General Program Description

The core courses of the PTA program start in August of each academic year and run for two years (four semesters) as a full time, day curriculum. Each core course is offered once a year and must be completed in sequential order. Once enrolled in the professional/technical component of the program students can expect to spend a minimum of 15 hours per week in the classroom or lab each semester. Students wishing to work while attending college are able to work part time evenings, weekends, or summers. However, work during the final, or fourth, semester of the program is not recommended. To graduate, the PTA student must achieve a grade of “C” or better in all general education and core courses, maintaining a college GPA of 2.0 or better, on a 4.0 scale. Program graduates are eligible to take the licensure examination for the state in which they chose to work, including the State of Illinois.

Clinical Experiences
Clinical experiences occur during the second year of the program with one 4-week block (40 hours per week) in the fall semester and two 6-week blocks (40 hours per week) in the spring semester. The experiences are designed to integrate classroom learning progressively into hands-on clinical intervention. With each clinical experience, students are expected to gain competency of their clinical skills and responsibilities within the scope of practice for the PTA.

Faculty
There are three full time faculty serving the program: A Program Director, ACCE and one additional faculty member. Full time faculty are APTA members and remain involved in limited clinical practice. Adjunct faculty and guest lecturers are employed as appropriate and are recruited from active clinical practice in Physical Therapy. The desired faculty to student ratio is 1:14 per laboratory course, with a maximum of 1:16 ratio.

Enrollment
The College has a total enrollment of about 5,000 students. The PTA program accepts between 24-30 students for admission each year in the fall semester.

Admission
Application packets are available October 1 of each year, but applicants are not considered to be qualified for admission until meeting the following admission requirements: high school diploma or GED, 30 hours of observation or prior employment in a physical therapy setting with documentation, interview with members of the admission committee, and minimum GPA of 2.0 in pre-requisite course work. Pre-requisite courses* include MAT 093 or placement into MAT 095, ENG 101 and English placement testing if course was completed more than five years prior to admission, and BIO 103** Anatomy & Physiology I completed within five years prior to admission (**Applicants may have to take a refresher A&P course to meet the “five year prior to admission” criterion), and PHT 101 – Medical Terminology for Clinicians. Deadline for submisssion of a complete application packet is February 1, for August admission of each year.

Outcomes
The three year pass rate average on the National Physical Therapy Exam for 2010 -2012 is 80.65% Graduation rate (2011-2013): 82% of students complete the technical program within 150% of the normally expected time. 100 % of graduates who seek employment are working as PTAs within six months of passing the licensure exam.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition for in-district students for 2014/2015 is $88.00 per credit hour*. The number of credit hours varies from semester to semester. An average semester of core PTA course work costs approximately $1600.00. Additional fees* for PTA students include the following: Books – cost varies each semester, $500.00; Application Fee, (first-time enrollees), $10.00*; Registration Fee, per semester, $10.00*; Comprehensive Fee, per credit hour, $7.00*; Technology Fee, (per credit hour), $7.00*; Laboratory Fees, per course, range $20-50*; Malpractice Insurance Premium, per clinical course, $15.00*. (* Note: Fees are subject to change as determined by fee increases affixed by the college.) Other costs may include uniform, healthcare cost, travel and insurances Some out-of-district students may qualify for status as a “chargeback student” for the professional component of the PTA program (courses with prefix PHT). They must seek prior approval for chargeback by their local community college and present the necessary authorization forms at the time of registration. Certain restrictions do apply.

Student life
Morton College is a non-residential community college that is designated as a Hispanic serving institution. On campus student services include a Learning Resource Center, bookstore, Writing and Math Lab staffed with tutors, academic computer labs, student union, fitness center, and performing arts center that seats approx. 300. Additionally students may participate in a variety of extracurricular activities through the Student Activities Center, including membership in the Physical Therapist Assistant Club. Intercollegiate programs are available in athletics, fine arts and scholastics. The College is located in Cicero, Illinois, within 9 miles of downtown Chicago and is served by both major airports (Midway and O’Hare).