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Mission
The mission of the Physical Therapist
Assistant Program at West Kentucky Community and Technical College
is to offer a quality AAS degree program designed to provide
direct entry into the job market, and meet the service needs
of the area.
Program Philosophy
 Physical
Therapy is a dynamic profession with an established theoretical
and scientific base and widespread clinical applications in
the restoration, maintenance, and promotion of optimal physical
function. Physical therapist assistants, under the direction
and supervision of Physical Therapists, are the only paraprofessionals
who assist in the provision of physical therapy interventions.
The mission and philosophy of the West Kentucky Community and
Technical College Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program
are consistent with the mission of the Kentucky Community and
Technical College System (KCTCS) to improve the quality of life
and employability of the citizens of the commonwealth through
functions such as providing associate degree programs.
The mission and philosophy of the West Kentucky Community and
Technical College PTA Program is consistent with the mission
of West Kentucky Community and Technical College to provide
accessible, innovative and comprehensive learning opportunities
within an environment of excellence and commitment to student
success in the global community by providing technical curricula
and degrees designed to meet current and projected workforce
needs.
It is the philosophy of the faculty that an entry level program
for physical therapist assistants must prepare a graduate to
enter the profession and assist the Physical Therapist in the
provision of physical therapy services in a safe, effective,
ethical and legal manner to persons of all ages and diverse
backgrounds.
The faculty believe that:
Physical Therapists and physical therapist assistants are essential
participants in the health care delivery system. Physical therapy
is involved in rehabilitation, prevention, health maintenance,
and programs that promote health, wellness and fitness. Physical
Therapists deliver patient care through the five elements of
Patient/Client management, including Examination, Evaluation,
Diagnosis, Prognosis (including plan of care), and Intervention.
The PTA functions within this model by providing physical therapy
interventions and data collection needed to provide and progress
the patient within the plan of care.
Physical therapist assistant education belongs within institutions
of higher learning. The affordability and accessibility of a
comprehensive community college provides the correct mix of
technical training and general education to ensure graduates
are able to effectively function as highly skilled paraprofessionals
within the health care system.
Learning is an individual and lifelong process. Each student
is capable of and responsible for learning in his or her own
way. A variety of instructional methods are utilized in program
courses to support the individual learning style of each student,
challenge students to recognize and develop alternative learning
styles.
Student success involves three facets: 1) a faculty interested
in teaching and learning, 2) students interested in learning
and accountable for their education, and 3) effective feedback
to allow the student to correctly monitor their progress within
the curriculum.
Teaching and learning must encompass all three domains, cognitive,
psychomotor and affective, in order for graduates to become
effective health care practitioners. The cognitive area is delineated
in the course objectives and program competencies. The psychomotor
area is delineated in laboratory objectives and clinical assessment
tools. Professional behaviors (affective) are delineated in
course objectives, clinical assessment tools and program competencies.
Learning experiences are structured within each of the domains
to meet program competencies.
Students seem to learn best when they are able to apply material
and when they are involved in a variety of activities. Therefore,
most of the program curriculum incorporates lecture with laboratory
instruction. Lecture material is reinforced and practiced in
the laboratory. The laboratory skills are reinforced during
clinical experiences.
Professional behaviors are essential to an effective entry level
practitioner. Professional behaviors are learned through sharing
and modeling effective practice. Professional behaviors include:
commitment to learning, interpersonal skills, communication,
effective use of time and resources, use of constructive feedback,
problem solving, professionalism, responsibility, critical thinking,
and stress management. Students must have time to incorporate
attitudes and change behaviors. Ethical choices in health care
must be guided by professional ethics. Students will not make
good choices without an ethical basis for making health care
decisions.
Students must effectively interact with all levels of health
care practitioners. To interact effectively, communication is
essential to effective and safe functioning within the health
care delivery system. Communication is emphasized throughout
the curriculum in various activities and role modeling in the
laboratory.
To facilitate student success, the curriculum is designed to
progress the student from basic clinical procedures, anatomy,
kinesiology, and pathology, to implementation of the physical
therapy plan of care through case studies and terminal clinical
experiences. Students must demonstrate psychomotor skills in
the laboratory in order to progress in the program. Students
have four semesters in the program to integrate and utilize
knowledge learned in the didactic portion of the program. The
clinical portion of the program progresses from part time to
full time. Initial clinical experiences emphasize professional
behaviors. Terminal clinical experiences emphasize effective
entry level functioning within the health care environment.
The PTA program at West Kentucky Community and Technical College
is designed to allow students to progress through course and
program competencies so that upon graduation, they are able
to function at entry level within the physical therapy health
care delivery system.
References:
Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, 2nd
Edition. Phys Ther. 2001: 81:9-744.
May et al. Generic Abilities Assessment. Journal of Physical
Therapy Education. 9:1, Spring 1995.
Physical Therapy Clinical Instructor Educator Credentialing
Manual. American Physical Therapy Association, 1997.
Program Competency Statements
Upon completion of the program, the graduate can:
Program competencies
- implement the physical therapy
plan of care as delegated by the physical therapist;
- perform data-collection measurements
as delegated by the supervising physical therapist;
- progress, adjust, and/or withhold
patient interventions within the plan of care based on observed
patient status;
- demonstrate safe, ethical and
legal practice under the direction of a physical therapist;
- function as an effective health
care provider within the community and health care system;
- instruct patients, family members
and others as to physical therapy principles and procedures
within the plan of care and/or in group education programs;
- identify career development
and life long learning opportunities;
- demonstrate an awareness of
the principles of wellness and disease across the lifespan;
- demonstrate problem solving
skills in administering physical therapy care;
- describe the scope and function
of the physical therapist assistant;
- document patient care in a manner
which meets all state, federal and regulatory agency guidelines;
- relate the anatomy and physiology
of the musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and
integumentary systems to the practice of physical therapy;
- demonstrate an awareness of the principles of kinesiology/biomechanics
and their relationship to the practice of physical therapy.
General education competencies:
- communicate effectively using
standard written English;
- communicate in a clear oral
and non-verbal fashion and employ active listening skills;
- demonstrate basic skills in
computer operations and/or software applications;
- organize, analyze, and make
information useful by employing mathematics;
- demonstrate a awareness of one's
interaction with the biological/physical environment;
- demonstrate an awareness of
self as an individual, as a member of a multicultural society,
and/or as a member of the world community;
- recognize the impact of decisive
ideas and events in human heritage;
- develop and perform basic search
strategies and access information in a variety of formats,
print and non-print;
- analyze, summarize and interpret
a variety of reading materials;
- think critically and make connections
in learning across disciplines;
- elaborate upon knowledge to
create new thoughts, processes, and/or products; and
- demonstrate an awareness of ethical considerations in making
value choices.
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