General Program Description
The program has sixty-nine and one half (69.5) credits, including twenty-five (25) general education credits and forty-four and one half (44.5) technical core credits, commencing in the fall semester, the program is 5 semesters in length. Classes are conducted Monday through Friday.
Clinical Experiences
Students are required to successfully complete fourteen and one half (14.5) credits in three (3) clinical experiences. Each clinical is full time (40 hours per week). The first clinical is three weeks, during the spring semester of the first academic year. The last two are seven weeks each, during the spring semester of the second year.
Faculty
There are two (2) full-time faculty members. Both faculty have doctoral level degrees. The faculty is actively engaged in clinical practice (pediatric and neurological rehabilitation, and orthopedics). The full-time/adjunct faculty to student ratio on average (depending upon course and year in program) is 1:12 (in laboratory and clinical coursework).
Enrollment
Ivy Tech Community College is a public, statewide, open-access, community-based technical college with 23 campuses in the state of Indiana. Ivy Tech Community College–Northwest (region A1) was founded in 1968 and serves Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Jasper, Pulaski, and Starke counties. Of the over 120,000 students served in the Ivy Tech Community College system, more than 5,000 students are enrolled at one of the four region A1 campuses, including the Gary Campus (location of the PTA Program) and Michigan City Campus (additional location of the Introduction to PTA course – PTAS 101).
Admission
In order to apply to the PTA Program, students must complete high school or the equivalency and apply and be admitted to Ivy Tech Community College. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale noted on the ITCC transcript at the time of application. Previous courses over 10 years old credited by Ivy Tech Community College and/or used toward scoring the application will be considered in the overall GPA calculation excluding science related courses (APHY 101, 102, SCIN 111, and PTAS 101). Students must complete the program prerequisites: Introduction to the Physical Therapist Assistant 101 (PTAS 101), Anatomy and Physiology 101 (APHY 101), and English Composition 111 (ENGL 111) , Anatomy and Physiology 102 (APHY 102) and Physical Science (SCIN 111) by the end of the spring semester of the application year. Students must also complete the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) prior to the application deadline of March 31st (offered through the Ivy Tech Community College testing center by contacting the Office of Student Affairs). A complete and on time application must be postmarked by March 31st for consideration into the PTA program. Students are required to acquire the application at the website for the Information/Application Packet (shown above) or through the Office of Student Affairs. Approximately 30 students are admitted in the fall of each year; most are nontraditional students. Approximately 45%% of qualified applicants are admitted to the program (3-year average).
Outcomes
The graduation rate for admitted students according to the 2011 to 2013 PTA Program cohorts is 85.5%. The ultimate pass rate for the same cohort as of December 2014 is 100%. Additionally, 2013 graduates successful on the national licensing examination and actively pursuing employment achieve a reported 100% employed status according to completed Graduate Surveys at the completion of the PTA Program.
Tuition, fees and financial aid
According to 2014 academic year financial information, full program cost including tuition, fees, textbooks, and other required items (lab packs, clinical documents, etc) for In-state is 13,202.00 and for Out of state is 22,329.00. The college reserves the right to revise fees at any time. Ivy Tech Community College offers financial assistance to eligible students, coordinated through the Office of Financial Aid at (219)981-4453. Types of aid include Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Awards, Grants in Aid, work-study, and student loans. Regional scholarships are also available through the Ivy Tech Foundation at http://www.ivytech.edu/humanresources/handbook/pt/foundation
Student life
The PTA Program is located at the Gary campus of Ivy Tech Community College – Northwest. All students commute to the campus. The Gary campus is within an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. All students are members of the Student Government Association. In addition, students are members of the PTA Club whose mission is to promote, support, and facilitate activities that encourage awareness of the college and surrounding communities for physical fitness, health and wellness, and issues related to disabilities. Students participate in fundraising activities to support organizations working with individuals with disabilities, to promote research in physical therapy, and to provide educational opportunities for PTA Program students. Students also participate in a Big Sib – Little Sib program that provides a mentoring relationship between the first and second year students.