General Program Description

The PTA Program consists of 24 credit hours of general education course work and 60 credit hours of physical therapist assistant courses. Upon acceptance into the PTA program, students enroll in courses directly associated with the practice and procedures of the physical therapy profession. Courses include pathology, kinesiology, patient care skills, and clinical education experiences. Courses include a lecture and laboratory component. The curriculum integrates the use of technology (internet research, spreadsheets, word processing) throughout, and completion of the PTA Program curriculum satisfies the Ohlone College technology tools general education graduation requirement. Upon completion of didactic and clinical components of the program, students are eligible to apply for the licensure exam in the state in which they plan to be employed. Students are expected to follow the guidelines established by California’s Department of Professional Regulation to obtain licensure as a physical therapist assistant.

Clinical Experiences
Students participate in three full-time clinical placements. Two hundred full-time hours occur during the second semester. Remaining placements occur at the end of the third and fourth semesters. These are 5-6 weeks in length. Students are required to complete a variety of clinical experiences including hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, private practices, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies. A total of 640 hours of clinical education is required at a minimum of three different facilities for graduation.

Faculty
There are two full-time and seven part-time faculty members. Of the full-time faculty, both are certified as a clinical specialist, and all seven of the part-time faculty are engaged in clinical practice. The faculty to student ratio is 1:16 or less.

Enrollment
The college has a total enrollment of 12,000 students. The PTA Program admits up to 24 students each April, with classes starting mid-August.

Admission
An information packet is available upon request. Applicants are evaluated by a selection committee and are admitted on a lottery basis. Minimum requirements for consideration include: 1) eligibility for Ohlone College English 101A demonstrated by one of the following: a) Assessment Test Score demonstrating eligibility for English 101A; b) completion of English 151B (Ohlone College) with grade of C or better; and c) completion of an equivalent course; 2) clear English Reading Comprehension, demonstrated by one of the following: a) ASSET Test Score of 44 or better; b) completion of English 163 (Ohlone College) or equivalent course with a grade of C or better ; and c) does not apply to applicants with earned baccalaureate degrees from accredited U.S. institutions; 3) Anatomy and Physiology background, demonstrated by ONE of the following: a) completion of Biology 103A Anatomy and Physiology or equivalent course, with a grade of C or better AND completion of Biology 103B or equivalent course, with a grade of C or better. (In-progress grades accepted.) Completion of course must be within the past 5 years; and b) completion of Biology 104 Basic Human Anatomy & Physiology or equivalent course, with a grade of C or better taken within the past 5 years. In-progress grade accepted. The Biology 104 option requires that the student enroll in an additional anatomy course with a lab either prior to application or during the first semester of the PTA program; 4) college G.P.A. of 2.70, or better. Transcripts from all accredited colleges attended must be sent to the Health Sciences Office at Ohlone College; and 5) PTA 101, Introduction to Physical Therapy (Ohlone College only, 3 units, with one unit of laboratory), with a grade of C or better. (In-progress grades accepted.) Official transcripts and the Application for Admission to the PTA Program must be submitted by April 15 of the year the student is seeking admission. Eighty-four percent of qualified applicants are admitted to the program (3-year average).

Outcomes
60% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average). Pass rate on the licensure examination for first time test takers is 100% (since 2007).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition for the 2012 -2013 academic year is $46 per unit for California resident students, approximately $213 per unit for non-California residents, and $213 per unit for non-US citizen/non-California residents. Fees average $17-$52 per semester. Financial assistance is available to students who without such aid would be unable to attend college. A comprehensive program of employment, grants, and scholarships is available through federal, state and institutional funds. This information is available upon request from the Office of Financial Aid.

Student life
The PTA program is housed at the Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology in Newark, California. The Newark campus opened in January 2008 and is the first GREEN campus in the nation! It has received several awards including Platinum LEED certification for its environmentally sound construction. Please see the following link for more information regarding this college of the future… http://www.ohlone.edu/org/collegeadvancement/pressreleases/20082009/20080828greenestcollege.html. It has dedicated classroom and laboratory spaces and is currently one of three full-time health science programs on the campus. The campus is wireless and virtually paperless. General education courses are available at both the Ohlone College Newark Center and Fremont campuses. The program leads to an Associate of Science degree, and may lead to matriculation at the 4-year level. There are on-campus facilities at the Ohlone College Newark Center such as a food cafe, job placement center, and computer lab/library called the Cranium Cafe. Many cultural and social opportunities are offered on both campuses and encouraged through the Associated Students of Ohlone program. An active student government and club program, including a Physical Therapist Assistant Student Club, exist on campus. Ohlone College is located in southern Alameda County in the East Bay of the San Francisco area. It is a culturally rich and diverse community that is close to the high-tech capital of the world, Silicon Valley. There are outdoor and recreational activities available within the many regions of the San Francisco Bay area.