A45620 - Physical Therapist Assistant AAS

Limited Enrollment Curriculum:
The Physical Therapist Assistant program is a limited enrollment curriculum and program applicants are accepted based upon admissions requirements.  Admission criteria for the Physical Therapist Assistant program are reviewed annually and are subject to change.  Enrollment is limited to the number of approved spaces allocated by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

A. PROGRAM SPECIFIC ENTRANCE STANDARDS: 

Admission

A student may apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program once minimum admissions criteria are met.

Prospective applicants are required to complete the Health Sciences information session as well as contact their Education Navigator prior to developing a plan for completing minimum requirements. The Education Navigator will review each applicant’s progress and provide further guidance once all minimum admission requirements are met.

Once an applicant has completed all general admissions criteria and all Physical Therapist Assistant Program entrance requirements, they must submit a completed Limited Enrollment Application. Applicants who meet all requirements will be ranked based on GPA and admitted in order of ranking.

During the initial consideration, applicants will have an opportunity to indicate first and second choice programs when completing the Limited Enrollment Application. If seats do not fill after the initial consideration and after second-choice candidates are considered, applicants will be admitted on a first-qualified, first-accepted basis up until the date of the required mandatory health science orientation.

Applicants must also submit a completed “Statement of Good Standing Form” explaining the circumstances of any previous exit from any health science program. The letter must be sent from the program director at the time of the student’s previous enrollment. CCCC’s Physical Therapist Assistant Department Chair and Vice President of Student Services must approve students who were dismissed, expelled, or suspended for any reason. Students who withhold previous exit information may be dismissed from the program.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that requirements are met by the established deadline.

More information can be found on the Limited Enrollment Website.

Placement Test Scores

Students must be eligible to take their gateway Math and English course in order to be eligible to apply. This can be achieved through a High School Unweighted GPA of 2.6 or higher or by presenting acceptable test scores such as SAT, ACT, Accuplacer,, or other acceptable scores

The checklist for the Physical Therapist Assistant program indicates the minimum scores required to place into ENG 111 and at minimum MAT 143.  Students who have an unweighted high school GPA of 2.6 or higher, have met Multiple Measures for Placement or who have earned appropriate transfer credit in English, Math, or developmental courses with a C, P2 for English, or P2 for MAT-143 or MAT-152 and P3 or MAT-171, or higher may be exempt from placement testing.

GPA

Students must be in good academic standing upon applying to health science programs. Good academic standing is defined as having a 3.0 GPA or higher based on the general education courses for the program.  Students can apply if they have a 2.8-3.0 GPA but will be placed on an alternate list.  Alternates will be considered if there are not enough applicants to fill all seats.  These GPA requirements must be maintained at the time of entering the program from a secondary or post-secondary institution.  

General Education Courses

The following courses are required to be completed prior to applying:  PHY-110/110A, BIO-168, BIO-169 with a grade of “B” or better, and ENG-111 with a grade of "C" or better. The following courses are required to be completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to graduation: PSY-150, Communications Elective, Humanities Elective, & ACA-122.

Observation Hours
The completion of twenty hours of observation/work/voluntary experience in the physical therapy field is required. The observation form is located on the Limited Enrollment Website under the Physical Therapist Assistant Program.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

TOEFL scores are required for any naturalized or non-US citizens who speak English as their second language. This test provides evidence of adequate proficiency in the English language. All test scores must be less than five years old.  The minimum acceptable TOEFL scores are based on the following formats: TOEFL iBT Total Score - 80 or higher

TOEFL Essential Overall Band Score: 8 or higher. The test is offered at multiple testing sites nationally or can be taken online and is at the student’s expense.

B. REQUIREMENTS AFTER ACCEPTANCE:

Criminal Background Check/Drug Screening
A criminal background check and drug screening are required for all accepted Health Sciences students.  Clinical affiliates will review criminal background reports and drug screenings of students and reserve the right to accept or deny any students based on their consideration of these reports.  Negative reports and/or failed screenings may prevent a student from attending the clinical portion of their prescribed program and ultimately be dismissed from the program. This could result in a student’s withdrawal from the program.  Students are subject to criminal background checks and drug screenings at any time during the program.  Clinical agencies reserve the right to require additional background checks and drug screens.

Medical Forms/Immunizations
Applicants are required to submit a completed college approved student medical health form to the required document tracking system by the assigned date. The student's medical form must include a satisfactory health history, physical examination, and immunization report. Failure to submit a completed medical form will result in loss of Physical Therapist Assistant Program admission status and class space will be assigned to another applicant. No student will be permitted to participate in clinic without having submitted a completed medical form. 

BLS Provider CPR
CPR Certification by the American Heart Association (AHA) in BLS Provider (Basic Life Support including CPR and AED) that includes both performance and testing of criteria is required prior to clinical rotations. Students are responsible for keeping their CPR certification current throughout the duration of the program.  

Mandatory Orientation Session
When notified of acceptance, applicants must attend a mandatory orientation session with the Physical Therapist Assistant Department.

Liability/Malpractice Insurance
Malpractice insurance is required for health sciences students and is assessed as a student fee.

Transportation/Additional Class/Course Materials
Health Sciences students are responsible for their own transportation to off-campus clinical/learning sites.  Materials other than textbooks will be required and are purchased at the student’s expense.

Technical Standards
The Health Sciences Programs are physically demanding. Students will be expected to perform lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying tasks to successfully practice in a lab setting, complete clinical affiliations, and safely treat patients.  For more details, please refer to each program of study's physical requirements and technical standards. 

Communicable Disease Statement
As a healthcare provider, students enrolled in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program are exposed to communicable diseases.  Students will be trained in standard precautions and asepsis techniques to minimize the potential of transmission.  Students will act as peer patients during the program and will be expected to share medical information during clinical treatment.

Employment Opportunities
Graduates may be eligible to take the licensure examination administered by the NC Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. A student with a felony may not be eligible for licensure or employment. Employment is available in, but not limited to, general hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, specialty hospitals, home health agencies, private clinics, and public school systems. 

Competitive admissions are anticipated for a challenging program that leads to an intensely satisfying career. The program will admit a maximum of 24 students each Fall Semester.

Academic Standards
Upon official acceptance, Health Sciences students are required to maintain the necessary GPA requirements for entry.  Students cannot enter a Health Sciences program while on academic suspension.  Students may withdraw or be withdrawn from a Health Sciences course; however, the student will not be allowed to matriculate through their program of study.  Reapplication to the program will be required and readmission will be awarded based on the completion of admissions criteria, the policy for readmission, and space availability.  Students requesting readmission must meet with the Education Navigator and Department Chair to review their file.

Program Specific Academic Standards: See the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Manual and specific Physical Therapist Assistant Program course syllabi.

Physical Therapist Assistant Program technical courses must be taken in succession as they appear in the curriculum guide. Physical Therapist Assistant Program students must meet the standards related to the demonstration of emotional and physical health within the framework of physical therapy practice and must adhere to the other policies set forth in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Manual. Physical Therapist Assistant students must not be on suspension status.

C. REINSTATEMENT INTO THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT PROGRAM

Students who wish to be considered for reinstatement should reapply using the Reinstatement Procedure listed in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Manual.  The reinstatement process will only be offered once. There is no guarantee of reinstatement for any student.

To begin the reinstatement process, the student must apply in writing to the Department Chair requesting reinstatement in the program. The letter must include the date the student wishes to return and a rationale describing how the student plans to complete the program successfully. The letter must be received by the Department Chair no later than 60 days prior to the first day of the academic semester into which the student wishes to reenroll.  The Progressions Committee will meet within 3 weeks of receipt of the letter to consider the reinstatement request and complete a plan of action to address the reasons for withdrawal/dismissal.  

The Department Chair will formally notify the student of their decision and plan of action within 5 business days of the meeting. If remediation or other action is warranted, it must be successfully completed no less than 7 calendar days prior to the start of the semester in which the student wishes to reenroll. If this does not occur, the student must reinitiate the reinstatement process. The final decision for acceptance into the next cohort will be based upon available slots in the cohort, successful completion of any actions required by the Department Chair, and a reasonable expectation that the student in question has the potential to succeed in the program.