Student ID:__________________________ Student Name:_______________________ Adviser Name:_______________________ | Catalog: 2019-20 Academic Catalog Program: Physical Therapist Assistant - PTAS.AS Minimum Credits Required:__________________ | |||||||||||||||||||
Physical Therapist Assistant - PTAS.ASThe STCC Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program is one of the oldest accredited programs in the country. It is housed in the spacious ground floor clinic area of Building 20. The program prepares men and women for employment as physical therapist assistants (PTAs). The job market across the country is strong. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in their Occupational Outlook Handbook, predicts that the demand for physical therapist assistants will grow by 46% between now and 2020. The graduate PTA is a technical health care provider who works under the supervision of a physical therapist. The PTA performs movement-related activities and therapeutic techniques for patients with burns, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and cardiac, neurologic and orthopedic injuries. Such techniques include therapeutic exercise; gait training; heat and cold applications; massage; and the use of assistive, prosthetic, orthotic, and electrical devices that improve the independence of people with congenital, traumatic or disease-related processes. The two-year curriculum leading to an associate degree follows the guidelines established by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). The curriculum is designed to develop technical and clinical knowledge and skills combining anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, disease processes, psychological and interpersonal relations. Emphasis is placed on ethical and legal considerations. Approximately one semester of the program is supervised practice in selected clinical settings. In addition, students have an opportunity to enhance learned skills under faculty supervision in the Campus Rehabilitation Clinic at STCC. VisionThe STCC PTA Program will transform a group of diverse men and women into outstanding Physical Therapist Assistants who pass the national licensure exam on first attempt. This program will be recognized by peer programs as the regional model in PTA education. MissionThe PTA Program trains, educates, and cultivates entry-level physical therapist assistant students through a dedicated community-engaging academic curriculum committed to the development and achievement of the following:
PhilosophyThe Physical Therapist Assistant program establishes small, personalized learning environments designed to facilitate the development of clinical skill sets, professional engagement between faculty and students, and accomplishment of personal and professional growth. A foundation of biological sciences and the integration of social sciences enable the student to develop the requisite physical therapy skill proficiencies and intellectual abilities to engage the demands of the contemporary healthcare system successfully as a physical therapist assistant.
Upon the successful completion of the requirements for this program, the degree of Associate in Science in Physical Therapist Assistant will be awarded. |
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Accreditation and Program OutcomesThe Physical Therapist Assistant program at Springfield Technical Community College is accredited
The design of the curriculum and activities undertaken by the faculty of the PTA Program should achieve the following outcomes:
The STCC PTA program admits 18 students each fall semester out of an average applicant pool of 80-100; the acceptance rate is generally 18%.
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Program Goals1.The Physical Therapist Assistant program will cultivate and advance graduates whom: 2.Understand their role and the scope of practice as responsible physical therapist assistants, adhering to appropriate ethical, legal, and regulatory standards as identified by the APTA (American Physical Therapy Association). 3.Cultivate skill competence and engage in evidence-based practice, responding to the dynamics of a changing health care system. 4.Integrate the principles of the physical, biological and behavioral sciences with the clinical practice of physical therapy. 5.Communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, families and other members of the health care team in a culturally competent manner. 6.Commit to a lifelong process of self-improvement and learning. 7.Achieve an effective transition from this educational program to a physical therapist assistant career to serve the community. The objective of this program is to prepare men and women for employment in the physical therapy field. The graduate physical therapist assistant (PTA) is a technical health care provider who works under the supervision of a physical therapist. The PTA performs related activities and therapeutic techniques for patients with burns, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and cardiac, neurologic and orthopedic injuries. Such techniques include therapeutic exercise; gait training; heat and cold applications; massage; and the use of assistive, prosthetic, orthotic, and electrical devices. The two-year curriculum leading to an Associate Degree follows the guidelines adopted by the American Physical Therapy Association. The curriculum is designed to develop technical knowledge and skills for understanding in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, disease processes, psychological and interpersonal relations. In addition, emphasis is placed on ethical and legal aspects. Approximately one semester of the program is supervised practice in selected clinical settings. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association through June, 2018. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Applying to this Program
Admission Prerequisites
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Applying for Re-Admission to this ProgramStudents who leave this health program before completing it may apply for re-admission. Students reapplying to the program must resubmit an application, all supporting documents and essay with updated official transcripts. Students will be eligible to receive up to a maximum of one re-admission. Click here for information about the re-admission policy and process. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Requirements for Accepted StudentsDeposit: If offered admission, a non-refundable $50.00 deposit will be required to secure your acceptance to this Program. Mandatory Health Records: All required health records, immunizations, and physicals MUST be filed in the STCC Health and Wellness Center by July 1 of the admission year. The Health and Wellness Center is located in the Building 19 Room 177 (413-755-4230). For additional information and required forms please visit the Health and Wellness Center website at http://www.stcc.edu/healthservices. The college/program reserves the right to rescind the admission status of any student not meeting, as well as not submitting, all post-admission requirements in a timely manner. Background Check: College programs involving potentially unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, including fieldwork (a clinical affiliation, internship, externship, or field placement) with a private or public healthcare provider or daycare provider, will be required to undergo state-wide and/or national criminal background checks, including but not limited to: Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sex Offender Record Information (SORI), Seven (7) year residential Search, and FBI Fingerprinting checks. The purpose of the background check is to ensure a safe and protective environment for all clients, particularly members of vulnerable populations. Students choosing not to consent to the required background checks will be ineligible to participate in fieldwork involving vulnerable populations. Ineligibility to participate in fieldwork may affect a student’s ability to successfully complete the program. Based upon the results of the background checks, a student may be deemed ineligible to participate in academic or clinical activities, which may impact a student’s ability to successfully complete program requirements. Background checks are reviewed by the College’s CORI Board. The CORI Board determines eligibility to participate in academic and/or clinical activities. Students have the right to appeal the determination of the CORI Board by filing a written appeal with the Vice President of Student and Multicultural Affairs within 10 business days of receiving the CORI Board’s determination. Furthermore, please be advised that eligibility to participate in College academic and/or clinical activities following a background check does not guarantee eligibility to sit for a professional credentialing examination(s) or for employment upon program completion. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the certification or licensure board for a particular healthcare or other service profession to determine the standards that must be met for credentialing, licensing and/or employment in that field. Drug Screening Policy for Clinical Placement: The School of Health & Patient Simulation is committed to high quality education and providing excellent clinical experiences to students in the health professions. Students are expected to perform at their highest functional level during all educational and clinical experiences in order to maximize the learning environment and ensure patient safety. Thus a student’s performance at all times must be free of any impairment caused by prescription or non-prescribed drugs or alcohol use. Students enrolling in Health Professions programs are required to undergo and pass a drug and/or alcohol screening analysis in order to be eligible for placement in a clinical facility. Students assigned to clinical education experiences at our contracted facilities may also be required to undergo and pass random drug screening analysis in order to remain at that clinical facility and in the program. Students who fail a screening, or refuse to submit to a screening within the designated time frame will be ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program. Students with a positive drug test may challenge the results of the test within five (5) business days of notification of the drug test results. This challenge must be in writing and delivered to the college’s Director of Health Services. Students may re-apply for re-entry into a health program after one year. Requests for re-admission will be considered on a case by case basis. Students who are notified of a negative-dilute result will submit to a random drug test within 24 hours of the previous test in order to confirm the negative status of the screening. Additional random testing may also be required under the guidelines listed in your program’s handbook. A student who claims that he/she tested positive due to a prescription drug and was unable to clarify this matter with the medical review officer (MRO) from the drug testing lab shall be required to provide evidence from a health care provider of the type of prescription, dates of permissible use and dosage amounts within five (5) business days of notification of the drug test results to the college’s Director of the Health and Wellness Center. Failure to complete this notification will result in the student being ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program Students who test positive for marijuana are unable to continue in a clinical placement, which will affect their status in the health program. A student who has a prescription for Medical Marijuana and tests positive for marijuana will be reviewed on a case by case basis in order for the college to determine the availability to provide accommodations and clinical placements due to the federal restrictions on the use of marijuana and clinical site placement policies. Programmatic Technical Standards: Technical Standards reflect performance abilities and essential skills that a student must demonstrate in order to successfully complete the requirements of a specified program. These Standards must be satisfied by all students in all aspects of the program, with or without reasonable accommodations, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including in the classroom, laboratories, and externship. If you are an individual with a documented disability who seeks reasonable accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services at (413) 755-4785 or stop by Building 19, Room 141 as soon as practicable for information concerning the College’s accommodation process. Additional information can also be found on the Office of Disability Service’s website: https://www.stcc.edu/resources/academic-support/ods/. Please note that Program Technical Standard forms found in your admission acceptance packet must be submitted to the Health and Wellness Center by July 1. The Health and Wellness Center is located in Building 19, Room 177 and can be reached at (413) 755-4230.
Health Program Latex Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Program Requirements and Advancement
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(PTAS.AS) Curriculum | ||||||||||||||||||||
Semester 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Course Name | credits | Term Taken | Grade | Gen Ed | ||||||||||||||||
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PTA-101 - Introduction to Physical Therapy (7 Weeks) | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-102 - Physical Therapist Assistant 1 | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-102L - Lab: Physical Therapist Assistant 1 | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-103 - Kinesiology | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-103L - Lab: Kinesiology | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
BIO-232 - Anatomy & Physiology 2 | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
BIO-232L - Lab: Anatomy & Physiology 2 | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
MED-134 - Health Science 3 (7 Weeks) | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
ENG-101 - English Composition 1 | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
Total: 17 credits | ||||||||||||||||||||
Semester 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Course Name | credits | Term Taken | Grade | Gen Ed | ||||||||||||||||
PTA-104 - Physical Therapist Assistant 2 | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-104L - Lab: Physical Therapist Assistant 2 | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-105 - Human Diseases and Conditions | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-106 - Foundations in Therapeutic Exercise | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-106L - Lab: Foundations in Therapeutic Exercise | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-107 - Fundamentals of Measurement Skills | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-107L - Lab: Fundamentals of Measurement Skills | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PSY-101 - General Psychology | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
Total: 15 credits | ||||||||||||||||||||
Semester 2S (Summer) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Course Name | credits | Term Taken | Grade | Gen Ed | ||||||||||||||||
ENG-102 - English Composition 2 | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
SOC-101 - Introduction to Sociology | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
Total: 6 credits | ||||||||||||||||||||
Semester 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Course Name | credits | Term Taken | Grade | Gen Ed | ||||||||||||||||
PTA-201 - Neurologic Treatment Approaches/Integrated Practicum | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-201L - Lab: Neurologic Treatment Approaches/yIntegrated Pract | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-202 - Orthopedic Treatment Procedure | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-202L - Lab: Orthopedic Treatment Procedure | 2 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-203 - Introductory Supervised Clinical Experience. | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-204 - Current Issues Across the Contiuum of Care | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PSY-210 - Lifespan Human Growth and Development | 3 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
RCH-200 - Research Applications | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
Total: 15 credits | ||||||||||||||||||||
Semester 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Course Name | credits | Term Taken | Grade | Gen Ed | ||||||||||||||||
PTA-205 - Physical Therapist Assistant Seminar | 1 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-206 - Supervised Clinical Experience (7 Weeks) | 6 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
PTA-207 - Supervised Clinical Experience (7 Weeks) | 6 credits | |||||||||||||||||||
Total: 13 credits | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total (PTAS.AS) Curriculum Program Credits: 66 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notice to the Public: Complaints Policy:Complaints that fall outside of the college’s internal due process are directed to the Administrator under whom the complaint falls. Any complaint lodged against the PTA Program is directed to and investigated by the Dean of the School of Health & Patient Simulation. The Dean will consult with the Program Director, if appropriate, and then determine what action is to be taken according to college policy. Final documentation of the complaint, the plan for improvement and its outcomes is filed in the Dean’s office. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Department Personnel
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Notes:
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