General Program Description

After formal acceptance into the PTA program, the student must complete an additional three semesters of education, which include both academic and clinical education. Classes are held during the five days per week, and students are expected to attend all classes. The program commences each fall semester and finishes 12 months later with 4 weeks of full-time clinical affiliation during fall semester, 4 weeks of full-time clinical experience during spring semester, and 9 weeks of full-time clinical affiliations during the summer semester in the program. Students are eligible to sit for the National Physical Therapist Assistant Exam upon completion of the program.

Clinical Experiences
Each student is required to successfully complete three clinical experiences chosen from clinical sites located throughout Montana and other states upon student request and availability of site. After formal acceptance into the PTA program, the first clinical experience is 160 hours and is held at the end of the fall semester. The second clinical experience is held at the end of spring semester and is 160 hours. The third and final clinical experience is held at the beginning of summer semester and is 360 hours. All of these clinical experiences are full-time experiences. All academic requirements have been met prior to the second and third clinical experiences, except for the 2-credit PTA 225, Physical Therapist Assisting Seminar. This course is performed at the end of summer semester prior to completion

Faculty
There are two full-time faculty members. Of the full-time faculty, the Program Director is a physical therapist and the other faculty person is a physical therapist assistant. Both faculty are involved in clinical practice. The faculty-to-student ratio in the lab setting can be up to 1:20, but is typically less.

Enrollment
Great Falls College MSU is one of four campuses within Montana State University. The main campus is Bozeman, Montana. The others are MSU – Northern in Havre, MT and MSU-Billings. Current enrollment in the 2014- 2015 PTA program is 14 students with approximately 50 pre-PTA students.

Admission
The applicant must complete general application procedures and requirements for the College in addition to program requirements. To obtain information on additional general admission requirements, please call 1-800-446-2698. Formal admission to the PTA program requires supplemental activities and materials to the general application requirements for admission to the College. PTA Program entry is a selective admissions process. Applicants must be aware that completion of all admission requirements does not ensure acceptance into this program. Applicants must fulfill admission requirements, general and supplemental, to be considered in the final selection process. Qualified applicants scoring highest in the selection process will be offered seats for the class beginning the following fall semester. A maximum of twenty students will be accepted. Students will be selected by a factoring system (weighted points). Points will be assigned to various requirements including: letters of recommendation, clinical observation hours, prerequisite course grades, and previous work experience in physical therapy or a related health field. Transcripts demonstrating completion of high school chemistry and physics at a grade of “C-” or above or equivalent college courses with a grade of “C-” or above must be submitted. The student must also prove keyboarding skills either by high school or collegiate level courses, or by passing a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) demonstrating this skill. In order for an applicant to be considered for formal acceptance into the PTA program, the College’s Admission Office must have received all general application requirements by 5:00 pm May 29, 2015 and supplemental program application materials must be submitted to the Health Sciences Administrative Assistant for which the applicant desires to be considered for fall 2015 PTA Program admission.

Outcomes
Great Falls College Montana State University PTA program was accreditated in April of 2009 with the next site visit in 2018. Completion rates for students entering into the PTA program from the last 3 cohorts are at 96.5%. Graduates whom have taken and passed the NPTAE from the last 3 cohorts are at 98.2% ultimate pass rate. Employment rates for the last 3 cohorts are at 94.5%. Employment rates are have not yet been gathered for the 2014 graduating class.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
No student housing is available on campus. There are many apartment complexes within walking distance of the campus, which accommodate students. Information on student scholarships and financial aid is provided by the Office of Financial Aid: (406) 771-4334 or 1-800-446-2698. Tuition and fees for 2014-2015 year within the entire PTA program are estimated at $11,304. The application fee to the college is $30. The Program and Course fees for the entire PTA program are estimated at $943. The books and supplies for the entire PTA program are estimated at $2582. This cost is subject to change and DOES NOT include costs associated with obtaining courses equivalent to high school physics, chemistry, or keyboarding, any repetition of courses, or remedial courses in Math and/or English. Appropriate attire, transportation costs, room and board, relocation costs to Great Falls for class work and other locations for clinical experiences including room and board, immunizations, background/drug testing, and CPR certification are not included in the program costs. PTA Student Association dues are not included.

Student life
Located in the heart of Montana, Great Falls is a progressive city with a population of approximately 60,000. It is surrounded by three mountain ranges, nestled in wheat fields with the Sun and Missouri Rivers converging near the center of the city. A moderate climate with clean, pure air, low humidity, and long days of sunshine is enjoyed by Great Falls residents and visitors. Southwesterly Chinook winds make many winter days warm and pleasant. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery to find “the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent for the purposes of commerce.” Lewis and Clark documented their experiences on the banks of “the thundering great falls of the Missouri” in their famous journals. You will enjoy reliving their epic expedition in a visit to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. In 1882, Paris Gibson, a Minneapolis city planner and engineer, recognized the potential in the area’s abundant resources and central location and with the backing of railroad magnate James J. Hill, became the city’s first developer. Gibson’s legacy was a carefully planned city incorporating 56 parks, a heritage of beauty that makes Great Falls unique today. The College of Technology in Bozeman is an extension of the MSU-Great Falls College of Technology. It was established to serve the need for workforce and career training in the Gallatin Valley.