Physical Therapist Schools | Get Your Physical Therapy Degree - Kewaskum WI

How to Choose a Physical Therapist Degree Program near Kewaskum 53040

Kewaskum WI physical therapy school student with volunteer Obtaining a physical therapy degree near Kewaskum WI is an important first step to launching a rewarding career in the medical care field. Physical therapists (PT) help people who have been disabled due to injury or illness regain mobility and function. But before they can practice and provide treatment for the rehabilitation of patients, they need to get the proper education and training. A PT must also be licensed in all states, many mandating that the licensee receive a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So before selecting a physical therapy school, it’s essential to research the ones you are looking at to make certain they will deliver a quality education and satisfy your state’s licensing standards. What you do not want to do is enroll in a school simply 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 in addition to location and cost. But before we talk about what those qualifications are and the questions you should be asking, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What is a Physical Therapist’s Job Description?

Kewaskum WI physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists practice in varying locations, including Kewaskum WI hospitals, health clinics, assisted living facilities, rehab centers and sports facilities. What the facilities all have in common is that they are equipped for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously stated, physical therapists help individuals that are experiencing a lack of mobility and in many cases pain caused by illness or injury. After diagnosing a patient, they design a course of treatment to resolve the mobility issues and reduce or eliminate any pain. They also try to prevent any progression of the disability. Although the causes of disability necessitating physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Arthritis or Osteoporosis
Motor vehicle accidents
Strokes.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Knee Replacement.
Fibromyalgia.
Multiple Sclerosis.

Licensed physical therapists practice in close affiliation with other Kewaskum WI health specialists, including chiropractors, physicians, dentists and nurses. They can also oversee several physical therapy assistants who work under them in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Something to bear in mind for anyone considering entering the physical therapy field, it is quite 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 Therapist Degrees

Kewaskum WI physical therapist applying acupuncture to patient There are 3 physical therapist degrees available for students to pursue at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Of these choices, the single degree that is offered to practice as 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 summaries of degree levels that are available in the Kewaskum WI area:

Associate Degrees train students to be physical therapy assistants, or can be used as a stepping stone to a more advanced degree. Candidates must have a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The degrees are typically offered by community colleges, and require 2 years to complete. Clinical training, which may be in the form of an internship is normally part of the program.
Bachelor’s Degrees are created as pre-physical therapist education to prep candidates to move up to the doctoral level. Although they are not required to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an important first step to becoming a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they normally take 4 years to finish and commonly include an internship program of at least 500 hours.
Doctorate Degrees are required in order 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 three years to complete, making the total commitment seven years in the majority of cases. Practical or clinical training is an important element along with the substantial lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the fulfillment of an internship is required, not solely for graduation but in some states for licensing also.

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. A number of licensed physical therapists having a master’s or in some cases a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in before the existing licensing mandate for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapist Online Schools

woman attending physical therapy school online in Kewaskum WI While not as common as the on-campus options, there are some accredited online physical therapist degrees available, even more at the graduate level. Because of 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 in proximity of an available internship. Fortunately, the online part of the curriculum can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Kewaskum WI home. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many cases more economical. Tuition may be significantly less than similar on campus options, and expenses for commuting are reduced. And many of the online schools 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 attend classes at home.

Subjects to Ask Physical Therapist Programs

By now you probably have come to decision regarding several of your preliminary questions, such as the type of physical therapist degree you intend to attain, where you want to attend classes, and how much money you can afford to spend for your education. But since there are so many PT colleges within the Kewaskum WI area and throughout Wisconsin, you’ll have to look into additional qualifications also in order to further reduce your list of college options. Furthermore, you need to be sure that you choose the school that is ideal for you. That’s the reason we have put together a list of essential questions that you need to ask the physical therapist colleges you are thinking about. Ask all of the potential schools these questions prior to making an ultimate decision.

Is the Physical Therapist College Accredited? Find out if the schools you are looking at have earned accreditation from a national or a regional organization. As earlier mentioned, if you are pursuing a doctorate 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 imperative that both the physical therapist program and school you choose are accredited, not simply the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is from a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency. Besides guaranteeing that you receive a quality education, accreditation may be required for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial assistance.

What is the Program’s Reputation? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the school and program you choose have exceptional reputations within the physical therapist profession. There are a number of ways you can research a PT school’s reputation, starting with asking for references from employers that they place their graduates with. You can also search for online rating services and reviews and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews also. Call a few Kewaskum WI physical therapy clinics or other healthcare facilities that you might be interested in working for and ask if they can give you any advice about your program options. It may also be prudent to contact the Wisconsin Attorney General and school licensing authority to see if any complaints have been filed against the colleges.

What is the Program’s Job Placement Rate? There are a couple of useful statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing. One is their graduation rate. A lower rate might indicate that students left due to dissatisfaction with the program, the instructors, or both. After the students have graduated, what percentage of them are being placed in jobs with the support of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Kewaskum WI area? If a school has a high job placement rate, it’s an indication that its reputation within the medical care field is good or perhaps outstanding. It also verifies that the college has a wide network of contacts to help students obtain internships or employment upon graduation.

Does the Program Support Licensing Requirements? It’s imperative that the program you select furnishes both exceptional training and a course of study that supports the licensing criteria for Wisconsin or the state where you will be working. In every state a passing score is required on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) along with a degree from an accredited physical therapist school. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, some states require a minimum number of clinical hours be performed and passing scores on additional exams.

Are Internship Programs Offered? Inquire if the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing have partnerships with Kewaskum WI hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only an excellent way to obtain practical experience in a clinical setting, they are additionally a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they can assist students and graduates develop professional connections in the Kewaskum health care community and assist with job placement once licensed.

What are the Class Sizes ? Unless you are the sort of student that prefers to sit way in the back of class or get lost in the crowd, you will likely prefer a smaller class size. Small classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are researching what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to monitor one or more classes before making your ultimate determination. This will also give you an opportunity to converse with some of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacist tech program as well.

Where is the School Located? For many students, the physical therapist college they select will have to be within travelling distance of their Kewaskum WI home. Those who have decided to attend online classes obviously will not have to worry themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. Something to consider is that if you choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you may need to pay a higher tuition. State colleges often charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges normally charge a higher tuition to those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Aid Provided? The majority of DPT colleges provide some type of financial aid to their potential students. Ask if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office and find out what kind of help is obtainable. At a minimum they should help in acquiring a student loan or any grants you may qualify for. A number of physical therapy colleges provide scholarships, while others offer work programs. So before eliminating a college because the tuition is beyond your budget, learn what financial assistance may be available.

Can the Program Accommodate your Schedule? And last you must verify that the physical therapy school you ultimately choose can offer the class schedule you need. This is particularly essential if you choose to continue working while attending school. If you need to schedule night or weekend classes in the Kewaskum WI area, check that they are available. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, check if that is an alternative and how many credit hours or courses you would have to carry. Also, ask what the procedure is for making up any classes that you might miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Kewaskum Wisconsin?

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

Kewaskum, Wisconsin

Kewaskum is a village in Washington and Fond du Lac counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 4,004 at the 2010 census. All of this population resided in the Washington County portion of the village. The village is located mostly within the Town of Kewaskum.

A post office called Kewaskum has been in operation since 1849.[6] The settlement was named for Kewaskum, an Indian chief.[7] Kewaskum was incorporated as a village on March 28, 1917.[8] It was further expanded by annexations in the Town of Kewaskum; first in 1959, and then in twenty of the next forty-six years.[9] In 1963, Kewaskum annexed a noncontiguous parcel of land in the Town of Auburn in Fond du Lac County.[10]

The primary north-south highway serving Kewaskum is U.S. Route 45, and the primary east-west highway is Wisconsin Highway 28. Kewaskum is located in the 262 Area Code of south-eastern Wisconsin, with Prefix 626.

Choose the Ideal Physical Therapy Degree Program near Kewaskum WI

Selecting the ideal physical therapist school is an important first decision you must make to begin a rewarding career in the medical profession. As we have covered in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and school you select should both have exceptional reputations and be accredited. However there are other critical questions that you should ask concerning your college of choice as well. As you start your search for a physical therapy program, bear in mind that numerous variables will lead you to your final decision. You may want to visit each of the campuses to view their facilities and speak to current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this program help me reach my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of supplemental questions, you will have the ability to narrow down the options so you can make the best selection. And with the necessary education and training, you can accomplish your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Kewaskum WI.