Physical Therapist Assistant Program

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Physical Therapist Assistant

Program

Application and Procedure Packet

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Physical Therapist Assistant Program

Admission Checklist

CHECK WHEN COMPLETED

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS: If the applicant has attended another college, university, agency or educational institution:

• Request an official transcript be sent from each institution attended, to the Registrar’s Office of Olympic College, 1600 Chester Ave., Bremerton, WA 98337, Attention Evaluations.

• Complete and submit the Transfer Credit Evaluation form to the Registrar’s Office.

ACCUPLACER ASSESSMENT: Complete the Accuplacer assessment for reading with a score of 84 or higher. (COMPASS or ASSET may also be accepted; contact Advising and Counseling Services at 360.475.7230 for information.) Students with a previous Bachelor degree or higher from an accredited college are not required to take the Accuplacer assessment.

TEASTEST: Complete the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). Contact the Olympic College Testing Center at 360.475.7238

or [email protected] for information.

GENERAL COLLEGE APPLICATION: Submit the general college application online (go to www.olympic.edu and click on “Getting Started”.)

PTAAPPLICATION: Submit the PTA application, and all supporting documents to the Admissions Office, Olympic College, 1600 Chester Ave., Bremerton, WA 98337, and Attention PTA Admissions.

WHEN TO SUBMIT: The application may be submitted when either instance listed below occurs:

• All prerequisites are completed OR

• When registered for the last prerequisite course

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 30 of the year entry is requested to the PTA

program.

ADVISING: Make an appointment to meet with an advisor in the Advising and Counseling Center (360.475.7230 or [email protected]) if you have questions about the correct PTA prerequisite pathway.

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I

F YOU ARE ADMITTED

:

If you are admitted to the PTA program, a packet will be mailed you, including the letter of admission, and directions on how to submit additional required documents.

PROOF OF CURRENT IMMUNIZATION

BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (BLS) for Health Care Providers Certification (American Heart Association) or for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross) for

Adults, Children and Infants. The card must state that it is for health care

providers or for the professional rescuer. The card must be maintained current throughout the entire period of enrollment in the PTA program.

LIABILITY AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE must be purchased every September at the College Cashiers’ Office.

WASHINGTON STATE POLICE BACKGROUND CHECK - Background Results and Inquiry form submitted to PTA Office.

PROOF OF PERSONAL HEALTH INSURANCE.

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PTA Admission Procedure

While applicants must submit both the general college application and the PTA application, admission to the college does not offer or guarantee admission to the PTA program. The program is open to men and women. The program will admit one class of 24 new students per year, and will begin in fall quarter. An offer of admission will be based on a factor system.

R

EQUIREMENTS

• ENGLISH SKILL: Fluency in the English language including reading comprehension and writing is a necessary requirement for practice as a PTA.

• PREREQUISITE COURSES: Biology 175 and Physics 110 with a minimum grade of 2.0 in each course. Alternatively, students may take Chemistry 121 followed by Biology 241 and 242 as a prerequisite series. Students may

Course Review for all applicable courses. The Course Review requires a copy of the

[email protected]

not substitute Chemistry 121 for Physics 110 in conjunction with Biology 175. Students who did not take their prerequisite courses at Olympic College must submit a

course syllabus and an unofficial transcript. The documents should be mailed to Olympic College, Physical Therapist Assistant Program, 1600 Chester Ave. Bremerton, WA 98337-1669 or you can email all attachments to: prior to the PTA program April 30thdeadline.

• SUPPORT COURSES: Completion of support courses listed in the program with a minimum grade of 2.0 in each course. All support courses must be successfully completed prior to completion of the first year of the professional phase of the PTA program.

H

OW TO

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UBMIT

Y

OUR

A

PPLICATION

• SUBMIT THE APPLICATION AND ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION to the OC Admissions Office by April 30. To be eligible to submit the application, all pre-requisite coursework must be completed or the applicant must be enrolled in the final pre-requisite course. Priority consideration will be given applicants with completed prerequisite coursework prior to the April 30 deadline. Based on the factoring system, applicants successfully completing (2.0 GPA or higher required) prerequisite

coursework may be granted “provisional acceptance” to the program. If a full cohort is achieved following the April 30 application review, provisional acceptance will not be granted to applicants with remaining coursework to be completed.

• REQUEST OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS (see checklist)

• SUBMIT THE TRANSCRIPT EVALUATION REQUEST FORM (see checklist)

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the applicant’s responsibility to verify that all necessary transcripts, applications, and forms have been received and are on file at the Admissions Office.

• SELECTION: The PTA Selection Committee meets during spring quarter. Admitted applicants will be notified of their admission status shortly after the end of spring quarter. A letter will be mailed to applicants who were eligible for admission but not selected, offering a ‘once-only’ opportunity to roll their application to the following year. Written acceptance of that offer will be required.

• INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS: Applicants with incomplete prerequisites or documentation must reapply for next year’s class to receive consideration for admission.

• LATE APPLICATIONS: Applications received after April 30 will be held for consideration for the next admission cycle.

PTA Program Admission Selection Criteria

C

RITERIA

The following criteria will be used to determine admission status to the PTA program: • COMPLETION OF PREREQUISITE COURSES with a 2.0 grade or higher in each course:

Biology 175 and Physics 110, or Chemistry 121 and Biology 241/242*.

Note: Either Biology 175, or Physics 110, or Biology 242 may be taken in spring quarter of the year the student anticipates entry to the PTA program. Such applicants may receive a ‘provisional admission’ if they have met all other requirements and have an adequate number of factor points. A grade of 2.0 or higher must be achieved or the provisional admission will be revoked.

• READING COMPREHENSION level score on the Accuplacer (or COMPASS) reading comprehension test. A score of 84 or higher (88 on COMPASS) must be achieved. Students with a previous Bachelor level degree or higher from an accredited college are not required to take the Accuplacer assessment.

• COMPLETION OF THE TEST OF ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC SKILLS ASSESSMENT (TEAS) • COMPLETION OF SUPPORT COURSES, with a required grade of 2.0 or higher, is

recommended; Psychology 100

Mathematics 099 (or higher) English 101

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• COMPLETION OF 40TOTAL HOURS OF VOLUNTEERISM in at least two different physical therapy facilities. Hours must be documented on the Volunteer/Work Verification form.

*To meet graduation requirements, all biological science courses (Biology 175, Biology

241 and Biology 242) must have been completed no more than ten years prior to graduation from the PTA program. If completion of the specified biology courses exceeds the time limit, the student may repeat the course(s) or challenge the biology course content through the Excelsior College Examination.

F

ACTOR

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YSTEM

The admission factor score will be derived according to the point system listed below. • CUMULATIVE GPA OF PREREQUISITE COURSES

GPA: 2.7-2.89 2.9-3.09 3.1-3.29 3.3-3.49 3.5-3.69 3.7-4.0

Points: 1 2 3 4 5 6

• COMPLETION OF ALL REQUIRED SUPPORT COURSES PRIOR TO APPLICATION Points: 1 point per course

• COMPLETION OF THE TEASTEST WITH A COMPOSITE SCORE OF >50% OR HIGHER Points: 1 point for composite score >50%

• ROLL-OVER (for applicants who were eligible for admission but not selected)

Points: 1

*Students taking Biology 241 and 242 will receive a single averaged factor score for the two combined courses

**Students can only use the Roll-Over point once.

*** Starting in 2016, all first-time applicants are restricted in the number of retakes for prerequisites and required support courses. For the purpose of factoring, if an applicant has retaken a course multiple times, only the second attempt will be considered.

IN THE CASE OF A TIE:

First tie breaker: Combined GPA of prerequisite courses.

Second tie breaker: Combined GPA of all required support courses completed prior to April 30th.

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Clinical Experience Requirements

(For Admitted Students)

Clinical experience in patient care at cooperating health care facilities will be included in the program.

Prior to starting the clinical experience, the health care agencies require PTA students to provide evidence/proof of the following:

• CURRENT IMMUNIZATIONS (a list of required immunizations will be provided upon acceptance into the program)

• BASIC LIFE SUPPORT FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CERTIFICATION (American Heart Assoc.) or for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross), which must be maintained/unexpired while in the PTA program.

• LIABILITY AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE (purchased annually in fall quarter at OC’s Cashiers’ Office--non-refundable.)

• PERSONAL HEALTH INSURANCE

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Additional Information

• Admission is offered to the program for a specific year. If the applicant wishes to delay entry to the program to another year, he/she must reapply for admission to the next desired start of the PTA program and will be considered with the new pool of applicants.

• Applicants who were eligible for the current year class, but not admitted, will be offered an opportunity to ‘roll-over’ their applications for admission to next year’s pool of applicants. This is allowed only once. Reapplication is not required.

• Re-Entry: Former Olympic College PTA students must submit a PTA application for admission and all credential requirements to be eligible to re-enroll. Upon the first academic or voluntary withdrawal a student is granted priority for readmission the following year, but must reapply to the program. Students with a second academic or voluntary withdrawal must reapply as a first year (new) student.

•

DEADLINES: Fall re-entry: June 15 Winter re-entry: September 15 Spring re-entry: January 1 Summer re-entry: April 1 • CREDIT TRANSFER:

Prospective applicants who desire credit transfer from another institution must note their request on the PTA application for admission.

Credit transfer may be awarded, in accordance with established OC policies, including Vertical Challenge if applicable.

Students with previous PTA education, or who have completed previous formal PTA education must meet the following prerequisites prior to admission:

o English 101

o Physics 110 and Biology 175, or, o Chemistry 121 and Biology 241/242

o Accuplacer reading assessment score of 84 or higher.

Previously stated time-limits for biological science courses will apply. Advanced standing admission will be based on space availability. Policy questions should be directed to the PTA Director.

• Olympic College is committed to providing access to higher education for students with disabilities. Any student with a permanent of temporary disability is encouraged to contact Access Support Services at 360.475.7540 to discuss appropriate

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Course Qtr/YR Grade Course Qtr/YR Grade English 101 Biology 175 Psychology 100 Biology 241 Math 099 Biology 242 Physics 110 Chemistry 121 PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT PROGRAM

Application for Admission

Submit application to:

Olympic College, Admissions, 1600, Chester Ave., Bremerton, WA. 98337-1699

For program commencing fall quarter

Check one: Type or print in ink.

New student first year: Re-entry student: First year: Second year:

Acceptance to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program is determined on the basis of requirements listed in the most current Olympic College Catalog. General admission to Olympic College does not grant admission to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. An additional application process is required for the PTA program. Refer to the PTA Application and Procedures Packet for complete information.

Name

Last First Middle Student ID #

Previous names used Day Phone #:

Street/PO Box City State Zip

Date of Birth U.S. Citizen Yes No If No, Country Instructions:

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List all other Physical Therapist Assistant education.

Include name and address of institution (separate sheet may be attached if necessary.)

Have you ever been legally charged or convicted? YES NO If yes, please indicate nature of the charge and final disposition on a separate sheet of paper. Note: State Boards of Physical Therapist Assistant may deny licensure based on legal or ethical grounds.

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE ALL OF THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT. IF FRAUD IS FOUND, I MAY BE DISMISSED FROM THE OLYMPIC COLLEGE PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT PROGRAM.

Signature

Date

You MUST list ALL schools you have previously attended since high school. Official Transcripts must be submitted to the Office of Admissions at Olympic College for ALL schools listed below regardless if a degree was awarded or not:

Name of other college, vocational/technical school attended

City and State Years attended From To Year Year Graduated Yes, Year No

List any additional colleges, vocational/technical schools on a separate sheet of paper and attach to this document.

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PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT PROGRAM

Volunteer/Work Verification Form

This admission requirement will help you determine if the profession of physical therapy is an appropriate career selection for you. You are required to:

a) Tour physical therapy department/s (call for an appointment).

b) Observe ("job-shadow"), volunteer (hands-on), or be employed a total of 40 hours in at least two different types of physical therapy (PT) clinics. Examples of settings in which physical therapy is performed include hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, home health care, school systems, sports medicine clinics, or work-hardening centers. You can divide the 40 hours any way you'd like, for example: 20 hours at a hospital and 20 hours at an outpatient sports medicine clinic; or 30 hours at a nursing home and 10 hours at a specialty clinic. No more than 30 hours may be utilized in any one facility. You must have a PT or PTA for each clinical site sign the bottom of this form.

Students who are actively involved in volunteer hours should consider they are in a professional atmosphere, and should demonstrate appropriate behavior. This includes appropriate dress code/appearance, use of appropriate language and communication skills, punctuality, commitment to learning and professional respect for clinical staff and patients. Adherence to specific clinical policies should be followed at all times.

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PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT PROGRAM

CLINICAL OBSERVATION VERIFICATION FORM

INSTRUCTIONS TO PT OR PTA: Please complete the appropriate section of this form and return it to the student who observed in your facility.

NAME OF STUDENT: _______________________________________________________

I verify that the above named student has observed/volunteered for a total of _____ hours at this facility. The type of setting/care is described as___________________________.

DATE: _____________ FACILITY NAME_______________________________________ ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER:_________________________________________________________ COMMENTS: ____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________ ___________________________ PT/PTASIGNATURE &DATE PTLICENSE NUMBER

___________________________________________________ STUDENT SIGNATURE AND DATE

INSTRUCTIONS TO PT OR PTA: Please complete the appropriate section of this form and return it to the student who observed in your facility.

NAME OF STUDENT: _______________________________________________________

I verify that the above named student has observed/volunteered for a total of _____ hours at this facility. The type of setting/care is described as___________________________.

DATE: _____________ FACILITY NAME_______________________________________ ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER:_________________________________________________________ COMMENTS: ____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________ ___________________________ PT/PTASIGNATURE &DATE PTLICENSE NUMBER