Physical Therapist
Assistant Program
In keeping with the Kingsborough mission of providing both liberal
arts and career education, the Department of Biological Sciences offers courses
leading to the A.A.S. in Physical Therapist Assistant. This curriculum includes courses in general
education, basic sciences, as well as technical courses in physical therapy.
Physical
Therapy and the Physical Therapist Assistant
Physical therapy is a health profession which
involves the physical rehabilitation of people who have disabling conditions,
either temporary or permanent. These
conditions may include sports injuries, fractures, chronic pain, strokes,
cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injuries.
Physical therapy uses physical agents such as light, sound, electricity,
water, and air to treat and prevent (primarily) pathologies of the
musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems.
The physical therapist assistant (PTA) works
under the supervision of a physical therapist in hospitals, clinics, nursing
homes, and other health facilities.
Physical therapists evaluate patients, plan treatment programs, and may
delegate parts of those programs to physical therapist assistants while
completing other parts of the program themselves. Guided by the physical therapist’s plan of
care, the PTA may use specialized equipment to administer treatments to
accomplish the therapist generated rehabilitation goals. These treatments may include the application
of heat, cold, light, sound, and electricity.
The PTA may also administer therapeutic exercises, ambulation training,
and train patients in the use of artificial limbs, braces, and various aids in
an effort to maximize function and facilitate the rehabilitation process. A
student considering entering the field of PTA should have a demonstrated
aptitude for the sciences, interact well with others, have an interest in
working with physically challenged, ill or injured people, and enjoy a physically
active job.