Physical Therapist Assistant, A.A.S.

DEGREE: ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE
DIVISION: ALLIED HEALTH

A Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is a technical health worker who assists the Physical Therapist (PT) in providing direct patient care to individuals experiencing temporary or permanent disability due to pain, injury, disease or birth defects. PTAs in Louisiana are licensed and work only under the direction and supervision of licensed PTs in a variety of environments including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, public schools, private clinics and patients’ homes.

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Delgado is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA22314-1488, phone: 703-684-2782, fax: 703-684-7343, www.apta.org. Graduates of the program receive an Associate of Applied Science Degree and upon graduation are eligible to sit for the state PTA licensing examination.

The PTA Program includes two portions: (1) prerequisite general education and related courses, and (2) the PTA component which includes all the professional PTA courses. The PTA component of the program begins in August of each year and consists of THREE SEMESTERS OF FULL-TIME, DAYTIME class work and clinical experiences. The final semester of the program is spent in full-time clinical affiliations and may require travel to facilities outside the New Orleans area.

The PTA program has limited enrollment, and admission to the PTA portion of the curriculum is by selective admission. Prospective students must contact the Allied Health Admissions Office to initiate the application procedure. The deadline for application to the program is March 31. To be eligible to apply to the PTA program, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Completed all prerequisite general education and related courses by the spring semester during which application is made. Students will be considered for admission to the program based on the prerequisite courses completed or enrolled in by the March 30 deadline.
2. Achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all college courses, a grade of “C” or better in all prerequisite courses, and a grade point average of 2.5 in prerequisite science courses (BIOL 251. BIOL 252, BIOL 253, BIOL 254, CHEM 101, and PHYS 101). Cumulative grade point averages are calculated on the basis of all courses taken, including those repeated; prerequisite science course grade point averages are calculated using only the best grades achieved.
3. Completed a minimum of 60 clock hours (30 hours minimum at each facility) of observation, volunteer or work experience in two different physical therapy settings under the direct supervision of two different licensed physical therapists prior to the time of application. Additional hours are strongly recommended and are considered in the admissions process.
4. Completed high school or equivalent.
5. Students must be able to meet technical standards required for Physical Therapist Assistants.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the Physical Therapy Assistant Associate of Applied Science program, the learner will be able to:

• Support legal, ethical, and professional behaviors while serving as a physical therapy assistant and member of the interdisciplinary team (SLO # 1)
• Prioritize critical thinking and scientific reasoning in making clinical decisions in order to function as a competent health care provider (SLO # 2)
• Communicate verbally and non-verbally with the patient, PT, other health care delivery personnel, and others in an effective, appropriate, and capable manner (SLO # 3)
• Develop appropriate data collection skills essential for carrying out the plan of care in order to quantify the patient’s status and response to treatment (SLO # 4)
• Formulate physical therapy interventions identified in the plan of care as directed by the supervising PT in a safe and effective manner (SLO # 5)
• Compile accurate documentation that follows guidelines and specific documentation formats required by state practice acts, the practice setting, and other regulatory agencies (SLO # 6)