Therapy program requires anatomy course
Students applying to OCCC’s Physical Therapy Assistant program now must have completed Anatomy and Physiology I.
The change was made because students who were doing poorly in classes had something in common, said Peggy Newman, Physical Therapy Assistant program director.
A majority of the students had not taken Anatomy and Physiology.
Another change in the program now allows students to take an anatomy class with a cadaver. However, students will use aprosected cadaver to learn about anatomy rather than doing the actual dissection themselves, Newman said.
A prosected cadaver is a body that has already been dissected for the student’s learning experience.
The PTA program at OCCC is quite competitive.
Newman said approximately 60 to 70 students apply yearly, but only 20 are accepted.
This year’s deadline was March 3 and students will receive notice of admission by mid-April.
Classes such as Introduction to Physical Therapy and Assistive Devices require students to experience conditions that their patients might have. They practice using a wheelchairand crutches.
The students even put Vaseline over a pair of sunglasses to simulate visual impairment. These are examples of the disabilities that the students will eventually work with in patients.
The job market for physical therapy assistants was good in 2005, according to www.apta.org. Starting pay was from $26,000 to $28,000 with room for advancement in pay.
Newman said the PTA program is not a steppingstone to becoming a physical therapist. They are completely different occupations.
The distinction is described in more detail under the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act, she said.
The program at OCCC is a two-year program. In addition to classroom instruction, students also will receive up to 40 hours per week of job training in many different areas said Jeff Barrett, 2007 class president. “The classes are fun, but very challenging,” Barrett said.
Barrett hopes to become a physical therapist assistant in the field of outpatient work.
For more information, contact Peggy Jordan at (405) 682-1611, ext 7157.
