Physical Therapy Jobs
What is the Difference Between a PT & PTA?
What Does a Physical Therapist Assistant Do?
Where Can I Get More Information?

Physical Therapy Jobs
There are basically three levels of job classifications in physical therapy:

1. The Aide/Technician is trained on the job at each site. Often this person will assist with transportation of the patient, set up and clean up of treatment rooms, and follow through with basic treatments as designated by the physical therapist or physical therapist assistant.

2. The Physical Therapist Assistant is educated at an Associate’s degree level (two years of college). This person has a working knowledge of and has been thoroughly tested regarding the theory behind treatment protocols, pathological conditions being treated, and understands the modalities and machinery which are used to treat those conditions. (S)he has completed clinical affiliations under the supervision of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in order to hone those hands-on skills.

3. The Physical Therapist is required to receive a graduate degree – either a masters or a clinical doctorate. More and more physical therapists are now graduating with a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with more than 92% of physical therapist education programs offering the DPT. The length of the program depends on the institution. Doctoral degrees have additional training in pharmacology, radiology/imaging, differential diagnosis and clinical specialization.



What is the Difference Between a PT & PTA?
The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) must always work under the direction of a Licensed Physical Therapist (PT). The PT performs the initial evaluation of the patient and must also, by law, determine when to discharge the patient.

Both the PT and the PTA treat the patients according to the goals set during the evaluation, and both have the educational background to progress or regress patients according to how well the patient does during a therapy session.

PTAs are credentialed in approximately 44 states, but at this time Michigan is not one of them.

What Does a Physical Therapist Assistant Do?
Under the direction of physical therapists, PTAs help to rehabilitate patients of all ages and medical diagnoses ranging from strokes and sport injuries to cerebral palsy and spinal cord injuries.

They work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, nursing homes, pools and patient homes, teaching and carrying out programs designed to improve the quality of life and to enhance independence.

Treatments include therapeutic exercise, functional retraining, and applications of heat, cold, light, sound, water, and electrotherapy.



Where Can I Get More Information?
For information on Allied Health Careers or general information on the PTA program, call:

Allied Health Office
Fran Giguere, Secretary
(269) 965-3931 ext. 2301
gigueref@kellogg.edu

Admissions Office
For Admissions information and an applicant’s handbook for the PTA program, contact:

Director of Admissions
(269) 965-3931 ext. 2620
adm@kellogg.edu

Physical Therapy Program
For information specifically on the Physical Therapist Assistant educational program at Kellogg Community College, contact:

Julie Roberts, Program Coordinator       
(269) 965-3931, ext. 2270              
robertsj@kellogg.edu           

American Physical Therapy Association Education Department
For information from the American Physical Therapy Association regarding career choices in physical therapy:

APTA Department of Education
(800) 999-APTA (999-2782) ext. 3203
www.apta.org/education

Note: Applicants should be aware that all physical therapist assistant education programs in the US are subject to accreditation "standards that assure quality and continuous improvement in the entry-level preparation of physical therapist assistants, and reflect the evolving nature of education, research, and practice." While the Education Section of APTA recognizes that there are proprietary organizations that rank physical therapist education programs, the profession encourages prospective students to provide their own comparisons through careful examination of information on program and APTA websites, and visits to the campuses to talk with enrolled students and program faculty.