General Program Description
El Paso Community College, is the fastest growing community college in the State of Texas and the largest grantor of associate degrees to Hispanic students in the nation! El Paso Community College and offers over 130 academic programs and more than 350 personal enrichment/ continuing education courses on its six campuses. In addition to services that are now expected in community colleges; such as distance education, online courses, and dual credit; EPCC offers unique learning opportunities including Student Technology Services (a student run technology training program); four Early College High Schools (where students earn an Associates Degree at the same time they are earning a high school diploma); a faculty supervised community-based Health Clinic providing PT, sono-graphy, dental and nursing services; and a new state-of-the-art model for delivering K-Gray education (including a 3-D holographic projection laboratory). In fall 2010, the Physical Therapist Assistant program began to offer dual credit courses for EPISD high school students. The two-year day program begins in the Autumn of each year. Courses are taught by two full-time faculty members. Students spend a minimum of 30 hours per week in class during the first semester, increasing to 40 hours per week for the remainder of the program. Graduation is in mid-May. Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the Texas State PTA licensure examination. Military personnel who met the requirements can complete the program in one year. The program has a specialized admissions process, with course requirement prior to the completitive admissions. The students currently admits 12 students per year.
Clinical Experiences
The degree plan contains three clinical experiences of 7-12 weeks, each ranging from 8 to 40 hours/week. These clinical experiences occur in a variety of physical therapy clinics in the West Texas and Southern New Mexico area including experiences at the Rio Grande Border Health clinic, an on-campus community health clinic providing pro-bono physical therapy to patients who are at risk for falls. Students are responsible for their own transportation to clinical sites.
Faculty
The core faculty consist of the program director and the clinical coordinator Several parttime instructors also serve as adjunt faculty. The program director has 24 years of teaching and academic administrative experience. Her instructional responsibilities include documentation, functional anatomy, professional issues, pediatrics, geriatrics, clinical education and neuro-rehabilitation. She is the recipient of two state awards on Excellence in Teaching. The clinical coordinator has more than 12 years of clinical experience in the areas of out-patient rehabilitation, and school based therapy. Her instructional responsibilities include basic patient skills, pediatrics, advanced orthopedic rehabilition, physical modalties and clinic. Part time faculty bring expertise in rapidly changing fields of documentation and reimbursement, advanced rehab techniques, women’s health and woundcare.
Enrollment
During the 2013-14 academic year, over 29,000 students were enrolled at El Paso Community College. Of these, almost 20,000 were enrolled as full time students in credit courses and the rest in continuing education courses. Within the Division of Health Occupations, enrollment averages 3,700 per semester. The Physical Therapist Assistant program admits 12 students per year, to begin coursework in the fall of each year.
Admission
Students entering health occupations programs must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 to be considered for admission into this program and meet new Specialized Admissions which include: 1) Criminal background check 2) Completed Hepatitis series, MMR, Viracella with titers 3) Documentation of additional immunizations: TB, TD, Menigitis) 4) Current CPR card for health professionals 5) Minimum TSI placement scores ( part of general admissions) 6) Anatomy and Physiology I (B or better) 7) Anatomy and pHyisology II (B or better) 8) PTHA 1409 Intro to Physical Therapy (B or better) 9) Medical Terminology ( B or better) 10) Math 1413 Pre-calculus ( C or better) 11) Mandatory Drug testing Students are ranked and sent letters of admission in the ealry summer based on their cumulative GPA, placement scores and number of completed academic courses completed in the degree plan. The deadline for application is June 11 of each year. High school students enrolled in the ISD’s of El Paso, may be elligable to take dual credit courses for transfer credit.
Outcomes
The three-year (2009–2011) ultimate pass rate for the state licensing exam was 100%. 100% of those passing the exam found employment within 3 months of graduation within the El Paso area. The employment market in the El Paso and southern New Mexico area is very good, and offers a variety of employment oppurtunities ranging from community hospitatls, to home health, hospice, early intervention and private practice.there areno negative changes in employment forcasted for the next two decades.
Tuition, fees and financial aid
The total estimated costs of the entire 2-year program for tuition, fees, books and supplies is approximately $12,000 for in-state residents, and $ 17,000 for out-of-state residents, based on 2014-15 college catalogue. More than 80% of the student body receives financial aid. Local scholarships for minority students as well as hospital and professional group-sponsored scholarships are available to students. There is a scholarship available for enrolled PTA students, sponsored by the local PT community.
Student life
El Paso Community College is a five-campus commuter college with campus located in all parts of the city of El Paso (population 650,000 based on the 2000 Census) on the Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas borders. The Physical Therapist Assistant Program is located at the Rio Grande Campus, a midsized campus of approximately 5500 students in central El Paso. El Paso, the fourth largest border city in Texas was recently listed as an All-American City, and one of the safest cities in the USA. El Paso, offers its inhabitants a multicultural environment in the high desert at 3,500 feet. Area attractions include snow and water skiing, high altitude hiking, and international travel, all within 100 miles of El Paso. El Paso is the largest border city in the United States. The city is bordered by Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to the south. To the north and southeast are large rural, agricultural communities growing primarily cotton, pecans, green chile, onions and alfalfa. The city is bisected by the Franklin Mountains , rising to over 5,000 feet. Winters are mild and sunny, and summers are hot and dry. El Paso has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation for city of its size, and enjoys a cost of living well below the national average. The El Paso metropolitan area offers inhabitants a bilingual, multi-cultural environment and has much to offer in the way of dining, nightlife, and cultural activities. El Paso was founded in the early 1600s and has been the site of important historical events involving such figures as Pancho Villa, Billy the Kid, and John F. Kennedy. Area attractions within two hours’ drive include: snow and water skiing, high altitude hiking and technical rock climbing, casino gaming, White Sands National Monument and Carlsbad Caverns National Monument.The college has an active student leadership councel and the program has an active student club.