Mission, Philosophy and Goals

Physical Therapist Assistant Program Mission Statement

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Somerset Community College is committed to academic excellence for students seeking associate degrees in the discipline.

Program graduates will be culturally competent and knowledgeable of theoretical concepts and principles supportive of skills and procedures critical to the physical therapist assistant.

Graduates, as they enter the workforce, will have achieved competency with general techniques common to practice settings available to them in the physical therapy community served by Somerset Community College.

They will be prepared to meet standards for state certification and to function as technically competent, caring, responsible and safe physical therapist assistants under the supervision of a physical therapist.

Physical Therapist Assistant Program Philosophy

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Somerset Community College believes that every effort should aim at academic excellence.

The program will include both general and technical education courses of the highest quality, taught by well-qualified faculty.

The academic curricula and program resources will be routinely reviewed in an attempt to create a model of teaching excellence in physical therapist assistant education and to afford students optimal learning opportunities.

The program will coordinate a variety of clinical education experiences
utilizing knowledgeable physical therapists and physical therapist assistants as clinical instructors.

The graduates of the program will be well-prepared to sit for the national certification examination and to enter the workforce as well-prepared, culturally competent entry-level physical therapist assistants, performing safe, competent and compassionate care under the supervision of a physical therapist.

Physical Therapist Assistant Program Goals

2008-2009 ACADEMIC YEAR

• The SCC PTA Program will maintain its fully accredited status from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
• The SCC PTA Program will retain core faculty and continue to provide meaningful professional development activities related to teaching methodology, student assessment and teaching content level of expertise.
• The SCC PTA Program will recruit a qualified applicant pool from which it will admit, retain, and graduate a well-prepared cohort of students.
• The SCC PTA Program will recruit a cohort of students with a culturally diverse background.
• SCC PTA Program students will complete and receive satisfactory evaluations for clinical performance in each of the clinical education rotations from their Clinical Instructor, CCCE, and ACCE.
• SCC PTA Program graduates will demonstrate competence on an examination for state certification as a PTA.
• SCC PTA Program graduates will obtain employment as PTAs within six months of graduation.
• The SCC PTA Program will produce exceptional graduates as evidenced by employer satisfaction.
• The SCC PTA Program will promote academic excellence and program improvement through program assessment activities and providing continuing education activities to its faculty.