Program Learning Outcomes
The Physical Therapist Assistant program prepares the physical therapist assistant (PTA) to provide physical therapy interventions and components of therapeutic measurement under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist.
At the completion of the Physical Therapist Assistant program, a graduate will:
- Exhibit professional behaviors in the role as a responsible physical therapist assistant by providing safe, ethical, and legal care while working under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist.
- Demonstrate entry-level competency in all required intervention skills of a PTA and provide proficient care based on the plan of care developed by the physical therapist.
- Communicate effectively with patients/clients, caregivers, family members, members of the health care team, payers, and policymakers through written, verbal, and non-verbal means.
- Compose accurate documentation in the health record to comply with facility and payer regulations consistent with the health care delivery system.
- Recognize healthcare disparities and social determinants of health with the delivery of physical therapy services.
- Participate in career development and lifelong learning opportunities to remain contemporary within an ever-changing healthcare environment.
| RCSJ’s Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) staff discuss the PTA program at RCSJ. The program is a two-year associate degree program, which allows students to become a PTA under the direction of a physical therapist. Requirements include scheduled classes, clinical experiences outside of the classroom with real life patients, and completion of open lab hours. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Exam, which allows them to practice in most of the United States. PTA students praise the faculty and hands on experience, as well as how the PTA program will help them achieve their professional goals. |
Additional Information
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Rowan College of South Jersey is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: [email protected]; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program directly, please call 856-415-2179 or email [email protected].
Students receive acceptance into the program once, yearly, for the Summer semester. Petitions for entry into the program will be made available to students during the preceding Spring/Summer semester. Students should contact their advisor to clarify four-year degree transfer requirements and refer to the College catalog for course pre-requisites.
Upon graduation from the PTA program, students will be eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination for Physical Therapist Assistants to determine competence for licensure application and thus will be able to work in a variety of patient settings.
- Program graduates will be entry-level prepared physical therapist assistants who are able to work under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist in a professional manner.
- Program graduates will value life-long learning and commitment through continued education and professional development.
- The program will prepare graduates to deliver safe, ethical, and effective physical therapy services to the diverse surrounding community.
- Program faculty will provide instruction based on current evidence-based practice within an innovative and supportive learning environment.
Physical Therapist Assistant is a selective admission program. Students must be accepted into the program prior to registering for any PTA courses. Please contact the Enrollment Services office for an admission packet.
Clinical agencies require criminal history background checks (CHBC) and urine drug screening (UDS) for all individuals engaged in patient care. All students must undergo a CHBC and UDS upon acceptance into the PTA Program. CHBC and UDS results may be sent to the clinical agencies, who have the sole discretion to decide if the student may engage in patient care at the agency. If a student is denied the opportunity to participate in the clinical agency as a result of the findings of the CHBC and UDS, the student will be dismissed from the PTA Program.
A minimum grade of “C+” is required in all courses, in the PTA program of study including General Education and Science courses and students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher [as per the current institutional grading scale].
PTA Selective Admissions- Individuals in the community who do not have a formal affiliation with this institution or program are also welcome to provide comments according to the following policy.
This process is only for comments or concerns that cannot be addressed by existing grievance/due process procedures described in the Rowan College of South Jersey course catalog, student handbook, faculty handbook, faculty contract, or administrative policies. - Comments must be provided in writing and signed by the author. Anonymous submissions will not be acknowledged, nor will written comments provided on behalf of an anonymous source.
Comments must be submitted to the following:
Rowan College of South Jersey
Attn.: PTA Program Director
1400 Tanyard Road
Sewell, NJ 08080 - The PTA Program Director shall respond to all comments within seven (7) days to further discuss and resolve the issue. If satisfactory resolution is not or cannot be reached, appeal may be made to the Dean of Nursing and Health Professions within seven (7) days. Again, if satisfactory resolution is not or cannot be reached, appeal may be made to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Services within seven (7) days. The decision of the Vice President of Academic Services will be final and not subject to further appeal. Neither the Dean of Nursing and Health Professions nor the Vice President of Academic Services will become involved until all attempts to resolve the issue with the Program Director have been exhausted, unless the comment is directly related to the performance of the Program Director.
- Records of all correspondence will be confidentially maintained by the Program Director for five (5) years. These records are not open to the public.
- In the event that a complaint is made about or against the Program Director, the same timeline should be followed with the written comment being addressed to the attention of the division Dean.
- The College and Program will not retaliate against an individual who files a complaint.
Education Unique to Each Student
The support I received at RCSJ means a lot, especially being first-generation. It meant a lot having those people there to guide me, have 100% trust in me to do what I said I was going to do, . . . and believe in me even more than I believed in myself.
Other Programs in this Academic Division
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS)
