General Program Description
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley offers students a variety of experiences to prepare them for entry into the workforce. The program is housed in the Health Science Institute, a state of the art facility that has been recognized with several awards for innovation in health care education. The program’s facilities include a large PT gym, large modality lab, home living suite, whirlpool room, and four hospital bed skills lab. The program also has use of the Virtual Hospital, a 10,000 square foot simulation laboratory with human simulators, allowing the program to simulate ICU and medical-surgical patient care scenarios. Since the program is located in a large metropolitan area, students are exposed to wide variety of field trips, guest speakers, clinical rotations and volunteer opportunities. The program admits two classes each year. A traditional land based program accepts approximately 20 students in June of each year to begin the program in August. A web based program admits students in October of each year to begin in January. The web based program delivers lecture classes using a variety of web based instructional media. Both programs require the student to come to the Health Science Institute for testing and laboratory experiences. Clinical experiences are the same for both programs. Students interested in the program should download the Prospective Student Information and the Program Application at: http://mcckc.eduphysicaltherapy
Clinical Experiences
During the second academic semester, each student completes an initial two-week, full-time clinical experience practicing basic physical therapy skills. The following semester, a two-week, full-time clinical is completed introducing more advanced techniques. The final semester consists of 14 weeks of full-time clinical rotations. Students meet with the Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education to make preferences for clinical rotations known.
Faculty
There are three full-time and three adjunct faculty. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:12.
Enrollment
Total enrollment at the college is 6,000 students of diversified backgrounds, ages, and cultures. Enrollment in the traditional land based physical therapist assistant program is approximately 20 and the web based program is 14.
Admission
Program admission is selective. Approximately 1/4 to 1/2 of those that apply are admitted. The selection process includes review of academic performance, references, volunteer or work history in health care, and writing skills in addition to a formal interview. Students eligible to apply have completed: Introduction to Physical Therapy (2); Medical Terminology (2), Introduction to Cell Biology (3) and one of the following: Composition and Reading, American History, Speech or General Psychology. The application deadline for the traditional land based program is June 10th and the web based program is October 1st.
Outcomes
Approximately seventy percent of those admitted graduate (3 year average). The pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination for the Physical Therapist Assistant is 100% (over 3 years)
Tuition, fees and financial aid
For information about cost of the program, download the Prospective Student Information from MCC’s web site at http://www.mcckc.eduphysicaltherapy
Student life
Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley is centrally located in Kansas City, Missouri. Since the college is located in a metropolitan area, there are no dormitories or student housing. There are adequate student parking and public transportation to the college.