Physical Therapist Assistant
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Beginning in August of 2023, the CKTC/SWOSU PTA program professional classes will only be offered on the campus of Caddo-Kiowa Technology Center in Ft Cobb, OK. The Program expansion site on the SWOSU campus will no longer be available.
Learn the skills and knowledge you need to assist a physical therapist in implementing treatment for patients. After completion of the physical therapist assistant program, you’ll be fully prepared to sit for the required licensure exam and begin your career.
Becoming a physical therapist assistant is not only a secure and necessary career, it is one that makes a difference in the lives of others. As a physical therapist assistant, you can help your patients unlock a higher range of movement and a better quality of life.
PTA Training at Caddo Kiowa Technology Center & SWOSU
Our program, which is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), is offered through a partnership with Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be awarded an associate in applied science degree.
This adults-only program does require certain prerequisites, which you can complete at any of SWOSU’s campuses or other accredited institutions, as long as the credits transfer to SWOSU. You’ll enroll at the campus where the courses are offered and pay regular tuition cost at that campus.
During the course of this program you will learn the duties of a physical therapist assistant: how to train physical therapy patients in exercises and daily activities, conduct treatments using special equipment, and administer modalities and other treatments. A physical therapist assistant works under the supervision of a physical therapist and reports to their physical therapist on the patient’s response to therapy.
The technical speciality portion of the program is located at Caddo Kiowa Technology center in Fort Cobb, OK. It accepts up to 16 students per year.
Application
New applications to the Physical Therapist Assistant program will be available starting January 1 each year. The deadline for applications to the program is April 1. Candidates are interviewed in May and classes start in August. All students accepted to the program must pass a drug test and background check before their participation in clinicals.
In accordance with the Oklahoma Medical Board of Licensure and Supervision, any person who has been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude may be ineligible to be licensed as Physical Therapist Assistant in the state of Oklahoma. Prospective students, with such a history, should verify eligibility with the Oklahoma Medical Licensure Board prior to applying to CKTC/SWOSU PTA Program. If any of these circumstances exist, you may wish to contact the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, 405.848.6841 for clarification prior to application submission.
The following requirements for admission to the physical therapist assistant program also apply:
Meet SWOSU admission requirements
Have a GPA minimum of 2.7 in all college-level work, with a minimum grade of C for all prerequisites
40 documented observational hours with a PT/PTA
Reference letters
Only adult students can apply for the program.
Program Requirements
Program Requirements: Courses listed under A and B must be completed before admission to the program. Course names, numbers and credit hours are specific to the Weatherford campus. Sayre and other institution names, numbers and credit hours may vary. After successful completion of degree requirements, graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Exam required for state licensure.
A. General Education
SWOSU at Weatherford
1113 English Comp I – 3 hrs
1213 English Comp II – 3 hrs
1043 U.S. History to 1877 – 3 hrs
1103 Am. Govt. & Politics – 3 hrs
1003 General Psychology – 3 hrs
1143 Math Concepts or 1513 College Algebra – 3 hrs
Total Hours: 18 hrs
B. Technical Support Courses
SWOSU at Weatherford – taken within past 7 years
1004 Biological Concepts with lab – 4 hrs
2104 Human Anatomy with lab – a free standing Human Anatomy class is required – 4 hrs
2304 Human Physiology with lab – 4 hrs A Physiology component must be met (programmatic approval is required). Examples for possible approval are Human Anatomy & Physiology with lab or Exercise Physiology. In the event of a substitution, the Request to Substitute Prerequisite form must be completed prior to acceptance.
2453 Medical Terminology – 3 hrs
2212 Basic CPR & First Aid – 2 hrs
Guided Electives – 2-3 hrs
Total Hours: 19 hrs
C. Technical Specialty (Once accepted to PTA program)
Semester 3
1012 Intro to Physical Therapy – 2 hrs
1023 Basic Human Needs – 3 hrs
1213 Pain Management I – 3 hrs
1224 Therapeutic Exercise 1 – 4 hrs
2032 Practicum I – 2 hrs
Total Hours: 14 hrs
Semester 4
2112 PTA Systems/Problems – 2 hrs
1113 Threats to Basic Needs – 3 hrs
2013 Pain Management II – 3 hrs
2133 Practicum II – 3 hrs
2024 Ther Ex II – 4 hrs
Total Hours: 15 hrs
Admission
Prerequisite courses may be taken at any of SWOSU’s campuses. Prerequisites may also be obtained from other accredited institutions as long as they will transfer to SWOSU Weatherford.
In the event of a substitution, the Request to Substitute Prerequisite form will be completed by the PTA Program Director prior to acceptance.
A separate application is required for admission to the PTA – Technical Specialty program. Applications are available to be completed online with the tab above. You may also request an application by mail for a fee of $5. If there is a problem completing online, please contact us.
The application must be completed and returned by April 1.
Applications may be completed entirely online or portions mailed to:
Brandy Chase
Program Coordinator
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
School of Allied Health – SCI 206
100 Campus Drive
Weatherford, OK 73096
580.774.6917
Email Brandy Chase
Admission to this portion of the program is competitive and based on grade point averages, interviews, references, experience and other evidence of potential success in the program.
Admission to SWOSU does not guarantee admission to this portion of the PTA program. All technical support courses must have been taken within the past seven years from the date of application. Admissions are limited to the top 16 students.
Contact Us
Jy Bass, Med., PTA, ATC
PTA Program Director
405.643.3268
Email Jy Bass
Career Opportunities
Becoming a Physical Therapist Assistant
In choosing to become a physical therapist assistant, you are entering a career that is soaring in demand, thanks to an aging population. As people age, they become more prone to debilitating conditions that might require physical therapy.
Physical therapist assistant salaries are competitive, and actually only about 33 percent lower than the physical therapists they assist (a $13 per hour difference.) In Oklahoma, your salary may vary by city, but on average in the state of Oklahoma, physical therapist assistants can expect to make between $43,000 and $50,000 a year.
Student Outcomes
Please click here to view the latest student outcomes.
Accreditation
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Caddo Kiowa Technology Center/Southwestern Oklahoma State University 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, CAPTE website. The program’s current status is probationary accreditation; for more information, see https//www.capteonline.org/about-capte/recent-actions-and-updatates/recent-actions. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 405-643-3206 or email us at Email Jy Bass
For information concerning the process to file a complaint with CAPTE, please follow this link http://www.capteonline.org/Complaints/
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