Associate in Applied Science Degree: Physical Therapist Assistant
Tech-Prep Enhanced Skills Certificate: Physical Therapist Assistant

The Physical Therapist Assistant is a health care professional who works under the supervision of a Licensed Physical Therapist. The responsibilities of a Physical Therapist Assistant include a variety of services such as cardiac rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, orthopedics, geriatrics, pediatrics, wound care, sports medicine, home health, and wellness.

The Physical Therapist Assistant may implement treatment programs developed by the Physical Therapist which may include therapeutic exercises; gait training and assisting with prosthetics and brace training; administering various hot/cold/electrical modalities and traction; application of various external bandages, supports and dressings; measuring joint motion and muscle function; and, educating other health care providers, patients, and families.

Program graduates are required to pass an exit mock state board exam before graduation. Students who pass this exam will be prepared to sit for the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) which is administered by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. Graduates cannot work in the field as a Physical Therapist Assistant without passing the NPTE.

Accreditation

Del Mar College Physical Therapist Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association, 1111 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314, 1-800-999-2782.

In addition to the standard College admission process, students planning to enter the Physical Therapist Assistant program must submit the following to the Physical Therapist Assistant program office by July 15:

• Physical Therapist Assistant program application form
• All college transcripts from Del Mar College and other schools
• Evidence of 30 hours (total) of observation in three different settings
• Evidence of a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in prerequisites

Please contact the program director for more information at (361) 698-1847 or go online to www.delmar.edu/ptap for all program admission information and required forms.

After the Physical Therapist Assistant program office receives all of the above items, the applicants will be notified of admissions to the program within 30 days of the application deadline.

After program acceptance, the student must submit a completed physical examination, proof of Hepatitis B series, all required immunizations, college transcripts, a current card of completion in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Health Care Providers and HPRS 1204 Competency Form.

Upon enrollment, the student must pass a background check and drug screen test, at student's expense, for security clearance and continued enrollment in the program.

Please contact program director if you have questions about any of these requirements.

ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE: PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT TECH-PREP ENHANCED SKILLS OPTION
FIRST SEMESTER		Lec.	Lab	Sem. Hrs.	Clock Hours
PTHA 1201	The Profession of Physical Therapy	1	2	2	48
PTHA 1513	Functional Anatomy	3	5	5	128
PTHA 1229	Applied Physical Principles	1	4	2	80
BIOL 2401	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	3	3	4	96
HPRS 1106	Medical Terminology	1	0	1	16
HPRS 1204	Basic Health Profession Skills	1	4	2	80
SECOND SEMESTER
PTHA 1321	Pathophysiology	3	0	3	48
PTHA 2509	Therapeutic Exercise	3	5	5	128
PSYC 2301	General Psychology	3	0	3	48
ENGL 1301	Composition I	3	1	3	64
BIOL 2402	Human Anatomy and Physiology II	3	3	4	96
THIRD SEMESTER
PTHA 2217	Issues in Health Care	2	0	2	32
PTHA 1531	Physical Agents	3	5	5	128
PTHA 1166	Practicum - Physical Therapist Assistant	0	7.5	1	120
Humanities/Visual or Performing Arts Elective		3	0	3	48
Speech Elective		3	0	3	48
FOURTH SEMESTER
PTHA 2435	Rehabilitation Techniques	3	4	4	112
PTHA 2305	Neurology	3	0	3	48
PTHA 2266	Practicum - Physical Therapist Assistant	0	15	2	240
POFI 1301	Computer Applications I	2	2	3	64
Mathematics Elective		3	0	3	48
FIFTH SEMESTER
PTHA 2431	Management of Neurological Disorders	3	4	4	112
PTHA 2239	Professional Issues (Capstone)	2	0	2	32
PTHA 2366	Practicum - Physical Therapist Assistant	0	22.5	3	360
	Total Semester Hours for Associate Degree			72

Tech-Prep Bridge Courses

Courses in bold type meet General Education requirements for Del Mar College Associate in Applied Science degrees.

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