License

• To achieve a physical therapy assistant license, the candidate must graduate from one of the hundreds of American Physical Therapy Association Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education-accredited PTA programs. Coursework in these two-year associate degree programs prepares the physical therapy assistant to take the National Physical Therapy Exam. Passing the exam results in licensure.
  
  

Educational Opportunities

• The first step toward physical therapy assistant licensing is to enroll in one of the Commission's accredited schools, which stretch across the country from Cerritos College in California to Surry Community College in North Carolina and from Amarillo College in Texas to Kennebec Valley Community College in Maine. Physical therapy assistant licenses are reciprocal, which means the state of education and place where the applicant takes the exam doesn't matter--PTAs may move to a new state and apply for employment without having to retake exams or coursework.
  
  

Let's Get Physical

• The majority of coursework leading to a degree in physical therapy assistance and culminating in licensure relates to learning body skills and information. At schools such as Springfield Technical Community College, PTAs take classes such as anatomy and physiology, introduction to physical therapy, kinesiology, human diseases and conditions, neurological treatment approaches, orthopedic treatment procedure and lifespan human growth and development. While in the program at Ozarks Technical Community College, students learn professional behaviors for the PTA, basic neuroscience and motor development, pathophysiology, therapeutic procedures, therapeutic massage, clinical kinesiology and neurologic conditions.
  
  

Well Rounded

• Most PTA programs also require some general education coursework, although these subject areas are not covered on the licensing exam. Springfield Tech students take classes such as English composition, introduction to sociology and general psychology. Orange County Community College also ensures students focus on the general aspect of day-to-day physical therapy assistant life, with coursework in social responsibility, advocacy, community service organizations and emergency preparedness.