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Cindy Buchanan - Director/ Instructor Phone: 843.470.5964 |
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Maggie Vitek - Instructor Phone: 843.470.5956 Fax: 843.525.8268 Email: mvitek@tcl.edu |
THE CAREER
Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs) provide physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. PTAs help individuals of all ages who are ill, injured or have a health condition that limits their ability to perform activities of daily life. PTAs work in a variety of settings including hospitals, outpatient centers, home health, schools, work settings and the sports and fitness arenas. Care provided by a PTA may include teaching patients/clients exercises for mobility, strength and coordination, training for activities such as walking with crutches, canes or walkers, massage and the use of physical agents and electrotherapy such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation. PTAs must complete a two-year Associate Degree and successfully pass the National Physical Therapy Examination to be licensed in most states including South Carolina.
CAREER OPTIONS
The salary range nationwide for a Physical Therapist Assistant is $33,000 to 50,000 per year
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program (PTA) at Technical College of the Lowcountry has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association. Candidacy is not an accreditation status nor does it assure eventual accreditation. Candidate for Accreditation is a pre-accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program is progressing toward accreditation.
The PTA Program consists of general education courses, science and physical therapist assistant courses taught at the College, at on-campus and off-campus laboratories and in multiple clinical education sites within a 60-mile radius from the main Beaufort Campus. Successful completion of all course work results in an earned Associate Degree in Health Sciences/Physical Therapist Assistant
ADMISSIONS
Student applicants interested in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program must first complete the college admission application process. The student will then make an appointment with a Health Science advisor. Acceptance into the college does not guarantee admission in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. Applications specific to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program may only be obtained from the Health Science department at Technical College of the Lowcountry. For more information on the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Technical College of the Lowcountry, please attend a free information session. Visit our website or contact a Health Science advisor at 843.525.8267.
HELPFUL LINKS
American Physical Therapy Association
The South Carolina Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association
United States Department of Labor
TCL Physical Therapist Assistant Program Information
TCL PTA Clinical Education Manual Part I
TCL PTA Clinical Education Manual Part II
