Becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant is a process that takes a minimum of two years. There are some specific class requirements, some hands on experience requirements, and a minimum time requirement if you plan to get a degree as a Physical Therapy Assistant. The very first step to becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant is finding a school for you to attend. This can be an actual school that you go to classes or an online-accredited school that you will study at home using a computer. The choice is yours to make. One thing that needs mentioning about the choice of schools is to make sure you are thorough about investigating your school and making sure the school is truly accredited. Many schools, particularly online schools, will say they are accredited when they are not.
The next step to becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant is meeting the requirements of your required classes.
Courses Required for a Physical Therapy Assistant Degree
English Composition I
Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II
College Algebra
Humanities
Human Growth and Development
Physics for Liberal Arts with Laboratory
Introduction to Physical Therapy
Kinesiology
Basic Patient Care
Pathological Conditions
Physical Agents and Mechanical Modalities
Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy
Neurological and Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy
Electrotherapeutic Modalities
Cardiopulmonary and Integumentary Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy Clinical Practice I, II, and III
The mentioned courses are required and consist of a total 74 credit hours of work. You must also have a minimum amount of volunteer or paid experience in two separate Physical Therapy situations, must pass both a credit and a criminal background class, and must maintain a certain grade point average. The grade point required varies slightly from school to school but usually is a “C”. If you are able to meet the requirements and invest the two years to study, then you can easily find a school to enroll in and begin your journey to becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant today. There is no way to proceed to being a Physical Therapy Assistant if you cannot pass the background or credit checks. Therefore, that is a good place to start. It would be silly to spend your money and time just to find out your credit or a criminal past will prevent you from working in your chosen field.
It is important to check local and state guidelines regarding the background check and requirements. A history that is less then perfect will not always prelcude one from becoming a PTA. In some cases it is possible to enroll in a program without a background test, but ultimately if you cannot meet the local or state requirements to apply for a license or certification then taking the courses will do you little good. These requirments vary by region and it is always wise to investigate what exactly the health and safety code for your areas says regarding a persons criminal history.
More often then not, some well meaning but ignorant person will express “half truths” regarding criminal backrounds and the abilty of your past to prevent you having a professional career. Make sure you have the “whole truth” before you decide which direction is right for you. State law (which is in the health and safety code) is where the buck usually stops and many times academic staff and even front desk state employees are ignorant of what exactly the law says.