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

How to Choose a Physical Therapy Degree Program near Milton 53563

Milton WI physical therapy school student with volunteer Receiving a physical therapist degree near Milton WI is a critical first step to launching a fulfilling career in the medical care industry. Physical therapists (PT) help individuals who have been debilitated 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 obtain the proper training and education. A PT must additionally be licensed in all states, many requiring that the licensee earn a physical therapy degree from an accredited school. So prior to enrolling in a physical therapy school, it’s important to investigate the ones you are looking at to make certain they will deliver a quality education and comply with your state’s licensing criteria. What you should not do is enroll in a college simply because it happens to be the nearest to your residence or it has the lowest tuition. There are other relevant qualifications that need to be evaluated besides location and cost. But before we cover what those qualifications are and what questions you should ask, we’ll address what a physical therapist does and the options for education.

What Do Physical Therapists Do?

Milton WI physical therapist helping patient walk Physical therapists work in diverse settings, including Milton WI hospitals, health clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and health clubs. What the facilities all share in common is that they have the equipment for diagnosing and rehabilitating patients. As previously mentioned, physical therapists help people that are experiencing a lack of mobility and frequently pain caused by injury or illness. After diagnosing a patient, they design a program of treatment to deal with the mobility problems and lessen or eradicate any pain. They also endeavor to prevent any advancement of the disability. Though the causes of disability requiring physical therapy are numerous, they include:

Osteoporosis and Arthritis
Motor vehicle accidents
Head injuries.
Heart attacks.
Sports injuries.
Fire injuries.
Hip Replacement.
Sciatica.
Cerebral Palsy.

Licensed physical therapists work in close affiliation with other Milton WI health specialists, including doctors, chiropractors, dentists and nurses. They may also oversee one or more physical therapy assistants who work under them assisting with diagnosing and treating their patients. One thing to take note of for anyone thinking about entering the physical therapy profession, it is rather physically demanding. Physical therapists often lift patients and heavy equipment, and kneel, crouch and stand for extended periods of time on a daily basis.

Physical Therapist Degrees Available

Milton WI 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 options, the one degree that is available to practice as a physical therapist is the doctorate. Undergraduate degrees emphasize either preparing students to become a physical therapy assistant (PTA) or readying them to progress to the doctoral level. Below are brief descriptions of degree levels that are available in the Milton WI area:

Associate Degrees educate students to become physical therapy assistants, or can be the first step toward earning a more advanced degree. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED to be accepted for enrollment. The programs are typically offered by community colleges, and take about two 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 therapist education to ready students to progress to the doctoral level. While they are not a requirement to be eligible for the doctoral program, they are an integral preliminary step to practicing as a PT. Similar to most bachelor’s degrees, they typically take four years to finish and often 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 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 complete, making the overall investment of time 7 years in most cases. Practical or clinical training is an important component in addition to the considerable lab and classroom instruction. Therefor the completion of an internship is required, 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 available in the USA. A number of licensed physical therapists holding a master’s or even a bachelor’s degree were “grandfathered” in prior to the current licensing requirement for a doctorate was implemented.

Physical Therapist Online Programs

woman attending physical therapy school online in Milton WI Although not as common as the on-campus alternatives, 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 in proximity of an available internship. However, the online part of the program can be accessed within the convenience and comfort of the student’s Milton WI residence. Online schools are not only to some extent more accessible, but in many instances more economical. Tuition might be somewhat less than comparable on campus alternatives, and costs for commuting are minimized. And a number of the online schools are accredited by the CAPTE, assuring a quality education. These advantages can make the online option the best choice for those students that are dedicated enough to attend classes at home.

Questions to Ask Physical Therapy Programs

By now you undoubtedly have made a decision regarding a few of your initial queries, like 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 so many PT schools within the Milton WI area and across Wisconsin, you’ll need to research other qualifications as well so as to further narrow your list of college choices. Furthermore, you need to make sure that you pick the college that is right for you. That’s the reason we have collected a list of important questions that you must ask the physical therapy colleges you are considering. Ask each of the competing schools these questions prior to making a final selection.

Is the Physical Therapist School Accredited? Ask if the schools you are reviewing have received accreditation from a regional or a national organization. As previously 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 enroll in an online program, it can also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. It’s imperative that both the physical therapist program and school you choose are accredited, not just the school. Additionally, make sure that the accreditation is through a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency. Besides ensuring that you receive an excellent education, accreditation may be required for state licensing as well as for securing student loans or financial aid.

What is the Program’s Ranking? In addition to accreditation, it’s important that the college 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 requesting references from employers that they place their graduates with. You may also search for online reviews and rating services and ask the accrediting organizations for their reviews as well. Contact several Milton WI physical therapy clinics or other health care facilities that you may have an interest in working for and ask if they can offer any advice about your school options. It may also be a good idea to contact the Wisconsin Attorney General and school licensing authority to find out if any complaints have been filed against the schools.

What is the College’s Job Placement Percentage? There are a couple of significant statistics that you need to know about each of the physical therapy programs you are considering. One is their graduation rate. A low rate may mean that students dropped out due to dissatisfaction with the program, the teachers, or both. Once the students have graduated, how many of them are being hired with the support of the school’s job placement program, particularly in the Milton WI area? If a college has a higher job placement rate, it suggests 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 help students obtain internships or jobs upon graduation.

Does the School Support Licensing Requirements? It’s important that the college you enroll in furnishes both exceptional training and a curriculum that satisfies the licensing criteria for Wisconsin or the state where you will be working. In each state a passing score is needed on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in addition to a degree from an accredited physical therapy school. While licensing requirements fluctuate state by state for PT and PTA graduates, many states require a minimum amount of clinical hours be completed and passing scores on supplemental exams.

Are Internships Provided? Inquire if the physical therapy schools you are evaluating have partnerships with Milton WI clinics or hospitals for internship programs. Not only are internships an excellent way to receive practical training in a clinical setting, they are also a requirement for the majority of PT programs and state licensing. As a secondary benefit, they may assist graduates and students establish professional connections in the Milton health care community and help with job placement after licensing.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the type of person that prefers to sit way in the rear of class or hide in the crowd, you will likely want a smaller class size. Small classes allow for more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the physical therapist colleges you are reviewing what the typical student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you a chance to speak with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy technician program also.

Where is the School Located? For a lot of students, the physical therapy school they pick will need to be within commuting distance of their Milton WI home. Individuals who have decided 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. Something to keep in mind is that if you decide to enroll in a college that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you may be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges typically charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges frequently charge a higher tuition for those students that don’t reside within their districts.

Is Financial Support Offered? Most DPT schools offer some type of financial support to their prospective students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial assistance office and see what type of help is available. They at least 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 you eliminate a school because the tuition is beyond your budget, learn what financial assistance may be available.

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

Earning Your Physical Therapy Degree near Milton Wisconsin?

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

Milton, Wisconsin

The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction. In November of that year, ballots were cast by 1,093 voters from both villages (Milton: 515 to 47 in favor of the merge; Milton Junction: 322 to 201 in favor of the merge), and the referendum to merge the two was approved by 77%.[6]

Originally named Prairie du Lac, Milton was settled in 1838 by Joseph Goodrich, who built an inn, the Milton House, at the intersection of two trade routes. The Milton House is today one of the oldest poured grout structures in the United States.[7] A noted abolitionist, Goodrich is known to have aided fugitive slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

It is believed that Milton is named after poet John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost," after a settler remarked that the town was his "Paradise Regained" after leaving his previous home, which he thought of as a paradise lost.[7]

Select the Ideal Physical Therapist School near Milton WI

Deciding on the right physical therapist program is an important first decision you must make to start a fulfilling career in the medical profession. As we have addressed in this article, the PT or DPT degree program and college you choose should both have exceptional reputations and accreditation. But there are additional critical questions that you need to ask regarding your school of choice also. As you commence your search for a physical therapist program, bear in mind that many variables will guide you to your final decision. You may want to visit different schools to see their facilities and talk with current DPT students. While there, ask yourself this important question: will this college help me achieve my goal of becoming a practicing licensed physical therapist? By adhering to our list of additional questions, you will be able to narrow down the options so you can make the appropriate choice. And with the proper training and education, you can achieve your dream of becoming a practicing physical therapist in Milton WI.