Physical Therapist Assistant - Kilgore College

Physical Therapist Assistant from Kilgore College is a Campus Associate Physical Therapy degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. Overview of Physical Therapist Assistant Physical therapy is a health profession with the primary purpose of restoring, maintaining and improving the quality of life of the healthy and those with injury or dysfunction. Through the use of such tools as physical agents (i.e., heat, cold, ultrasound, traction, electrical stimulation), gait training, massage, and various forms of exercise, physical therapy professionals work in a variety of settings with a variety of patients. Some settings in which physical therapy is performed include hospitals, private clinics, rehabilitation units/center, nursing homes, schools and private homes. Patients treated in physical therapy range from newborns to the geriatric population and sample diagnoses would include cerebral palsy, athletic injuries, back/neck problems, strokes, burns/wounds, post-surgical conditions, and spinal cord injuries. What do grads of the program do? Physical therapist assistants must complete a two-year educational program.. The graduates must then pass a PTA state licensure exam before they can work as a PTA, but the AAS degree is conferred. Physical therapist assistants work under the supervision of a physical therapist. Their duties include assisting the physical therapist in implementing treatment programs according to the plan of care, training patients in exercises and activities of daily living, conducting treatments, using special equipment, administering modalities and other treatment procedures, and reporting to the physical therapist on the patients. What is the job outlook? While the job market for PTA???s has decreased over the last few years, there is still a need for PTA???s in the healthcare setting especially in rural areas. The competition for these jobs has increased slightly, however, to date, all graduates of the PTA program wishing to find employment in the field have done so. The current job growth for PTA???s in the state of Texas is 47%. The Bureau of the Department of Labor statistics show the need for PTA's is expected to grow much faster than the average rate through the year 2012. View more details on Kilgore College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Physical Therapy courses.