Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Harlingen TX

How to Find the Right Physical Therapist School near Harlingen 78550

Harlingen TX physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapy degree near Harlingen TX is an essential first step to beginning a rewarding career in the healthcare field. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled as a result of illness or injury gain back mobility and function. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must get the proper education and training. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, a large number requiring that the licensee hold a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So prior to choosing a physical therapy school, it’s important to evaluate the ones you are considering to make certain they will deliver a quality education and meet your state’s licensing criteria. What you do not want to do is choose a college simply because it happens to be the closest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other significant qualifications that must be considered along with location and cost. But before we cover what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist?

Harlingen TX physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying settings, such as Harlingen TX private practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help people that are struggling with a lack of mobility and often pain due to illness or injury. After patient diagnosis, they develop a program of treatment to address the mobility issues and lessen or eliminate any pain. They also try to stop any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close association with other Harlingen TX medical professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They may also oversee one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. One thing to bear in mind for anyone considering going into the physical therapy profession, it is quite physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapy Degrees Available

Harlingen TX physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options available for students to pursue at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Of these alternatives, the only degree that is available to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees focus on either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or preparing them to advance to the doctoral level. Following are brief summaries of degrees that are available in the Harlingen TX area:

Associate Degrees prepare students to practice as 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 GED to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are most often offered by community or junior colleges, and take about 2 years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is usually a component of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist education to prep students to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an essential preliminary step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they typically require 4 years to finish and commonly include an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are mandated if you want to become a licensed practicing 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 3 years to complete, making the total investment of time 7 years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an intregal component along with the extensive classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not only for graduation but in some 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 phased out and is no longer offered in the United States. A number of licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the existing licensing mandate for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Harlingen TX While not as common as the on campus options, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy degrees offered, more so 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 school campus or in proximity of a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the program may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Harlingen TX home. Online schools are not only partially more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition can be significantly less than comparable on-campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These advantages can make the online alternative the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to learn at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

At this point you undoubtedly have made a decision concerning a few of your initial queries, such as the kind of physical therapist degree you want to earn, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are numerous PT schools within the Harlingen TX area and across Texas, you’ll need to explore other qualifications also in order to further narrow your list of college choices. Furthermore, you need to make sure that you select the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of essential questions that you must ask the physical therapist colleges you are considering. Ask each of the competing colleges these questions prior to making an ultimate selection.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Find out if the programs you are reviewing have earned accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As earlier stated, 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 receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapy program and school you enroll in are accredited, not simply the school. Also, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization. Along with ensuring that you obtain an excellent education, accreditation may be required for state licensing and even for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the Program’s Standing? Along with accreditation, it’s important that the college and program you pick have outstanding reputations within the physical therapy profession. There are multiple ways you can research a PT school’s reputation, beginning with requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also check online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Contact a few Harlingen TX physical therapy clinics or other healthcare facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any advice about your program selections. It might also be a good idea to contact the Texas 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 Percentage? There are a couple of useful statistics that you need to find out about all of the physical therapist schools you are reviewing. First is their graduation rate. A low rate may indicate that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being placed in jobs with the assistance of the college’s job placement program, particularly in the Harlingen TX area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care community is good or perhaps excellent. It also confirms that the program has a broad network of contacts to assist students gain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the School Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s essential that the college you choose provides both exceptional training and a course of study that supports the licensing criteria for Texas or the state where you will be practicing. In each state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as a degree from an accredited physical therapy college. Although licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PTA and PT graduates, many states require a minimum number of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Find out if the physical therapy colleges you are interested in have associations with Harlingen TX hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific means to get hands on training in a clinical environment, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they can help students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Harlingen healthcare community and help with job placement after licensing.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the type of person that likes to sit far in the back of the classroom or get lost in the crowd, you will likely want a smaller class size. Small classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you an opportunity to converse with a few of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the Program Located? For a number of students, the physical therapy school they choose will need to be within commuting distance of their Harlingen TX residence. Individuals who have opted to attend online classes naturally will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. Something to keep in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a school that is out of state or even out of your local area, you may have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges typically charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges normally charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Support Provided? Most DPT colleges offer some form of financial assistance to their potential students. Inquire if the schools you are examining have a financial aid department and find out what type of help is offered. They at least should help in securing a student loan or any scholarships you may be eligible for. Some physical therapist schools offer scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, ask what financial aid may be available.

Can the School Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must confirm that the physical therapy program you ultimately pick can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially essential if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Harlingen TX area, verify that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, check if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, find out what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss as a result of illness, work or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Harlingen Texas?

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

Harlingen, Texas

Harlingen (/ˈhɑːrlɪndʒɪn/ HAR-lin-jin)[3] is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about 30 miles (48 km) from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than 40 square miles (104 km2) and is the second-largest city in Cameron County, as well as the fourth-largest in the Rio Grande Valley. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 64,849,[4] for a growth rate of 12.5% since the 2000 census. It is the city with the lowest cost of living in the United States.[5][6]

Harlingen is a principal city of the Brownsville–Harlingen metropolitan area, which is part of the larger Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville combined statistical area, included in the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan area.

Harlingen's strategic location at the intersection of U.S. Route 77 and U.S. Route 83, designated as Interstate 69 East and Interstate 2, respectively, in northwestern Cameron County, fostered its development as a distribution, shipping, and industrial center. In 1904, Lon C. Hill (a man of Choctaw ancestry[7]) envisioned the Arroyo Colorado as a commercial waterway. He named the town he founded on the north bank after the Frisian city of Harlingen, in the Netherlands. The town's post office was established that year. The first school opened with 15 pupils in 1905 near the Hill home, the first residence built in Harlingen. Harlingen incorporated on April 15, 1910, when the population totaled 1,126. In 1920, the census listed 1,748. The local economy at first was almost entirely agricultural. Major crops were vegetables and cotton.

Select the Right Physical Therapist Training Program near Harlingen TX

Selecting the best physical therapist program is an important initial decision you have to make to start a fulfilling career in the healthcare profession. As we have addressed in this article, the DPT or PT degree program and school you choose should both have excellent reputations and accreditation. But there are additional relevant questions that you need to ask regarding your college of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapist college, keep in mind that a number of factors will lead you toward your final decision. You may decide to visit different schools to view their facilities and talk with active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this critical question: will this college help me realize 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 field so you can make the right selection. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Harlingen TX.