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PTA Information Meeting Presentation

Home Academics Physical Therapist Assistant Program Details PTA Request to Attend Informational Meeting PTA Information Meeting Presentation

Start your journey to a Physical Therapist Assistant degree by attending an information meeting. We have provided the following presentation online to view in tandem with the live presentation, or to review separately.

What is Physical Therapy?

Treatment provided by a licensed physical therapist (PT) or physical therapist assistant (PTA) that helps to improve patient’s movement and physical function, manage pain and other chronic conditions, and recover from and prevent injury and chronic disease.

Physical therapy services:

  • help people impacted by disease, injury, or disability
  • prevent movement loss
  • promote wellness

Physical therapy can be provided in multiple settings for conditions related to:

  • Musculoskeletal
  • Neuromuscular
  • Cardiovascular
  • Pulmonary
  • And/or integumentary systems

From American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

Who Works in Physical Therapy?

  • four young adults smiling and posing in a physical therapy environment
  • a physical therapist helping a patience with a prosthetic lower leg with a leg stretch
  • a physical therapist helping a patient with resistance training on a weight machine
  • a physical therapist testing a patient for skin elasticity

Physical Therapists (PTs):

  • Perform initial evaluation
  • Establish the plan of care
  • Make changes to the plan of care
  • Determine when the patient can be discharged
  • Communicate directly with referring physician
  • May be a clinic owner or director
  • Require a clinical doctorate: Bachelor’s degree + doctorate = approximately 7+ years
  • Approximately $114K Mean Salary in Sacramento, CA per Salary.com

Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs):

  • Work under the supervision of a Physical Therapist
  • Carry out interventions established in the plan of caree
  • Make recommendations for changes in the plan of care
  • Make recommendations for patient discharge
  • May be a clinic owner or director
  • Require an Associate degree = 2 years
  • Approx. $70K Mean Salary in Sacramento, CA per Salary.com

Physical Therapy Aides:

  • Unlicensed personnel
  • No formal education requirements
  • Work under the direct and immediate supervision of a PT
  • Earn $16.50 to $18.00 per hour

Perform non patient-related tasks such as:

  • Housekeeping and clerical duties
  • Transport of patients
  • Providing an extra hand for physical support during gait or transfer training

6 Things You May Not Know About Physical Therapy

  • Only licensed PTs and PTAs can provide physical therapy services.
  • PTs and PTAs care for patients of all ages and abilities. They treat across the lifespan.
  • PTs and PTAs work throughout the healthcare system.
  • PTs and PTAs can focus on specific areas of care, known as specialties and proficiencies.
  • PTs and PTAs treat multiple body systems, not just musculoskeletal system.
  • There are two physical therapy career pathways (DPT and PTA).

Where Do PTAs Work–What Settings?

Lots of places!

Hospitals

  • physical therapist holding and moving the leg of a patient in a hospital bed
  • two hospital professionals assisting a patient standing with a machine in a hospital room
  • three hospital professionals assisting a patient sitting on a hospital bed

Outpatient Settings

  • physical therapy professional assiting a patient with a mobility exercise
  • physical therapy professional assiting a patient with a resistance exercise
  • physical therapy professional assiting a patient who has a leg cast

Skilled Nursing Facilities

  • physical therapy professional assiting a patient with walking in a structure
  • physical therapy professionals and patients working in an exercise space

Rehabilitation Centers

  • physical therapy professional assiting a patient using a walker
  • physical therapy professionals working with a patient
  • physical therapy professional working with a patient in a wheelchair

Home Health

  • physical therapy professional assiting a seated patient with an exercise inside the home
  • physical therapy professional assisting a patient using a walker on an outdoor patio

Specialty Practices

  • physical therapy professional supporting a child standing on a padded surface
  • physical therapy professional and patients exercising in a swimming pool
  • physical therapy professional working on a patient's ankle

What Are the Sub-specialties?

  • Orthopedics
  • Neurologic rehabilitation
  • Gerontology
  • Wound care
  • Pediatrics
  • Amputees – prosthetics and orthotics

What Do PTAs Do?

  • Implement the Plan of Care as determined by the PT
  • Help patients decrease pain, enhance function, & improve independence
  • Assist / instruct patients in transfers, ambulation, and functional activities
  • Administer therapeutic exercise for stretching, strengthening, balance, & coordination
  • Apply adjunct modalities, such as heat, cold, and electrotherapy
  • Documents progress toward goals
  • Communicates with the healthcare team
  • Educates patients, caregivers, and the community about physical therapy

What Skills Do You Need?

Motor Capability

  • Transfer, guard and assist patients
  • Squat, bend, reach, maneuver in small spaces
  • Use manual dexterity
  • Lift and carry up to “max assist” (75 - 100% of patient’s weight)
illustration of the musculature of the human torso

Sensory Capability

  • Coordinate verbal and manual cues
  • Respond effectively to patient needs including emergenciesphysical therapy professional examining a patient lying prone on a table.
  • Auditory, visual and tactile abilities to observe and assess patient status and provide treatmenticon of a sound wave entering a human ear
  • Monitor vital signs
    icon of vital signs with temperature and heart rate

Communication Capability

  • Communicate effectively in English (fluency in other languages is an added benefit)
  • Adapt communication as needed for audience
  • Interact effectively with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds
  • Function effectively with communication under direct and general supervision
illustration of three people communicating with various means

Problem-Solving Capability

  • Apply understanding of rationale for plan of care in implementing treatment
  • Use sound judgment and safety precautions
  • Function effectively under stress
  • Organize and prioritize tasks
illustration of a human hand demonstrating problem-solving with dry-erase marker on a glass wal