Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

Program Description

A Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is a health care provider working under the direction of a Physical Therapist. The PTA is involved in the treatment of individuals with muscular, skeletal, cardiopulmonary, and nervous system disorders. The PTA may also be involved in injury prevention or programs specifically targeted toward individual or group wellness. The PTA is able to provide physical therapy services as specified in a care plan developed by a Physical Therapist. Treatment program implementation may include therapeutic exercise, ambulation training, activities of daily living, and administration of physical agents such as heat and cold.

Degree Requirements

Associate Degree – Physical Therapist Assistant (A45620) – 2017-2018
Associate Degree – Physical Therapist Assistant (A45620) – 2018-2019
Associate Degree – Physical Therapist Assistant (A45620) – 2019-2020

Admission Criteria

Physical Therapist Assistant is a selective admission program. The college accepts a cohort of 20 students into the PTA program each Fall. In order to be eligible for admission, students must:

• Place into ENG 111 (completed DRE 096 – DRE 098;
• Place into MAT 110 or higher (complete DMA 010 – 050)
• Completed a high school or college/university level chemistry class with a grade of “C” or better;
• Have a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher (not rounded).
  • If you have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours with Craven Community College and have not attended another college/ university since completing those hours, we will use the Craven GPA. If you have attended multiple colleges or universities and have less than 12 earned semester hours at Craven CC, all GPAs will be combined to determine your cumulative GPA.
  • If you have less than 12 earned semester hours of college, your high school GPA will be used.
• Complete 20 total hours of non-paid observation in two different types of physical therapy settings and have documentation verifying the observation hours prior to submitting the application. See Observation Hours Verification Form
• Physical Therapist Assistant Application Worksheet which will be completed by the admissions specialist during the application process.
• In mid-May, a time will be arranged for eligible applicants to take the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) test on the New Bern campus.

Application

Complete a general application to Craven Community College.

Follow the instructions that you receive in a return email from Admissions to confirm your intent to enroll. You will receive a letter from the Admissions staff with your Craven Community College student ID number and instructions for accessing your Craven Community College student Email, and accessing WebAdvisor, Craven’s student web portal.

Complete the Physical Therapist Assistant admission application. The Physical Therapist Assistant admission application for Fall semester 2019 is now closed. The Fall 2020 application will open in February 2020.

Academic Requirements

Successful completion of all general education courses with a “C” or greater and all PTA courses with a “B” or greater in the required semester as identified by the PTA Plan of Study is required before physical therapist assistant students may progress to the next semester.

PTA Program Documents and Forms

Clinical Education Manual – (pdf)

Policy Procedure Manual – (pdf)

PTA Program Compliant Form – (pdf)

PTA Student Handbook – (pdf)

PTA Student Health Forms

Guidelines – (pdf)

Physical Page 1 – (pdf)

Physical Page 2 – (pdf)

TB Question Sheet – (pdf)

Shot Guidelines – (pdf)

Accreditation

The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Craven 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.

Career Opportunities

Hospitals | Clinics | Home Health Care Agencies | Nursing Homes | Private Practice | Schools

Outcome Data