General Program Description
The PTA Program at Brown Mackie College – Fort Wayne provides traditional and non-traditional students with convenient, focused, post-secondary education through an associates degree program. Graduates of the PTA Program are expected to successfully pass licensure examination in their chosen state and find gainful employment. The field of physical therapy is a dynamic field of allied health that can span a wide range of health related issues, patient population and services. It is the intent of the PTA Program to give the graduate a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build a career as a physical therapist assistant. Students will be challenged with developing a solid understanding of the scientific basis of their work as well as the technical skills to perform patient care. The program is 20 months in length.
Clinical Experiences
The PTA students will participate in four clinical externships under the direction of an experienced physical therapist and/or physical therapist assistant. There are two 4-week clinical experiences and one 8-week clinical experience. All of the clinical experiences are full-time externships. Students may be expected to commute up to 100 miles for a clinical externship.
Faculty
BMC PTA department employes two full-time faculty members with a wide array of clinical experience with almost 40 years of experience. Each faculty member is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association. Faculty student ratio is 1:20 for lecture class and 1:10 for laboratory class.
Enrollment
Brown Mackie College – Fort Wayne admits 20 students per cohort with two cohorts being admitted each year.
Admission
Brown Mackie College – Fort Wayne admits students on an open enrollment process. Students seeking admission must meet the following requirements: a high school graduation cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 or completion of 12 quarter hours in a single quarter or 8 semester hours in a single semester with a collegiate grade point average of 2.5. Students entering the program must have completed a general biology course with a grade of “C” or higher. Students must complete 20 documented hours of clinical observation in a physical therapy setting.
Outcomes
Students will be expected to graduate from the program after 20 months of study and be prepared to pass a state licensure exam and enter the profession as a physical therapist assistant. Outcomes as of May 1, 2012 are as follows: Graduation rate: 97% (2011 was the first year that the program had graduates 36 of 37 enrolled students graduated). License pass rate: 58% (2011 had 36 graduates and 5 graduates have never taken licensure exam). Employment rates: 100% (all licensed graduates have accepted employment with 6 months of certification).
Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition for the PTA Program is $361 per credit hour plus a general fee of $15 per credit hour. A Student Financial Services office exists on campus to assist students in financing the program.
Student life
Brown Mackie College – Fort Wayne is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 110 miles northeast of Indianapolis, Indiana. Brown Mackie College – Fort Wayne is a non-residential, private career college. With the monthly class term, many students are able to balance the roles of college, work and family life.