Curriculum

First Year – First Semester 

First Year – Second Semester 

Summer 

Second Year – First Semester 

Second Year – Second Semester 

Goals and Outcomes 

The PTA program will provide students with quality education in contemporary PT practice taught by qualified faculty, appropriate clinical experiences, and curricula modeled from the Mississippi Curriculum Framework: Postsecondary Physical Therapist Assistant and The Standards and Required Elements for Accreditation of Physical Therapist Assistant Education Programs. 

1. Outcome: The PTA student will receive an integrated body of academic and physical therapy instruction to successfully achieve graduation with an associate’s in applied science degree in physical therapist assistant. 
2. Outcome: The PTA faculty will demonstrate knowledge and experience in the field of physical therapy. 
3. Outcome: The PTA curriculum will reflect current standards at the national, state, and local level. 
4. The PTA program will prepare students to competently perform entry-level skills, data collection, and selected intervention techniques operating as an effective health care team member within the plan of care and under the direction and supervision of the licensed physical therapist. 
    
5. Outcome – The PTA student will demonstrate the ability to perform entry-level physical therapy skills in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical setting to achieve successful passage of the required coursework. 
6. Outcome – The PTA student will demonstrate professional work behaviors in both the classroom and clinical settings. 
7. The PTA program will ensure that the quality and curricular content are responsive to the needs of the students and the communities served by Pearl River Community College. 
    
8. Outcome: The PTA graduate will successfully pass the National Physical Therapist Examination (NPTE). 
9. Outcome: The PTA graduate will obtain a position as an entry-level physical therapist assistant if the graduate so desires. 
10. Outcome: The PTA program will comply with The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), and state and federal guidelines for physical therapist assistant education. 
11. The PTA program will provide the student with the importance of taking on leadership roles in the profession to continue to impart a desire for lifelong learning and service to the community. 
     
12. The PTA student will perform a minimum of eight services hours to the community 
13. The PTA student will attend a minimum of one state or national physical therapy meeting. 
14. The PTA student will perform a community project reflecting a current physical therapy issue. 
15. The PTA student will perform an in-service to healthcare providers or a patient population at each of the long-term clinical rotations. 
16. The PTA Faculty will model professional characteristics through professional growth, service to the physical therapy profession and continued education. 
     
17. Outcome: The PTA faculty will demonstrate leadership in the profession. 
18. Outcome: The PTA faculty will act as a source of information to past graduates and the community for information on the practice of Physical Therapy. 
19. Outcome: The PTA faculty will maintain current trends in physical therapy through continued education and practice.