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

How to Choose a Physical Therapist College near Pflugerville 78660

Pflugerville TX physical therapy school student with volunteer Earning a physical therapy degree near Pflugerville TX is an essential first step to starting a fulfilling career in the healthcare industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been disabled due to injury or illness gain back mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to acquire the proper 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 evaluate the ones you are thinking about to make certain they will furnish a superior education and comply with your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is enroll in a school just because it happens to be the nearest to your home or it has cheapest tuition. There are other important qualifications that must be evaluated in addition to location and cost. But before we cover what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll cover what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Pflugerville TX physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in a variety of settings, including Pflugerville TX hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and sports facilities. 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 patients that are struggling with a lack of mobility and in many cases pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they develop a program of treatment to deal with the mobility issues and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also endeavor to stop any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are abundant, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Car or motor cycle accidents
Strokes.
Cardiac arrest.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Pflugerville TX health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They can also supervise 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 getting into the physical therapy field, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists regularly lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degree Options

Pflugerville TX physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapy degrees available for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these alternatives, the one degree that is available to become a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees concentrate on either training students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or prepping them to progress to the doctoral level. Following are short summaries of degree levels that are available in the Pflugerville TX area:

Associate Degrees educate students to be physical therapy assistants, or may be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Applicants 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 two years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is typically a component of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist training to prep students to advance to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an essential first step to becoming a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they normally require four years to finish and usually incorporate an internship program of a minimum of 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are required if you want to become a practicing licensed physical therapist. The degree program also must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). After earning the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to finish, making the total commitment seven years in the majority of cases. Clinical training is an intregal component in addition to the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Consequently the fulfillment of an internship is required, not solely 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 available in the USA. Some licensed physical therapists having a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the present licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapy Schools Online

woman attending physical therapy school online in Pflugerville TX While not as prevalent as the more traditional options, there are many accredited online physical therapy degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Due to the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are integrated with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the school campus or nearby a sponsored internship. Fortunately, the online segment of the curriculum can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Pflugerville TX home. Online programs are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more affordable. Tuition can be significantly lower than comparable on-campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online programs are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These advantages may make the online option the best choice for those students that are disciplined enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

At this point you most likely have made a decision regarding several of your initial queries, like the type of physical therapist degree you want to earn, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to invest in your education. But considering there are so many PT schools within the Pflugerville TX area and throughout Texas, you’ll have to look into additional qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college options. Also, you want to make sure that you choose the college that is best for you. That’s why we have compiled a list of critical questions that you need to ask the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing. Ask each of the competing colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapy Program Accredited? Find out if the schools you are considering have earned accreditation from a national or a regional 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 important that both the physical therapist 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 acknowledged accrediting agency. Along with 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 school and program you pick have excellent reputations within the physical therapy community. There are several ways you can look into a PT college’s reputation, starting with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Call some Pflugerville TX physical therapy clinics or other medical care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any recommendations about your college options. It might also be a good idea to check with the Texas Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two relevant statistics that you should know about all of the physical therapy colleges you are reviewing. One is their graduation rate. A low rate may indicate 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 college’s job placement program, particularly in the Pflugerville TX area? If a program has a higher job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the healthcare field is good or perhaps exceptional. It also affirms that the program has a large network of contacts to assist students get internships or employment after graduation.

Does the College Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the college you choose furnishes both exceptional training and a course of study that supports the licensing requirements for Texas 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 therapist college. Although licensing requirements vary state by state for PT and PTA graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed as well as passing scores on additional tests.

Are Internship Programs Provided? Find out if the physical therapy schools you are evaluating have partnerships with Pflugerville TX hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent manner to obtain hands on training in a clinical environment, they are also a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As a supplemental benefit, they can assist students and graduates form professional relationships in the Pflugerville health care community and help with obtaining employment after licensing.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of student that prefers to sit way in the rear of the classroom or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly prefer a small class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist schools you are considering what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate decision. This will also give you a chance to converse with some of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program also.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they pick will need to be within commuting distance of their Pflugerville TX home. Those who have decided to attend online classes naturally will not have to concern themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. Something to consider is that if you decide 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 commonly 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 Aid Provided? The majority of DPT colleges offer some form of financial aid to their prospective students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office and find out what kind of assistance is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in securing a student loan or any scholarships you may qualify for. A number of physical therapist schools provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before you eliminate a program because the tuition is beyond your budget, find out what financial assistance might be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And last you need to confirm that the physical therapist program you finally pick can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially crucial if you decide to continue working while you attend classes. If you must schedule evening or weekend classes in the Pflugerville TX area, verify that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, find out if that is an option and how many courses or credit hours you would have to carry. Also, learn what the protocol is for making up any classes that you may miss due to illness, work or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Pflugerville Texas?

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

Pflugerville, Texas

Pflugerville /ˈfluːɡərvɪl/ is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States, with a small portion in Williamson County. The population was 46,936 at the 2010 census, and 59,245 in the 2016 Census estimate. Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin and part of the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pflugerville was named after the original German settlers that farmed the area, the Pflugers. The German name "pfluger" translates to "ploughman".

Pflugerville is located at 30°26′46″N 97°37′26″W / 30.446122°N 97.623989°W / 30.446122; -97.623989 (30.446122, -97.623989),[3] 14 miles (23 km) northeast of downtown Austin along FM 1825 (Pecan Street) in northern Travis County.[4] Pflugerville is situated 15 miles (24 km) northeast of the Colorado River.

According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the city has a total land area of 22.32 square miles.[5] It has 40.39 square miles in the extraterritorial jurisdiction.[6] The city has one body of water, Lake Pflugerville, created in 2005 to serve as a water reservoir and recreation area; and two creeks, Gilleland Creek and Wilbarger Creek. A local school group, Wilbarger Water Watchers, in association with the LCRA, monitor the waters of Wilbarger Creek to ensure it meets the United States Environmental Protection Agency's national standard.

Select the Right Physical Therapist School near Pflugerville TX

Selecting the right physical therapy college is a necessary initial decision you must make to begin a rewarding career in the healthcare profession. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you pick should both have excellent reputations and be accredited. But there are additional important questions that you need to ask pertaining to your college of choice also. As you begin your search for a physical therapy program, bear in mind that a number of factors will guide you to your ultimate decision. You might decide to go to each of the schools to see their facilities and talk to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this program help me achieve my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By following our list of supplemental questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal selection. And with the necessary education and training, you can fulfill your dream of becoming a licensed physical therapist in Pflugerville TX.