PTA News! Apply to the PTA Program!

The University of Saint Francis (USF) was recently notified by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association that, at its meeting on April 30, 2003, the commission voted to award accreditation to the USF Physical Therapist Assistant education program for a period of nine years. The USF Physical Therapist Assistant Program has been accredited since the graduation of its first class in 1997. The accreditation is subject to continued compliance with the Evaluative Criteria established by CAPTE.

The USF Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program awards the Associate of Science degree and enrolls up to 22 students per year. Graduates of the program work under the direction and supervision of licensed physical therapists and are employed in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and out patient facilities in the region and throughout the country. The faculty of the PTA Program are Cindy, Ruich, PT; Diane Martin, PT; Bill Vanderbosch, PT and Academic Coordinator for Clinical Education and Mary Kay Solon, PT and Program Director.

For more information about enrolling in the USF Physical Therapist Assistant Program, please contact the Admissions Department at (260) 434-3279 or (800) 729-4732.

You may apply to the PTA Program online. Go to the USF Online Application Form.
Once you select the online application form, at the bottom of the directions, you can view and print the information for the directed essay and references or select the link below:
PTA Directed Essay Instructions

Physical Therapy is the assessment, evaluation, treatment, and prevention of physical disability, movement dysfunction and pain resulting from injury, disease, disability, or other health-related conditions. A Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) delivers services under the direction and supervision of a Physical Therapist.

The University of Saint Francis Physical Therapist Assistant Program consists of four semesters of courses in general education and physical therapy theory and practice. The program which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, emphasizes academic knowledge while offering hands-on experience in a variety of settings.

The program sequence begins every fall. Students with college experience may have the opportunity to attend part time, based on prior general education credits. Some students spread their course load over three years, completing many general education courses before enrolling in the four-semester sequence of PTA courses.