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Program Admission Dates: Fall
The Physical Therapist Assistant AAS degree prepares students to work as a PTA in a variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, and pediatric facilities. PTAs provide physical therapy interventions under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist to people of all ages with health-related conditions which limit their ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. Students are trained in procedural interventions such as exercises for mobility, strength, balance, coordination, training for functional activities, and the use of modalities and physical agents. Students are also trained in skills such as communication, patient education, plan of care review and documentation. Clinical affiliations occur in a variety of off-campus settings.
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology 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; website: www.capteonline.org.
Physical Therapist Assistant AAS degree graduates will:
- be prepared to obtain an entry-level position as a physical therapist assistant
- perform safe, effective, and ethical entry-level physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist
- be prepared to engage in lifelong learning and career development as a physical therapist assistant in order to maintain industry competitiveness
- demonstrate critical thinking, teamwork, communication, intercultural appreciation, and information literacy skills
- meet Social Science, Humanities, Written Communication, and Quantitative Reasoning distribution area outcomes
Admission to the PTA program is selective. In order to be considered for admission applicants must complete prerequisite courses with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and fulfill PTA program application requirements.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology does not offer every course each quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the Class Schedule and work out an individual schedule with an adviser or counselor. Any developmental coursework a student may be required to complete may increase the program length.