2022-2023 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PTA 110 - Fundamentals of Physical Therapist Assisting

3 CR
This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of physical therapist assisting. It incorporates traditional approaches to therapeutic exercise and techniques of rehabilitation, including units on positioning, wheelchair management, ambulation, and transfers. Throughout the course, the emphasis is placed on the safe performance of skills through the understanding, as well as the application, of good body mechanics. Units on vital signs, basic aseptic techniques, and general topics such as legal and ethical considerations in physical therapy are included. Medical terminology is learned, practiced, and assessed throughout the semester. Students visit local physical therapy settings for observational experiences at which time the role of the physical therapist assistant is emphasized. Criminal background check and CPR certification must be current anytime the student is in the clinical setting. Satisfactory completion of this course required for continuation into the second semester of the PTA Program. Lab Fee

Additional Information: Formal admission to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program required.
General Education Requirement: Personal and Cultural Engagement - Applied Core
Course Learning Outcomes:
  1. Demonstrate proficiency in medical terminology.
  2. Apply terminology to physical therapy applications.
  3. Explain the principles of therapeutic exercise in physical therapy.
  4. Apply basic concepts of mechanics to body mechanics and transfer techniques.
  5. Apply transfer and bed mobility techniques to patients requiring assistance.
  6. Demonstrate safe wheelchair management skills and techniques for patients and caregivers.
  7. Demonstrate gait training skills to patients requiring assistance.
  8. Demonstrate the ability to assess vital signs.
  9. Implement clean and sterile procedures performed in a physical therapy setting.
  10. Examine physical therapy roles, legal and ethical concepts.
  11. Complete an observation experience in a physical therapy facility.
  12. Examine psychosocial aspects of rehabilitation, illness and disability.
  13. Demonstrate professional behaviors in the classroom, clinical and course-related settings.