Education in San Antonio

A physical therapy assistant education in the United States is generally a 2 year associates degree, with a large component of the course load being medical based courses, and the learning of medical terminology. Physical therapy assistants who are studying will also have a clinical component to their degree. Clinical practice is an essential part of the education, as it allows the development of skills, and knowledge learned at a classroom level to be transferred to the real world job. This gives a student time to become comfortable working with real life patients, as well as gaining the benefit of being tutored under full time assistants and physical therapists. This helps a graduate enter the work world with confidence and experience, which is why physical therapy assistants often make a smooth transition from the academic work, to the work world.

What will You Learn: A physical therapy assistant education covers all the basics of what a fully licensed physical therapist would learn, although not to such a degree of depth. Understanding the basic anatomy, and anatomy of movement is critical for a PTA. Since the job requires lots of assisting in many different areas, it is more important to have a broad range of skills and clinical tools than to be an expert in one specific area. With the acquisition of a broad range of knowledge and skills, a student PTA begins to gain confidence in themselves, as well as becomes a knowledgeable assistant who is a great asset to the rehabilitation team.

Some of the courses that will be included in the curriculum may include:

* Musculoskeletal Disorders

* Clinical Practice

* Neuroanatomy

* Massage

* Physiology

* Physical Therapy Practices

* Psychology

* Chemistry

Degree Received on Graduation:

The associates degree that is required for a physical therapy assistant education is 2 years in length, or half the length of bachelors degree. Since a bachelors degree is 120 college level credits, it should be noted that an associates degree in this profession would be roughly 60 colleges credits. Depending on the location of school you choose, you may need to take general elective courses on top of your required courses to complete the degree. There is not much difference with what is required to graduate a program whether you study at a community college or a university.

Physical therapy assistant education is the entry level education one can achieve to become a licensed worked in a rehabilitation environment. The skills learned give a strong knowledge of the basics of the entire field. Not only is it a strong career in itself, it can open the doors to studying a higher level education in a similar field. A PTA who goes from a strong student to a strong worker has an excellent opportunity, the demand for this job set to continue to increase for years and years to come.

Want to find out more about the career choice: physical therapy assistant, then visit www.physicaltherapy-assistant.com for information on a physical therapy assistant education.