General Program Description

The Connecticut Community Colleges’ PTA program is offered through the collaborative efforts of Capital, Manchester, Naugatuck Valley, Northwestern Connecticut and Tunxis Community Colleges. The program is based at Naugatuck Valley Community College and all of the specialized (physical therapy) courses are held there. The PTA curriculum consists of 29 credit hours of general education coursework and 38 credit hours of physical therapy courses. The specialized physical therapy courses begin in the first semester and develop students’ abilities with physical therapy techniques. This is followed by a clinic-based learning experience to promote students’ development of their clinical problem-solving process. The following 2 semesters emphasize learning of more complex physical therapy knowledge, data collection, and interventions. The capstone of the students’ learning is two full-time clinic-based learning experiences.

Clinical Experiences
Clinic-based learning experiences are an essential component to the program’s education of physical therapist assistants. Students are introduced to the physical therapy clinic during a 1-week experience that follows and relies on the learning achieved from the first semester. The third semester integrates a part-time clinic-based experience with the theoretical coursework. The fourth semester consists of two full-time clinical experiences of 7-weeks.

Enrollment
The college has a total enrollment of over 6,000 students including 2,000 full-time students. The physical therapist assistant program admits 30 students each year from a consortium that includes Capital, Housatonic, Manchester, Northwestern Connecticut and Tunxis Community Colleges. This ensures that graduates have good career opportunities by their distribution among the population densities in the state.

Admission
An information packet is available upon request. Applicants are evaluated by a selection committee and are admitted on a competitive basis. Minimum requirements for consideration include a high school diploma or GED; completion within the previous 5 years of the high school level courses (or the equivalent) algebra II and chemistry or physics; completion within the previous 5 years of the college level course anatomy and physiology I (with lab) with a minimum grade of “C”; and earn a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 for all previous college work. The deadline for application is October 15, and the program begins in January of each year.

Outcomes
No outcome information provided by the program.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year are $1,703 per semester for full-time in-state students, and $5,089 per semester for full-time out-of-state students. 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 at 203-575-8007.

Student life
Naugatuck Valley Community College is one of the larger community colleges in the state and is conveniently located at the crossroads of state highway 8 and Interstate 84. Waterbury, with a population of over 110,000, is considered an urban center flanked by small, rural and suburban communities. The college offers over 90 associate degrees and certificate programs in such fields as engineering technology, health and human services, business, liberal arts and sciences, and a variety of computer programs. A large Continuing Education Division offers specialized, credit-free training, job skills upgrading and personal enrichment. Such diversity makes the institution a social, cultural and intellectual resource for people of all ages. The population served is a diverse one comprised of young adults just out of high school and mature adults returning to education for employment, retraining or leisure time activities.