapy Training Program near Belfast TN

Selecting the right physical therapist program is a necessary initial decision you must make to launch a fulfilling career in the medical profession. As we have covered in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and college you select should both have exceptional reputations and accreditation. But there are additional relevant questions that you need to ask regarding your college of choice as well. As you commence your search for a physical therapy school, bear in mind that many factors will lead you toward your final decision. You might decide to go to different colleges to see their facilities and talk to 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 additional questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the right selection. And with the necessary training and education, you can achieve your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Belfast TN.