Program Details

The U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms good news for future graduates of BC's Physical Therapist Assistant Program since physical therapy is one of the country's fastest-growing healthcare occupations. Here in Florida, home to one of the country's largest elderly populations, the long-term outlook is favorable for accelerating demand for physical therapist assistants. Employment is expected to grow much faster than average with a 33 percent increase in job opportunities for graduates of a PTA program and a Median Annual Wage -- $58,790 in May of 2019.

Our graduates consistently exceed the national and state average pass rate on the licensure exam for physical therapist assistants. Many of them are offered jobs at the clinics they were assigned for their practicum. In addition, graduates have found work in:

• Hospitals
• Private clinics
• Nursing homes
• Rehabilitation centers
• Public health agencies
• Home health agencies

After your career is underway, you can further develop expertise in specialized areas such as sports medicine, pediatrics, or geriatrics right here at Broward College. Continuing education courses are available to enhance your skillet. In addition, PT Assistants may secure faculty positions in-state colleges or private institutions as instructors in PT Assistant programs. They may even qualify for the position of a program director or department head of a PTA program if they have advanced their education.

The Employ Florida Marketplace is our primary employment resource for students and local employers. The Florida Physical Therapy Association also provides a current list of job openings across the nation.

If you’re interested in the field of physical therapist assisting, you should:  

• Be comfortable with a job that requires physical activity
• Have a background in the sciences (biology, anatomy, etc.)
• Possess a desire to work in an active, progressive occupation
• Be able to interact well with a variety of people and cultures
• Have a general interest in the prevention of disease and the maintenance and restoration of the quality of life

PTA Job Demands

Technical Performance Standards

Certain abilities are considered essential for student success relative to achieving the level of competency required for graduation. Potential students should carefully review the standards as detailed and are urged to inquire if clarification is needed on any of the standards.

Data Collection Standards

• Tactile ability sufficient for collection and assessment of data
• Ability to adjust settings on equipment
• Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health care needs
• Olfactory ability sufficient for patient/client assessment
• Visual ability sufficient for assessing and observing the patient/client and environment

Communication Standards

• Possess sufficient communication skills to interact effectively with others - sensitive to individual and cultural differences
• Ability to express self verbally in a language that will be understood by a majority of patients/clients
• Ability to explain interventions, provide patient/client education, and assess/relate patient/client response to interventions
• Possess the ability to recognize, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues 

Sensorimotor Standards

• Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective care
• Standing and walking for extended periods of time and physical abilities sufficient to move from room to room, to maneuver inpatient rooms and other small areas
• The motor skills of stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, and handling
• Ability to perform medium work (defined as lifting 60-pound maximum with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 30 pounds)
• Ability to walk with good balance and to resist challenge while walking
• Fine motor coordination sufficient to calibrate and use equipment
• Ability to perform therapeutic interventions and safely utilize equipment that requires sensory awareness, ability to perform palpation, and fine motor coordination
• Independent mobility including transportation to/from campus and clinical practicums
• Stamina to participate in physical activity over prolonged periods of time

Intellectual and Conceptual Standards

• Ability to assimilate, within a reasonable amount of time, large amounts of complex, technical, and detailed information from a variety of sources
• Ability to identify a cause-effect relationship in order to make judgments and set priorities in clinical situations
• Recognize physiological changes in patient/client status and act appropriately
• Ability to function during stressful situations
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, integrate information, and make decisions promptly

Behavioral and Social Standards

• Possess sufficient interpersonal skills to establish meaningful and effective rapport with individuals from a variety of different social, emotional, economic, cultural, ethnic, religious, and intellectual backgrounds as well as within all age groups
• Appreciate and respect patient/family confidentiality
• Ability to cope with heavy workload schedule and patient demands
• Function effectively during periods of high stress
• Display adaptability
• Accept responsibility for own behavior
• Engage in self-assessment activities which include identification of learning needs

Ethical Standards

• Exhibit respect for truth and a commitment to honesty in all didactic and clinical pursuits
• Adhere to ethical and legal guidelines established by applicable national organizations and governmental agencies
• Abide by all institutional regulations

Mission Statement

Transforming students' lives and enriching our diverse community through academic excellence, innovation, and meaningful career opportunities.
The mission of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program is to prepare competent, ethical, and culturally sensitive entry-level PT Assistants who are capable of functioning in an ever-changing health care delivery system secondary to being dedicated to lifelong learning. Student success is achieved by developing informed and creative students capable of contributing to a knowledge- and service-based global society. The program provides learner-centered technical education to all segments of the community and is committed to celebrating diversity and inclusion by empowering and engaging students, faculty, and staff.

The program is committed to accomplishing its mission through the use of effective and diverse instructional methods that encompass both traditional as well as technology-based strategies (e-learning including online courses, video conferencing, etc.).

Broward College's innovative program will challenge and train you to excel in this ever-evolving, always demanding field.

Related Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Within the process of patient/client management established by the Physical Therapist, adjust or withhold intervention based on patient/client status as determined through observation, data collection, and interpretive processes. Process the requisite knowledge to identify the situation, weigh alternatives, and select appropriate responses within the plan of care established by the Physical Therapist.
2. Use information from data collection to progress patient/client interventions within the plan of care established by the Physical Therapist, and reports changes to the supervising Physical Therapist.
3. Complete thorough, accurate, logical, concise, timely, and legible documentation that follows guidelines and specific documentation formats required by state practice acts, the practice setting, and other regulatory agencies.
4. Communicate verbally and non-verbally with the patient/client, the Physical Therapist, health care delivery personnel, and others in an effective, appropriate, and capable manner.
5. Implement delegated interventions to achieve the short and long term goals and outcomes identified in the plan of care.
6. Perform safe interventions competently based on the plan of care established by the Physical Therapist so as to minimize risk to the patient/client, self, and others.
7. Implement the delegated interventions within the plan of care established by the Physical Therapist, monitor the patient/client response, and respond accordingly.
8. Provide patient/client-related instruction to patient/clients, family members, and caregivers to achieve patient/client outcomes based on the plan of care established by the Physical Therapist.

Faculty members and adjuncts include physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who have graduated from accredited physical therapy programs.

Broward College Physical Therapist Assistant

Get to know the industry and market for physical therapist assistants. Browse the info on the following sites for a closer look at the PTA profession.

Florida Physical Therapy Association

Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

Florida Department of Health, Department of Medical Quality Assurance

Health Science Admissions
healthscience@broward.edu    

Health Science Advisor
Rehana Saleem
rsalee1@broward.edu    

Program Director
Elizabeth Ordonez-Agramonte, PT, DPT
eordonez@broward.edu                  

Director of Clinical Education
Tania Johansen, MSPT, DPT
tjohanse@broward.edu                       

Clinical Liaison
Cris Borbor, PTA
cborbor@broward.edu

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