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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
br**********@sw***.edu

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.

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 Southwestern Oklahoma State University/Caddo Kiowa Technology Center 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: ac***********@ap**.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 405-643-3206 or email us at jb***@ck**.edu.

For information concerning the process to file a complaint with CAPTE, please follow this link http://www.capteonline.org/Complaints/

Student Organization

Contact Us

Jy Bass, Med., PTA, ATC
PTA Program Director
405.643.3268
jb***@ck**.edu