PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT

The physical therapist assistant is a skilled technical health-care worker who carries out the patient’s treatment program under the supervision of a physical therapist. The physical therapist assistant is involved in patient care to the extent the supervising physical therapist allows.

Common duties of a physical therapist assistant include: conducting physical therapy treatments, training patients and family members on proper performance of exercise and activities of daily living, assist the physical therapist in performing assessments/evaluations and more complex treatment procedures, and observing/reporting the patient’s response to treatment.

Physical therapist assistants commonly work alongside other disciplines such as nursing, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, social work, physician services, recreational therapy, dietary, and psychology. The goal of this team of professionals is the patient’s restoration to his or her highest level of function.

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Southern Adventist University is a 15-month sequence of classes that begin each August and conclude in December of the following year. All students must apply and be selected for each class annually. Upon acceptance, students spend a majority of time in the classroom. Classroom instruction is followed by three major clinical rotations, one four weeks and two six weeks in length.

Clinical placements are assigned by the Director of Clinical Education (or program director). Because of the limited number of local facilities available, assignments cannot be made on the basis of the student’s family/marital status or personal preference. Although the department makes an effort to accommodate the student’s preference, the student agrees to accept the clinical assignment made by the department at any of the affiliated facilities, whether local or out of state. Clinical facilities may also require a background check and or fingerprinting and may have certain stipulations (ie, immunizations, CPR certification) that need to be met before the student is assigned. Costs for these requirements are the student’s financial responsibility.