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  May 31, 2023
 
2022-2023 Catalog [Aug. 2022-Aug. 2023] 
  
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2022-2023 Catalog [Aug. 2022-Aug. 2023]

Physical Therapist Assistant (222A) (A.S.)

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Associate in Science

This is a Limited Access program.

Mission/Purpose

The mission of the Associate in Science Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program is to create competent, ethical and confident entry-level health care practitioners committed to professional development through life-long learning in a positive, non-discriminatory, and supportive learning environment. The program is a balance between theory and practice that enhances the educational experience and provides students with the skills and preparation necessary for employment in the field of physical therapy.

The Program

The PTA program is a combination of general education and professional coursework including lecture, laboratory, and clinical education components. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded an Associate in Science in Physical Therapist Assistant degree, and are eligible to apply to sit for the state administered national examination in order to qualify for licensure to practice as a PTA.

Admission to this program is limited and is based on academic performance and other criteria.

A minimum grade of C or higher must be achieved in all professional coursework.

Year* Employment
Rate		 Licensure Pass Rate Graduation
Rate
Ultimate First Time
2020 100% 88.2% 76.5% 75%
2021 100% 78.8% 63.6% 73%
2020-21 100% 85.07% 70.1% 74%

*The years represented reflect the years that these cohorts of students graduated from the PTA program.

Internships/Externships/Rotations/Fieldwork

Employers view clinical experience as essential to understanding the responsibilities of a physical therapist assistant. Clinical training at local physical therapy facilities is arranged as part of the PTA curriculum. Students will be required to undergo drug screening and criminal background checks prior to clinical placements.

The Career

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides is projected to grow 24% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.

The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is a skilled technical health care provider who works under the supervision and direction of a Physical Therapist (PT) in the assessment, treatment, and prevention of physical disability resulting from injury, disease, pain, birth defects, and other health-related conditions. The PTA, working as a member of the rehabilitation team, assists in implementing the treatment program according to the plan of care developed by the PT. Typical duties of the PTA include training patients in exercise, ambulation and activities of daily living, conducting treatment using specialized equipment, administering therapeutic physical agents such as heat, cold and electrical stimulation, assisting in the performance of tests, and observing and reporting patient responses and changes in condition to the PT.

The Dictionary of Occupational Titles rates the strength demands of a PTA at the medium level. This translates into lifting or exerting a force of 20 to 50 pounds occasionally, 10 to 25 pounds frequently and 10 pounds or less constantly.

Interested students can learn more about the profession of physical therapy and the role of the PTA by contacting the American Physical Therapy Association, 3030 Potomac Ave. Suite 100, Alexandria, VA, 22305-3085; telephone: (800) 999-2782; website: apta.org.

Certification/Licensing

Graduates of the program who pass their state administered national licensure examination and state specific laws and rules exam are prepared to function as entry-level Physical Therapist Assistant practitioners.

Program Accreditation

The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Florida State College at Jacksonville is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.  If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 904-766-5574 or email dianne.mcauliffe@fscj.edu.

Application Procedure

Admission to the professional phase of the program is limited and based upon selective academic performance and other criteria. An information/application packet outlining requirements, procedures, costs and other pertinent information is available from the Health Career Information Center at North Campus, or at fscj.edu/222A.

Minimum requirements that must be met for consideration for admission to the Professional (PHT prefix) coursework of the PTA program are as follows:

  1. Applicants must be accepted for admission to Florida State College at Jacksonville or be currently enrolled at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Acceptance to Florida State College at Jacksonville does not guarantee admission to the Professional (PHT prefix) coursework of the PTA program.
  2. Applicants must submit a completed application for the Professional (PHT prefix) coursework of the program to the PTA department. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered. Contact the PTA department for information/application packets and deadlines.
  3. Complete the Health Education Systems, Inc. Admission Test (HESI-A2) with a score at least a 75% averaged across all 8 categories and a 75% minimum on the A&P. Include the results in the PTA application file.
  4. Applicants must have completed 17 credit hours of prerequisite coursework including   or   or ENC 1102 ,   and   and   or higher-level MAC prefix course or   or   or   or   , and  , all with a minimum grade of C and minimum combined grade point average of 2.5 prior to the Application Deadline.
  5. Applicants must submit documented evidence verifying completion of a minimum of 10 hours of outpatient and 10 hours of inpatient observation, volunteer service, and/or work experience in physical therapy. Verification forms can be obtained from the PTA department.
  6. Applicants are required to submit official transcripts from both high school/GED® and any postsecondary education. Transcripts must be officially sealed and sent directly from the awarding institution via electronic delivery to studentrecords@fscj.edu or via mail to FSCJ Admissions Office, PO Box 40515, Jacksonville, FL 32203.

Students who have submitted completed applications to the PTA department by the deadline will be ranked according to a point scale. The 30 highest ranked students each Summer and the 15 highest ranked students each Spring will be accepted into the Professional (PHT prefix) coursework of the PTA program and notified of their acceptance by FSCJ email. Refer to the PTA program points rubric for a complete description of the point system on which ranking is based, by contacting Health Career Advising at hcic@fscj.edu or 904-713-4545.

GED® and GED Testing Service® are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education (ACE). They may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of ACE or GED Testing Service® at ged.com. The GED® and GED Testing Service® brands are administered by GED Testing Service LLC® under license from the American Council on Education.

Application Deadline(s)

The application deadline is February 15 each year for the cohort starting in the Summer term and September 15th each year for the cohort starting in the Spring term.

Need More Information? Contact:

The Health Career Information Center, (904) 713-4545 or hcic@fscj.edu

Prerequisites

Applicants must complete 17 credit hours of prerequisite coursework with a minimum grade of C or higher and a minimum combined grade point average of 2.5 prior to the application deadline and prior to beginning the Professional coursework (PHT prefix) phase of the PTA program. Additionally, students must complete at least 10 hours of outpatient and 10 hours of inpatient Physical Therapy observation and they must complete the HESI-A2 entrance exam and score at least a 75%, averaged across all 8 categories and a 75% minimum score on A&P prior to applying to the PTA program at FSCJ. 

Curriculum

General Education Coursework

Credit Hours: 20

All General Education Coursework must be completed with a grade of C or higher.  Students are encouraged to pay careful attention to each course note as it pertains to specific Physical Therapist Assistant program application enrollment requirements.

Professional Coursework

Credit Hours: 54

A minimum grade of C or higher must be achieved in all Professional coursework. Students are encouraged to pay careful attention to any course note(s) as it pertains to specific Physical Therapist Assistant program application enrollment requirements. Students may not enroll in the professional coursework unless they have been accepted into the Professional Core (PHT prefix) course phase of the program. A minimum grade of C or higher must be achieved in each of the following courses in order to continue in the Professional coursework (PHT prefix) phase. A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 must be maintained throughout enrollment in the Professional coursework (PHT prefix) phase of the program.

Total Credit Hours: 74

Record of Conviction of a Crime

Effective July 1, 2009, pursuant to Section 456.0635, Florida Statutes, health care review boards shall refuse to renew a license, certificate or registration, issue a license, certificate or registration and shall refuse to admit a candidate for examination if the applicant has been convicted or plead guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of adjudication, to a felony violation of: chapters 409, 817, or 893, Florida Statutes; or 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396, unless the sentence and any probation or pleas ended more than 15 years prior to the application, terminated for cause from Florida Medicaid Program (unless the applicant has been in good standing for the most recent five years) or terminated for cause by any other State Medicaid Program or the Medicare Program (unless the termination was at least 20 years prior to the date of the application and the applicant has been in good standing with the program for the most recent five years). The Florida nursing or allied health licensure or certification application requires disclosure of any criminal history and the disposition of all cases prior to board review. Being convicted of, or having entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any of the listed felonies in Florida Statute 456.0635 or termination for cause from the statutorily-described Medicaid programs will preclude an applicant from obtaining a nursing or allied health license or certification in the state of Florida. Entry and acceptance into the nursing or allied health program does not guarantee licensure or certification in the state of Florida.

Criminal Background Check and Drug Screen

Most clinical agencies require students to undergo drug screen and criminal background checks prior to placement in the agencies for clinical experiences. Students whose drug screening and criminal background checks are deemed unsatisfactory may be denied access to clinical experiences by the clinical agencies. Failure to qualify for and meet clinical requirements at clinical sites may prevent completion of the program. Withdrawal from the program may be necessary if students cannot be placed for clinical experiences.

Some practice settings may have additional requirements including health insurance, a volunteer application, references, additional fingerprinting and background check (e.g. the Jessica Lunsford Act for school environments), drug testing, flu shot, Covid-19 testing/vaccine and/or an interview prior to the start of the clinical experience. The additional requirements are the responsibility of the student, including expenses.

The cost of the background check(s) and drug screen(s) is borne by the student. Additionally, it is the student’s responsibility to have all paperwork completed by the program’s published deadline.

Students who are unable to complete the clinical requirements after acceptance into Limited Access or Selective Access programs are not eligible for refunds of tuition and fees.

A physical examination will be required upon acceptance to the program.  It is the students’ responsibility to renew their annual physical examination as well as tuberculosis (TB) test.

Graduation Requirements

In order to be awarded the associate in science degree, students must have met the following requirements:

  1. Fulfill all academic requirements for the chosen program of study as outlined in the Florida State College at Jacksonville catalog and curriculum.
  2. Earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) at Florida State College at Jacksonville in courses eligible toward the Associate in Science degree programs, excluding developmental education courses (A.S. Florida State College at Jacksonville GPA).
  3. Earned an all-college cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) on a 4.0 scale on all courses attempted. This includes Florida State College at Jacksonville college-credit semester hours and transferred credits (excluding developmental education) in lower division courses (All college cumulative).
  4. Complete a minimum of 25 percent of the total hours required for the program in residence at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Credit by examination and credit for prior learning do not count toward this residency requirement.
  5. Complete the required semester hours, as specified by the degree, of which a minimum of 15 semester hours must be General Education requirements.
  6. Demonstrated competency in civic literacy in accordance with s. 1007.25, Florida Statutes (F.S.) at bit.ly/FS-gen-ed-courses and State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.02413, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) at bit.ly/FR-civic-lit-comp. Pursuant to guidelines established by Senate Bill 1108, competency is demonstrated by completion of one of two civic literacy courses (either AMH 2020  or POS 2041 ) with a grade of C or higher AND by achievement of the standard score on a state-approved assessment.
  7. Earned a grade of a C or higher in each course used to satisfy the general education requirements and any other area designated with a C or higher requirement.
  8. Fulfill all obligations, financial or otherwise, to the College before graduating.
Note: Students are cautioned to pay particular attention to the following statements.
  • A student’s graduation date will be the date of the end of the College term in which the student has fulfilled all academic requirements. (The removal of an incomplete grade does not affect students’ graduation dates since the grade change is effective at the end of the term in which the incomplete grade was assigned rather than the term in which the incomplete work was made up.)
  • Students who enter under the (2022/2023) catalog will be assigned to the degree or certificate requirements in effect during the 2022/2023 academic year. The student’s assigned catalog year will remain in effect as long as the student maintains continuous enrollment. Changes to requirements as mandated by law or by rule of the District Board of Trustees may supersede this provision.
  • Many courses in this catalog have prerequisite and/or corequisite courses which are listed in the course descriptions. Students are advised to be guided by these requirements.
  • Students who place into developmental education courses are required to complete designated developmental education courses with a grade of C or higher regardless of program of study.
     

Baccalaureate Transfer

The Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degree programs are intended primarily for students who desire to complete an Associate in Science degree or an Associate in Applied Science degree and become employed. Students who decide to pursue baccalaureate transfer study must meet certain course and test requirements. For details, visit the Transfer Services page at fscj.edu/transferservices or refer to the Baccalaureate Transfer Guide at fscj.edu/transferguide.

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