Physical Therapist Assistant Schools, Colleges And Universities

By physical therapist assistant schools, we mean schools, colleges or universities that confer Associate's degrees to students and certify them as licensed assistants.

A PTA is someone who assists a therapist in providing treatment to patients suffering from fractures, cerebral palsy, injuries, arthritis due to accidents, developmental disorder, old age or any other condition that result in immobility. In this field, the practitioner tries to improve their condition and helps them recover by applying massage, exercise and other therapeutic procedures. He or she also educates patients and their loved ones on how to use various therapy equipment and medical devices such as wheelchairs, crutches etc. Hence, the students are trained on how to perform these duties in related schools.

These schools educate students with the required knowledge, skills and clinical training and prepare them to grab that perfect high paying profession. Those who successfully acquire the degree from a physical therapist assistant school accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) will smoothly get the job with a starting salary of $31,000 up to $40,000 per annum. However, this will depend on a lot of factors, such as the industry you're in, your qualification and experience, state you're in and working schedules. For instance, home healthcare services are considered to be highest payers followed by nursing facilities and so on.

Most states will require you to acquire certification from accredited physical therapist assistant schools and they may also require the students to pass state exams to start working in any medical facility. These schools also offer advanced certifications and specialization in the field of interest, such as in pediatrics, aquatic, geriatrics etc. For people who are currently working can look for these schools online. A lot of accredited online programs are available which provide the ease and facility to obtain the required education and work in the field of physical therapy. However, one needs to be sure if it's accredited, has a good ranking among other online schools available and has a good employment reputation in the industry.

Those interested in pursuing this career, can find the complete list of accredited physical therapist assistant schools online. Programs carried out in vocational schools or community colleges as well as online accredited schools. Students should thoroughly research their rankings and check for all the available resources to make the best choice.