General Program Description
The program curriculum is designed around the simple to complex design within the one-half plus one-and-a-half framework. Students begin the program in the pre-technical phase of the program in the fall semester. The curriculum consists of 65 credits including general education courses, applied and technical courses and clinical education experiences. Upon successful completion of the first semester [pre-technical phase] the student will continue the within the technical phase of the program in semesters two through five. The coursework will foster critical thinking and clinical decision making based on learned concepts and skills that mature during the course of the progression of classes. The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at California University of Pennsylvania will strive to graduate ethical physical therapist assistants who will provide safe, effective, high quality service to the patients/clients they treat.
Clinical Experiences
Clinical education is an integral part of the education of program. While each clinical internship has its own specific objectives, the overall objective of clinical education remains the application and integration of learned abilities into a health care environment. The Physical Therapist Assistant Program expects that each student will successfully utilize concepts and knowledge gained in the general education, applied and technical courses as well as those techniques acquired in program-specific courses. Ultimately, clinical education provides each student the opportunity to develop and validate his/her “style” as a practitioner by working with real clients, real supervisors and real work situations. The general goals for clinical education, like that of the overall curriculum, are to produce physical therapists that: are technologically adept; are critical thinkers and possess analytical reasoning skills to act as problem solvers within the unified approach to physical therapy delivery; are ethical, safe, and clinically competent physical therapist assistants to provide local, regional, and national physical therapy services; are fundamentally rounded in physical therapy education to provide the graduate an opportunity to become a licensed physical therapist assistant; promote team approach of physical therapy to ensure high patient quality; encourage program graduates to be life-long-learners to allow continued intellectual growth. Specific goals for the clinical education experience are that students will: experience the reality of clinical practice; develop proficiency with techniques on real patients; interact with patients, co-workers, and supervisors; experience all facets of the work environment; develop a professional identity as a physical therapist assistant.
Faculty
There are two full-time and one part-time core faculty members, all of whom are physical therapists. There are several adjunct faculty, both physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, that teach introductory laboratory courses. All faculty members participate in active research and/or clinical practice. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:13.
Enrollment
California University of Pennsylvania has a current enrollment of over 8, 600 students, including full-time undergraduate students, full-time graduate students, and part-time students. The physical therapist assistant program enrolls a maximum of 26 students each spring semester.
Admission
A maximum of 26 students are admitted to the technical phase of the program each spring semester. The prospective student will initially complete the following classes in the fall semester in the pre-technial phase of the program: Human Anatomy and Physiology I, Introduction to the Physical Therapist Assistant, Oral Communication, General Psychology, and First Year Seminar. If the student maintains a minimum overall QPA of 2.75 and achieves a “B-” or better in Human Anatomy and Physiology I, the student will be eligible to sit for the admission interview held in December. The student will be chosen to the technial phase of the program through performance within the pre-technical courses and strength of interview performance. Ten observation hours are required to sit for the admission interview.
Outcomes
No outcome information provided by the program.
Tuition, fees and financial aid
California University of Pennsylvania full-time undergraduate tuition for Pennsylvania residents for the 2007-08 academic year is $2,589 per semester, or $216 per credit and university fees of $836. Room per semester ranges from $2,831 – $3,518 and features newly constructed apartment-style suite housing. Board is available for 19 meals per week (per semester) at a cost of $1,439. Financial aid assistance is available from the Financial Aid Office. Students can contract the Financial Aid Office by calling 724/938-4415. A 24-hour voice mail question and answer box telephone system is in place to assist students and parents with general financial aid information or to request financial aid materials.
Student life
The university is in the Borough of California in southwestern Pennsylvania within a community of about 6000 residents, located on the banks of the Monongahela River. The geographic location of the university gives the resident student opportunities to explore and pursue a variety of activities. Found on the Appalachian Plateau, in an area of rolling hills, a short drive to camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, white water rafting, canoeing, and skiing. Pittsburgh, PA is less than one hour north of the campus. The main campus consists of 38 buildings situated on 90 acres. An additional 98-acre recreational complex is located one-mile from campus. The complex includes a football stadium, an all-weather track, tennis courts, a baseball and softball diamond, soccer and rugby fields, a cross-country course, and areas for intramural sports and picnic facilities. In fall 2006, the university opened two new residence halls on the main campus, bringing the total number of new student housing to five. The new facilities are attractive, furnished, four person-suites that feature four bedrooms, each with an individual bath, a living room, dining room, completely furnished kitchen, including a microwave and dishwasher, and a full-sized washer and dryer. The institution that is now California University of Pennsylvania began as an academy more than 150 years ago. It has evolved over the years until now it is a multi-purpose university. One of the fourteen state-owned institutions of higher education in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, it has the strength and stability of a university system, but retains its own flavor and unique history.