Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science

Physical Therapy is a health care profession whose practitioners work in a variety of settings including hospitals, private practice, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sport and fitness facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and work settings. The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is a member of the health care team who provides physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. The PTA helps people from all age groups with health or medical problems who have limited ability to move or perform functional activities in their daily lives. The PTA once graduated and licensed provides care through instruction to patients/clients' exercises for range of motion, strength, and coordination along with mobility training for functional activities such as gait, transfers and bed mobility with varying assistive devices, wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and walkers. The PTA is also skilled in massage and usage of modalities/physical agents such as electrical stimulation or ultrasound and cryotherapy /thermotherapy. The PTA provides all services under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist.  

Bakersfield College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Program provides concurrent didactic and clinical education. The program is 24 months in length (excluding prerequisite coursework) and begins each year in January. Students should anticipate making a full- time commitment to the program during the school year. The program is primarily scheduled during the day, but there may be weekend/evening classes or clinicals. Clinical education sites include hospitals, acute rehab facilities, out-patient clinics, and skilled nursing facilities in Kern County. Students may be assigned to any clinical education center in any geographical location and must provide their own transportation to these centers.  

There is an immediate demand for Physical Therapist Assistants currently in Kern County, with an average of 25 active postings and 13 hires monthly between September 2016-April 2018 in Kern County (Bakersfield College Program Review). There is no physical therapy or physical therapist assistant schools within 60 miles of Kern County to meet the needs of the above employer's needs. Bakersfield Community College began to develop a comprehensive needs assessment for an AS degree program with a detailed Program Overview and Labor Market Analysis of Physical Therapy prepared by the Central Valley/Mother Lode Center of Excellence to address the need for physical therapist assistants in Kern County. According to the comprehensive need assessment and data from local Kern County physical therapy employers, jobs are readily available with good income prospects and there is full employment for those who choose to work.

The Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science degree prepares graduates for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and California Law Examination (CLE) for Physical Therapist Assistant by providing theory, skills and experience needed to perform at an entry level physical therapist assistant. To achieve the Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree students must complete the required general education coursework for an Associate of Science Degree, the required core technical courses with at least a “C” grade along with passing the laboratory skills section of each course, complete required clinical hours, and meet all clinical education competencies. Once the student has graduated with the Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree, they are eligible to sit for the above National and State examinations required for licensure. 

For more information it is highly recommended students consult with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) at apta.org (http://www.apta.org). Review the APTA “Becoming a PTA” section and explore careers in physical therapist assistant.

Bakersfield College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program Mission Statement: 

The primary mission of Bakersfield College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Program is to provide excellence in education (diversity in economic and cultural backgrounds) in preparing competent, critical thinking students for entry-level employment as physical therapist assistants in a variety of clinical settings through the study of kinesiology, patient management, ethics/laws, physical agents/modalities, pathology, orthopedic, neurological and cardio-pulmonary physical therapy as it applies to the physical therapist assistant.  Upon graduation, students will be able to take the National PTA licensing exam and continue to diverse employment opportunities including underserved rural areas to develop into future leaders of the healthcare community. 

BC’s Mission statement’s congruency of the program’s mission statement with the institution and unit(s) missions.  

In accordance with Bakersfield College’s mission statement, the PTA program seeks to instruct students who are committed to high ethical standards, cultivate excellence, invest not only in self learning, but in the community and healthcare system as it pertains to physical therapy improvement and is active in lifelong learning habits. The program is mapped out for the student to achieve their degree in 5 semesters in accordance with Bakersfield College’s Guided Pathways approach, which will allow the student to graduate and enter the work force in a timely fiscally responsible manner.  

Bakersfield College's Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Program's outcome goals are to produce clinically competent students with high level critical thinking skills who communicate effectively while demonstrating professionalism, good ethical standards, and appreciation for life-long learning to graduate as entry-level physical therapist assistants ready to take the national exam for licensure and employment.   These goals are congruent with our program goals listed in the program goal narrative in graduating students who are ready to become competent entry-level physical therapist assistant employees and meet the demand Kern County stakeholders.

Physical Therapist Assistant Program Prerequisite Requirements:  
 

All prerequisites coursework must be completed prior to applying to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. Students are strongly encouraged to complete perquisites courses prior to enrolling in general education courses. This will improve the student’s opportunity to apply for the program enrollment. The following prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade “C” or higher.  

1. BIOL B32 (Human Anatomy and Physiology I- 4 units) and BIOL B33 (Human Anatomy and Physiology II- 4units) or an equivalent course(s) at another accredited college. Note BIOL B14 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL B15 (Human Physiology) were previously taught at Bakersfield College and they meet this requirement.  

2. PHTA B50 (Introduction to PTA-2 units)- must be taken at Bakersfield College

   Other conditions upon initial acceptance into the Program to be eligible to complete program acceptance and begin classes. 

   1. Students must upon being accepted into the program complete a physical examination to demonstrate that the student meets the technical standards necessary to meet the objectives of the Program according to the Essential technical Standards required for Physical Therapist Assistants. 

   2. As a condition of enrollment to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program, all students are required to submit to and pass a designated drug and alcohol screen and background check.  A history of a felony conviction (s) or any bar, exclusion, or other ineligibility for federal program participation could render a student ineligible for clinical placement as determined by clinical agencies. In the event the student cannot obtain a background clearance due to background restrictions, their seat in the cohort will be forfeited. Students who are found ineligible for clinical placement by the clinical agency after admission to the physical therapist assistant program shall be subject to dismissal from the Program, as they will be unable to complete mandatory clinical rotations. 

   3. Immunizations and health tests are needed for acceptance in a clinical education center and may include but not limited to rubella, varicella, hepatitis B and seasonal influeza. A tuberculosis screening is also required. 

   4. The physical exam, drug and alcohol screen, background screen, immunizations and health tests are performed at the expense of the student. 

   5. Students must possess a current American Heart Association BLS (Basic Life Support) for Healthcare Providers (CPR & AED) card. This card must be provided at the start of the Program and be kept valid during the entire 24-month Program. 

    

Enrollment Completer Projections 
 

According to current student counts from our prerequisite class PHTA B50 with over 50 students currently with a great demand from other students to take this course in the summer and fall it is estimated that the program will fill to capacity within the first year (20 students per cohort). Since this is a new program there is no existing data on enrollments and completer projections. The program will accept 20 students for each cohort beginning in the Spring of 2022 pending the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) approval in Fall of 2021 with both cohorts fully functional by Spring of 2023 bringing total enrollment of the program to 40 students.  

(A) Labor Market Information (LMI) 

Labor Market Information and Analysis: 

 There is an immediate demand for Physical Therapist Assistants currently in Kern County, with an average of 25 active postings and 13 hires monthly between September 2016-April 2018 in Kern County (Bakersfield College Program Review). Through the process of assessing local PTA needs, every clinic director spoken to have an immediate opening for a Physical Therapist Assistant and expressed the willingness to be clinical educators in hopes of hiring. According to the Employment Development Department State of California, (EDD), the number of Physical Therapist Assistants is expected to grow much faster than average growth for all occupations. Jobs for Physical Therapist Assistants are expected to increase by 30.8% (1600 jobs projected between 2016 and 2026) for the state of California. Specifically, to Kern County, the number of Physical Therapist Assistant growth rate is much faster than the growth rate for all occupations market information Kern County Physical Therapist Assistant. Physical Therapist Assistant jobs are expected to increase by 37.5 percent between 2016 and 2026 in Kern County (EDD labor market information Kern County Physical Therapist Assistant).  

Estimated Employment and Projected Growth Physical Therapist Assistants for Geographic Area (Estimated Year-Projected Year) (https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/OccGuides/Detail.aspx?Soccode=312021&Geography=0604000029)  

Source: EDD/LMID Projections of Employment by Occupation  

 Also, the 2018 Labor Market Analysis: Physical Therapy, prepared by the Central Valley/Mother Lode Center of Excellence predicts the greatest growth rate of 31%, for Physical Therapist Assistants, adding 47 new jobs annually for the South-Central Valley/Southern Mother Lode (SCV/SML) subregion. According to their data 146 job postings were listed for Physical Therapist Assistants between February 2017 and January 2018 in the SCV/SML subregion. This study also states the lack of resources in this area for PTA education by stating: “College of the Sequoias has the only program in the region and, subsequently, is the sole contributor to workforce supply in the region, resulting in an undersupply of trained, workers, a shortage of 162 in region and 95 in the subregion.”  This study went on to provide recommendation that Bakersfield College along with its physical therapy advisory board and local industry to develop its physical therapy program.  

Exhibit 11: (Central Valley/Mother Lode Center of Excellence, page 10)  

Exhibit 12 is a depiction for physical therapy occupational demand excluding physical therapists and relevant program completions (Central Valley/Mother Lode Center of Excellence, page 10)    

Exhibit 12: Physical therapy workforce demand and supply in the subregion and region.  

The above gap in supply exists in both the region and sub region, with a shortage of 162 in the region and 95 in the sub-region, which shows the supply is not meeting the demand for physical therapist assistants in Kern County. Bakersfield Community College’s PTA program will be able to increase the supply of qualified physical therapist assistants in Kern County.  

A Survey Monkey was conducted on need for a local Bakersfield Community College PTA program (https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-SLHYMC7J7/). The survey was emailed to a variety of program directors and clinic managers in the hospital setting, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities and acute rehab centers in Kern County, with 17 completing the survey. The summary of the results are as follows (See attached copy for details):  

• 89.47% answered yes that there is a need for a local Bakersfield Community College PTA Program.  

• 73.68% answered yes to serving on a PTA Advisory Board.  

• 100% answered yes to taking students for clinical rotations.  

• 84.21% answered yes to being willing to donate unneeded equipment or supplies to the program.  

• 94.74% answered yes to being a guest lecturer or provide other mentorship opportunities in their chosen expertise.  

• The projected number of PTAs that they would hire in the next 1 to 5 years was 55-76 PTAs.  

This survey demonstrates that there is a need for a PTA program in Bakersfield to meet local physical therapy employment shortages. It also shows that Kern County’s physical therapy community not only supports the program but is willing to give resources, time, and clinical education to ensure its success.  

Upon determination that a PTA program at Bakersfield College (BC) is a needed asset for the community, we went about to formulate our proposed PTA Advisory Board. Currently we have representatives from the major employers of physical therapist assistants in Kern County including: Dignity Health, Kern Medical Center, Terrio-Therapy and Fitness, Pair and Marotta, Glinn and Giordano, San Joaquin Nursing and Rehab, Kern River Transitional Care, Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital of Bakersfield, and Central Valley Physical Therapy. We also have community support with the Principal of the Kern High School Regional Occupational Programs joining the board along with faculty at BCC with the Director of the Radiologic Tech Program and Head of Athletic Training Department interested as well. I have attached letters of support from some of these potential board members as well as the Director of the PTA program from College of Sequoias (COS) expressing the need for a Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Bakersfield College. Bakersfield College’s PTA program will be able to supply local therapists to Kern County’s shortage of physical therapist assistants, specifically to underserved rural areas, as well as creating employment and professional growth for our PTA graduates.  

Bakersfield College's Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs):

1. Students will show clinical competency with an 85% pass rate of the national PTA exam upon graduating with the Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree. 

2.     Students will be competent, highly critical thinking, entry-level PTA clinicians by demonstrating safe and efficient interventions in areas of inpatient, acute rehab, SNF, outpatient and other related physical therapy facilities under the direction of a Physical Therapist with an 80% graduation rate of students who begin the PTA program.  

3.    Students will demonstrate by graduation professional leadership and adhere to all ethical and legal regulations set APTA’s Code of Ethics and Guideline for Conduct of the Physical Therapist Assistant and CA PTA Laws and Regulation, with a goal of 80% student membership in APTA.  

4.     Students will demonstrate upon graduation effective, professional communication skills orally and written between patient, family/caregiver, and healthcare team as evident with a passing grade for all clinical rotations. 

5.    Students will demonstrate by graduation clinical competency as measured by 100% safety through lab practical and clinical rotations in all patient care activities, including all functional mobility, modalities set up and therapeutic exercise.  

6.      Students will receive their Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science degree and transition to professional employment to meet industry entry level PTA requirements, as measured by a goal of 90% employment of graduating class. 

Master Planning/Similar Programs at other Colleges  and Program Mapper:

College of Sequoias (COS) currently has the only Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) community college-based program within the Central Valley.  The COS program has been extremely successful and has a 100% student pass rate on the NPTE.  Recently they received a 10-year accreditation cycle from the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).  However, due to a host of complex issues the program is unable to expand beyond its current capacity of 28 student per year.  This is currently inadequate to meet the needs of regional employers (Program Overview for Bakersfield College).  

Based on the host of complex issues stated above, Bakersfield Community College began to develop a comprehensive needs assessment for an AS degree program with a detailed Program Overview and Labor Market Analysis of Physical Therapy prepared by the Central Valley/Mother Lode Center of Excellence. Also, an in-depth environmental scan was completed which included: review and analysis of labor market information and projections from the region; program accreditation requirements(all programs in California must, by law, be accredited); surveys, feedback, and guidance from regional healthcare providers; review of healthcare industry data and the role of physical therapy in the healthcare delivery system; review and assessment of regional economic forecast data for the Central Region and specifically Kern County. 

The program goal is to receive Candidacy Status by the Commission Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), with successful completion of the requirements qualifying the graduate to sit for the National Physical Therapy Examination.  The successful PTA may begin employment in a wide variety entry level position.  According to the comprehensive need assessment and data from local Kern County physical therapy employers, jobs are readily available with good income prospects and there is full employment for those who choose to work. 

The median wage in 2019 for Physical Therapist Assistants in California is $69,666 annually, or $33.49 hourly. The median wage for Physical Therapist Assistants in Kern County is $62,441 annually, or $30.02 hourly. The median is the point at which half of the workers earn more and half earn less.  

Source: EDD/LMID Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, 2019. Wages do not reflect self-employment. 

Source: EDD/LMID Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, 2019. Wages do not reflect self-employment. 

Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs: 

Bakersfield College's Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Program will be located in the Allied Health Pathways under Kinesiology: Health & Physical Education. The program will recruit applicants who are interested in kinesiology within the department along with students interested in the Allied Health Pathway that includes Radiologic Technology, Nursing, and Health Information Technology.  The Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree will be a complimentary addition to these programs and will serve a need for students pursuing these similar medical impacted programs. 

Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree Pathway with recommended GE for completion in  2.5 years. 

Summer (Pre-requisite):  

BIOL B32 (B.1., Natural Sciences, Human Anatomy/Physiology 1, GE, PR)- 4 units 

Total 4 units (GE/Prerequisites)  

1st Term (Prior to Applying to the Program): 

ENGL B1A (A.1. Written Communication, Expository Composition, GE)- 3units 

MATH B72 (B.2., Mathematics, Gen Math Non-BSTEM, GE)- 4 units 

BIOL B33 (B.1., Natural Sciences, Human Anatomy/Physiology II, PR)- 4 units 

STDV B1 (Student Planning, GE)- 1unit  

PHTA B50 (Introduction to PTA, PR)- 2 units/lecture 

Total- 14 units total (Prerequisites: 6 units) , 

Apply to the Program 

2nd term (Admitted to the PTA Program) 

Spring, Semester 1 Technical Coursework 

PHTA B51 Kinesiology for the PTA (Core Tech PTA)- 3 units/lecture + lab 

PHTA B52 Physical Agents/Modalities (Core Tech PTA) – 3 units/lecture + lab 

 PH ED B2-33 (E, Physical Education-Movt. Based Course, GE) - 1 unit 

PHIL B12 (C.2., Intro to the Humanities, Ethics of Living &Dying, GE)- 3 units 

COMM B1 (A.1., Oral Communication, Public Speaking, GE) – 3 units 

 PHTA B90A- Pass/No Pass PTA Skills Class Beginning (Core Tech PTA)-1 unit 

  Total: 14 units total (Core Tech PTA -7 units) (7 units GE) 

3rd term PTA Program 

Fall, Semester 2 Technical Coursework 

PHTA B60 Orthopedics for the PTA (Core Tech PTA)- 3 units/lecture + lab 

PHTA B61 Pathophysiology (Core Tech PTA) – 2 units lecture 

PHTA B62 Acute Inpatient Interventions (Core Tech PTA) – 3 units/lecture + lab 

PHTA B63 Administration/Laws/Regulations (Core Tech PTA)– 2 units/lecture 

 PHTA B64 Clinical Education I (Core Tech PTA) – 3 units/clinical – 160 hours  

 PHTA B90B- Pass/No Pass PTA Skills Class Intermediate (Core Tech PTA)-1 unit 

  Total: 14 units total (Core Tech PTA -14 units) 

4th term PTA Program 

Spring. Semester 3 Technical Coursework 

PHTA B70- Neurorehabilitation (Core Tech PTA)- 3 units/lecture + lab 

PHTA B71 Cardiopulmonary Rehab (Core Tech PTA) – 3 units/lecture + lab 

PHTA B72 Therapeutic Exercise (Core Tech PTA) – 4 units/lecture + lab 

PSYC B1A (D.1. Foundations in Behavioral Sciences, General Psychology, GE)-3 units 

COMM B2 (E, Lifelong Understanding & Dev., Interpersonal Comm., GE) -3 units 

PHTA B90C- Pass/No Pass PTA Skills Class Advanced (Core Tech PTA)- 1 unit 

  Total: 17 units total (Core Tech PTA -11 units) (6 units GE) 

5th Term PTA Program 

Fall, Semester 4 Technical Coursework 

PHTA B80 – Clinical Education II (Core Tech PTA) – 5 units/Clinical hours – 240 hours 

PHTA B81 – Clinical Education III (Core Tech PTA) – 6 units/Clinical hours – 280 hours  

 PHTA B82 – Professional Development (Core Tech PTA) – 1 unit/lecture  

History B17A (D.3., Foundations in Social Science/U.S. Institutions, History of the United States, GE)- 3 units 

Total: 15 units total (Core Tech PTA -12 units) (3units GE) 

Unit Breakdown for the PTA Program: 

• 44 units- PTA core technical classes  

• 28 GE units (includes BIOB B32 Anatomy/Physiology I, which is also a pre-requisite) 
• 6 units of Pre-Requisites (BIOL 33 Anatomy/Physiology II & PHTA B50, BIOL 32 is also a prerequisite but units are counted in General Education)  
•  78 units total for BC’s Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Degree
• Required for the Program are 44  units of PTA core technical classes and 10 units of required prerequisites for a total of 54 units for Degree Major or Area of Emphasis.

*Per CAPTE the Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science degree must be shown that it can be completed in 5 semesters (summer session for BIOL 32 is permitted to allow for students' time to take in sequence BIOL 32 & BIOL 33 for prerequisites into the program). This is the recommended, but not required GE and has taken into consideration GE classes that would be beneficial to the program as well as placed in the sequence where there was an abundant of online courses for that particular GE class when students would be in clinical rotations and not able to come to traditional face to face instruction. If students have completed all or portions of their general education courses then they will only have to complete the technical courses each semester.  

*Students must pass each PTA technical course with a 75% "C" and 70% Pass on all Lab Practical's to ensure readiness for clinical rotations and to advance within the program.  Remediation plans are set forth in each course for the student to have the opportunity to complete these necessary skills.  Failure to meet these standards will lead to dismissal from the program as each semester builds on each other to advance skills and prepare the student for final clinical rotations along the needed skills for employment as an entry-level physical therapist assistant upon graduation.

General Education Pattern: 

General education courses are required to graduate from Bakersfield College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Science Program. It is suggested that these courses be completed prior to program enrollment. Refer to the Bakersfield College General Education and Graduation Requirements in the college catalog  for more specific information and requirements for the college (the list below does NOT identify all requirements). All students are encouraged to regularly check the college requirements for graduation and/or meet with a Counselor/Advisor to ensure that AS degree requirements will be met at the end of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. Completion of the AS Degree is required to meet eligibility requirements for licensure. 

• A. Communication (6 units) 

• A.1 Oral Communication (3 units): Comm B1 recommended; Any course listed in Area A.1 of the Gen Ed Pattern in the BC Catalog. 

• A.2 Written Communication (3 units): ENGL B1A  

• B. Physical Universe and Life Forms (4 units) 

• B.1 Natural Sciences (4-8 units): BIOL B18 or BIOL B32 & BIOL B33- prerequisite courses 

• B.2 Mathematics and Logic (3-5 units): MATH B72 recommended 

• C. Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and Foreign Language (3-5 units) 

• PHIL B12 recommended, or any course in Area C: Gen Ed Pattern in the BC Catalog. 

• D. Social, Political, Legal and Economic Institutions & Behavior, Historical Background (6 units) 

• D.1 Foundations int he Behavioral Sciences (3 units): PSYCH B1A recommended, or any course listed in Area D.1 in the BC Catalog. 

• OR D.2 Foundations in the Social Sciences (3 units): Any course listed in Area D.2 in the BC Catalog. 

• AND D.3 American (U.S. Institutions) (3 units): Any course listed in Area D.3 in the BC Catalog. 

• Remember to choose a class that meets the multicultural requirement if you have not already done so. PSYCH B1A meets the multicultural requirement. 

• E. Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development (4 unit) 

•  E:  Lifelong Understanding and Development (3 units) – COMM B2 recommended, or Any course listed in Area E Lifelong Understanding and Development in the BC Catalog.   

• AND Physical Education - 1 unit required from PHED courses listed in the BC Catalog. 

• Educational Planning –STDV B1 recommended, or any course listed in the BC Catalog General Requirements (Recommended to be taken during the first semester of courses at BC to assure priority registration.)