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Contact: (336) 334-4822, ext. 50280
Limited Enrollment Program: Contact the Enrollment Services Office for Program admission requirements and Program application deadlines.
The Physical Therapist Assistant curriculum prepares graduates to work in direct patient care settings under the direction and supervision of physical therapists. Physical Therapist Assistants work to improve or restore function by alleviation or prevention of physical impairment and perform other essential activities in a physical therapy department.
Course work includes normal human anatomy and physiology, the consequences of disease or injury, and physical therapy treatment of a variety of patient conditions affecting people throughout the life-span.
Suggested high school courses for individuals desiring a career as a physical therapist assistant include biology, anatomy and physiology, algebra, chemistry, and physics.
Students can complete the general education prerequisite courses at other colleges and universities; however, students accepted into the Physical Therapist Assistant program must take the PTA courses on the Jamestown campus of Guilford Technical Community College. Accepted PTA students will also be required to participate in clinical education courses located in various healthcare facilities throughout North Carolina. Complete information about the admissions process is available in the Enrollment Services office.
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Guilford Technical Community College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. Graduates are eligible to take the licensure examination administered by the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
Employment is available in skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, home health agencies, assisted living facilities, public school systems, education centers, corporate or industrial health centers, athletic facilities, and fitness centers.
Program Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the Physical Therapist Assistant curriculum, graduates should be able to:
- Perform in a safe manner that minimizes risk to patients, self, and others
- Demonstrate expected clinical behaviors in a professional manner in all situations
- Perform in a manner consistent with established legal standards, standards of the profession, and ethical guidelines
- Adapt delivery of physical therapy services with consideration for patients’ difference, values, preferences, and needs
- Communicate in ways that are congruent with situational needs
- Develop plans to improve knowledge, skills, and behaviors
- Demonstrate clinical problem-solving
- Perform physical therapy data collection and interventions in a competent manner
- Produce quality documentation in a timely manner to support the delivery of physical therapy services
- Participate in the efficient delivery of physical therapy services
*Individuals entering the Physical Therapist Assistant program must complete all seven general education courses listed below as part of the program admission requirements.
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