The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is an intensive five-semester program designed to provide the student with the technical education required to sit for the Physical Therapist Assistant National Physical Therapy Examination. Physical therapist assistants work under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist (PT). Their duties include instructing patients in exercises and activities of daily living; administering therapeutic modalities, utilization of assistive equipment, and other patient care procedures; communicating with patients, families, caregivers, physicians, and other health care workers; and documenting the patients’ status. Licensed physical therapist assistants find employment opportunities in such settings as hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, rehabilitation centers, school systems, sports medicine facilities, and private practices.
Program Mission Statement
“The mission of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program is to provide quality education to each student that is necessary to become a competent entry-level physical therapist assistant.”
The Institution is committed to providing affordable, quality education and the PTA mission supports this commitment. The PTA Program will achieve this mission through technical education and training using sequential instruction, practical clinical experiences, and mentoring. Emphasized throughout the planned student experience are critical thinking, scientific inquiry, ethics, professional behaviors, and team skills as well as examination of the relationship between the PT and PTA. Students will engage in interactive experiences that will build professional behaviors and introduce them to interprofessional practice. Special consideration will be included in the curriculum that will prepare them to meet the unique needs of the Colleges region. Qualified clinical instructors will further support student preparation through clinical education and mentoring.
“Students applying to the PTA program must take the TEAS test and score a 58 or higher in order to be considered for acceptance into the program.”
Accreditation Graduation from a physical therapist assistant education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at New River Community and Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE): 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100 Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22305 ; Telephone:703-706-3245;email:accredotatopm@apta.org.is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required by all states.
Effective July 13, 2021, New River Community and Technical College has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria Virginia 22305-3085; Phone703-706-3245; Email:accreditation@apta.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call (304)929-3324 or email PTA-Program@newriver.edu. Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate student in the technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not ensure that the program will be granted initial Accreditation.
Applicants for admission to the program must:
- The PTA Program receives the student’s application and it is logged and filed
- After the June 1st application deadline, the PTA Program evaluates the received application and ensures they are complete and eligible for enrollment into the Program
- The Administrative Assistant then assigns each applicant a number and completes the required fields in the admissions rubric. The Rubrics are then given to the PTA program faculty, and they are entered into a Cohort selection Spreadsheet and the results are calculated.
Applicants for admission to the program must:
- The Top 20 applicant’s numbers are provided back to the Administrative Associate and the students are sent a letter of acceptance. In the instance of >20 qualified applicants, there is a two-tiered tie breaker system. A. The first tiebreaker will be the Anatomy and Physiology I grade. B. Applicants with the highest grade will be selected. In the event that there are still more applicants than openings, the second tiebreaker is used and will be to utilize the Kinesiology grade. Applicants with the highest grades will be selected.
- Notification by mail and/or New River email account of final decisions for admission into the PTA Program will be made by July 1st annually. Students who have been accepted into the PTA Program have 14 days after notification to acknowledge their position in the Program back to the Program Director. Students who fail to acknowledge their position within the 14 days will be removed from the upcoming fall semester. This position may be filled with another qualified student
- Students enrolling in this program are subject to background and/or drug screening. See New River Community and Technical College Procedure 40 and Procedure 41 at www.newriver.edu under Faculty and Staff - Human Resources - New River Procedures for more information. Persons with a felony conviction may not be eligible for licensure based on the terms and conditions of the state in which they intend to apply. An unsatisfactory background check may result in loss of position in the PTA Program. (At the discretion of the Program Director and the Dean of Pre-Professional and Transfer Programs)
Additional Program Requirements
Students must take all courses with a PTHA prefix in sequence, with a minimum grade of “C” in all courses. The program includes a series of three off-campus clinical education experiences. Students are required to work during the days and hours of operation of their assigned facility. Every effort is made to place students in facilities that disrupt their domestic arrangements as little as possible, but the primary purpose of the clinical experience is to ensure that each student gains the variety of experience required to become a competent entry-level physical therapist assistant. Expenses, including travel, food, and housing (if necessary), are the responsibility of the student.
Return to: