General Program Description
The PTA program curriculum consists of 15 semester credit hours of general education requirements. In addition, students take general psychology, biology, and anatomy and physiology, and 44 semester credit hours of PTA courses. Students begin both lecture and lab physical therapy education in the fall semester of the first year. Courses are Introduction to PT, Patient Care Skills, Modalities, Measurements and Procedures, Functional Anatomy, Clinical Kinesiology, Therapeutic Exercise, Disease and Dysfunction, Clinical Orthopedics, Clinical Neurology, Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Therapy, Clinical Rehabilitation, Clinical Seminar, and Clinical Education I, II and III. Upon successful completion of the academic and clinical components of the program, students receive the Associate of Applied Science degree and are eligible to sit for the state PTA licensure exam in the state in which they plan to seek employment.
Clinical Experiences
Three full-time clinical experiences are integrated into the didactic portion of the program. The first one is 3 weeks in length and the other two are each 6 weeks in length. Students are required to experience appropriate variety in their clinical affiliations which may include hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, private practices, skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies.
Faculty
There are two full-time faculty members. Both have their Doctorate in Physical Therapy. One is certified as a clinical specialist and two are engaged in clinical practice. The faculty to student ratio is 1:20.
Enrollment
The enrollment of the college is 6,000. The PTA Program enrollment is 40 (20 accepted each April for the following fall).
Admission
An information and application packet is available upon request. Applicants are evaluated by the selection committee and admission is limited to 20 students per year. The minimum requirement is completion of the State of Missouri High School Core course group: 4 years of English; 3 years of math; 2 years of science; 1 year of visual/performing arts; and 3 years of other electives. The selection committee reviews grades, ACT/SAT scores, background information, personal essays, letters of recommendation, and feedback from clinicians who provided 24 hours of observation of physical therapy. Prospective candidates may obtain an application packet online at www.missouriwestern.edu/pta ; all application materials must be received by March 31st. 70% of qualified applicants are admitted to the program (3-year average).
Outcomes
92% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average).
Tuition, fees and financial aid
For the 2013-2014 school year: In-state tuition is $193 per semester credit hour, and out-of-state tuition is $392 per semester credit hour. PTA Program fees are $160 per year. Financial aid is available to qualified students. Aid may take the form of grants, scholarships, employment and loans available through local, state and federal sources. Information is available from the Office of Financial Aid. Prospective students should contact the Office of Financial Aid in January of the year they expect to enter the program.
Student life
Missouri Western is a 4-year liberal arts university located in St Joseph, Missouri. Kansas City is 1 hour south; Omaha and Des Moines are 2-3 hours north. The city population is just over 80,000. Numerous lakes, rivers and wetlands are located nearby and hunting and fishing are very popular. Western has a very active intercollegiate athletics program (MIAA, Division II) with basketball, football, volleyball, women’s soccer, and baseball prominent. Excellent facilities for fitness, swimming, racquetball and tennis are on campus. Academic support is available in the form of counseling, tutoring services and services for freshmen, non-traditional and disabled students. PTA students are encouraged to consider combining the Associate degree with a Baccalaureate degree in such related areas as Health and Exercise Science, Psychology, or Biology. The program is located on the Allied Health floor of the 65,000 square-foot Murphy Hall. The program has been fortunate to be able to acquire a large quantity of state-of-of the-art equipment to enable excellent laboratory learning experiences.