Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Tacoma WA

How to Choose a Physical Therapist School near Tacoma 98401

Tacoma WA physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapy degree near Tacoma WA is a critical first step to beginning a fulfilling career in the health care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help patients who have been incapacitated as a result of illness or injury regain function and mobility. But before they can practice and work with the rehabilitation of patients, they must obtain the proper training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in every state, a large number mandating that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited college. So before enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research the ones you are thinking about to make sure they will deliver a superior education and satisfy your state’s licensing requirements. What you should not do is choose a school just because it happens to be the closest to your residence or it has the lowest tuition. There are other important 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 address what a physical therapist does and what the educational options are.

What Does a Physical Therapist Do?

Tacoma WA physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in varying locations, including Tacoma WA hospitals, health clinics, 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 previously touched on, physical therapists help individuals that are struggling with a lack of mobility and in many cases pain caused by illness or injury. After patient diagnosis, they create a program of treatment to resolve the mobility issues and reduce or eradicate any pain. They also try to prevent any progression of the disability. While the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Cardiac arrest.
Sports injuries.
Burn injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Tacoma WA medical professionals, including chiropractors, physicians, registered nurses and dentists. They can also manage one or more physical therapy assistants who work for them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Something to bear in mind for anyone thinking about 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 Degrees Offered

Tacoma WA physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degree options offered for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these alternatives, the one degree that is attainable to practice as 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. Below are short summaries of degree levels that are offered in the Tacoma WA area:

Associate Degrees train students to become physical therapy assistants, or may be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Applicants must have earned a high school diploma or equivalent to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are typically made available by community or junior colleges, and take about two years to complete. An internship or other form of clinical training is usually a portion of the curriculum.
Bachelor’s Degrees are designed as pre-physical therapist education to ready students to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not a requirement to be qualified for the doctoral program, they are an important preliminary step to becoming a PT. As with the majority of bachelor’s degrees, they typically take four years to complete and commonly incorporate an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are required 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). In addition to the bachelor’s degree, the doctoral takes 3 years to finish, making the total commitment 7 years in the majority of cases. Clinical or practical training is an important component along with the substantial classroom and lab instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is mandated, not just for graduation but in a number of states for licensing also.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) has replaced the Master’s of Physical Therapy (MPT), which has been eliminated and is no longer attainable in the United States. Some licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the current licensing requirement for a doctorate was instituted.

Physical Therapist Online Degrees

woman attending physical therapy school online in Tacoma WA While not as prevalent as the on-campus alternatives, there are a number of accredited online physical therapy programs available, even more at the graduate level. Because of the hands-on structure of the training, internships and clinical lab work are combined with the online classes. This requires that the student live close to the college campus or nearby a sponsored internship. However, the online segment of the course of study may be accessed within the comfort and convenience of the student’s Tacoma WA residence. Online programs are not only partially more accessible, but in a number of cases more economical. Tuition may be significantly lower than similar on-campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are reduced. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, guaranteeing a quality education. These benefits can make the online option the best choice for those students that are motivated enough to learn at home.

What to Ask Physical Therapist Colleges

At this point you probably have made a decision regarding some of your initial queries, including the type of physical therapist degree you intend to obtain, where you prefer to attend classes, and how much you can afford to spend for your education. But considering there are numerous PT schools within the Tacoma WA area and throughout Washington, you’ll have to look into other qualifications as well so as to further reduce your list of school choices. Also, you want to make certain that you enroll in the school that is ideal for you. That’s why we have collected a list of important questions that you need to ask the physical therapist programs you are thinking about. Ask each of the potential colleges these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist School Accredited? Ask if the programs you are looking at have earned accreditation from a national or a regional agency. As earlier stated, 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 program, it may also earn accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s important that both the physical therapy program and school you enroll in are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. In addition to guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be required for state licensing and even for getting student loans or financial assistance.

What is the Program’s Ranking? In addition to accreditation, it’s essential that the school and program you choose have outstanding reputations within the physical therapist community. There are several ways you can research a PT program’s reputation, beginning 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 agencies for their reviews also. Call a few Tacoma WA physical therapist clinics or other health care facilities that you may be interested in working for and ask if they can provide any advice about your college selections. It might also be a good idea to check with the Washington Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the colleges.

What is the College’s Job Placement Rate? There are a two useful statistics that you should find out about each of the physical therapy schools you are looking at. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate might suggest that students left 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 college’s job placement program, particularly in the Tacoma WA area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it suggests that its reputation within the health care community is good or even excellent. It also confirms that the school has a wide network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the Program Prepare You For Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the program you choose furnishes both superior training and a curriculum that supports the licensing criteria for Washington 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 program. Although licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PTA and PT graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internships Offered? Ask if the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing have associations with Tacoma WA clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships an excellent means to get hands on experience in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for most PT programs and state licensing. As an ancillary benefit, they can assist students and graduates develop professional relationships in the Tacoma healthcare community and help with job placement after licensing.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the kind of student that likes to sit way in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will likely prefer a small class size. Smaller classes allow for more individual participation and personalized instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are looking at what the average student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to talk with a few of the students and instructors to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy technician program as well.

Where is the College Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy college they select will have to be within driving distance of their Tacoma WA residence. Those who have opted to attend classes online obviously will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of concern. Something to bear in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you might have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges commonly charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges commonly charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.

Is Financial Aid Provided? Most DPT colleges offer some form of financial aid to their prospective students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office and see what type of help is offered. They at least should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you might be eligible for. Some physical therapist colleges provide scholarships, while others provide work programs. So before you eliminate a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, ask what financial assistance might be available.

Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you need to confirm that the physical therapy program you ultimately choose can offer the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you opt to continue working while you attend classes. If you must schedule night or weekend classes in the Tacoma WA area, make certain 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 need to carry. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss due to work, illness or family obligations.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Tacoma Washington?

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

Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma (/təˈkoʊmə/ tə-KOH-mə) is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States.[6] The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Seattle (of which it is a satellite city), 31 miles (50 km) northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and 58 miles (93 km) northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to the 2010 census.[7] Tacoma is the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area and the third largest in the state. Tacoma also serves as the center of business activity for the South Sound region, which has a population of around 1 million.

Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier, originally called Takhoma or Tahoma. It is locally known as the "City of Destiny" because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century. The decision of the railroad was influenced by Tacoma's neighboring deep-water harbor, Commencement Bay. By connecting the bay with the railroad, Tacoma's motto became "When rails meet sails". Commencement Bay serves the Port of Tacoma, a center of international trade on the Pacific Coast and Washington State's largest port.

Like most central cities, Tacoma suffered a prolonged decline in the mid-20th century as a result of suburbanization and divestment. Since the 1990s, developments in the downtown core include the University of Washington Tacoma; Tacoma Link, the first modern electric light rail service in the state; the state's highest density of art and history museums; and a restored urban waterfront, the Thea Foss Waterway. Neighborhoods such as the 6th Avenue District have been revitalized.

Pick the Ideal Physical Therapist Degree Program near Tacoma WA

Deciding on the best physical therapy school is an important initial decision you must make to start a rewarding career in the health care field. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you select should both have exceptional 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, keep in mind that numerous factors will guide you toward your ultimate decision. You might want to visit different campuses to see their facilities and speak to active DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me realize my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the ideal choice. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream to become a licensed physical therapist in Tacoma WA.