Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Is the BPCC PTA Program Accredited? Why is that important?
- Are PTAs required to sit for a licensure/certification examination? How do your graduates do on the national PTA licensure examination?
- I live outside the Shreveport-Bossier City area. May I still apply to your Program?
- Do your graduates have any trouble finding employment after graduation? What kind of salaries are they making?
- I don’t currently live in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. Would I have to move to Bossier City to complete this degree?
- I already have a degree (Associate/Bachelor’s/Master’s). Am I ready for application to PTA clinicals?
- What factors are considered in the selection process for clinicals?
- How many students do you accept each year into the PTA Program? How many people usually apply for clinicals each year?
- What do I do if I am not selected for the PTA clinical program?
- How much does the Physical Therapist Assistant Program cost?
- Where can I get more information on financial aid, scholarships, grants and/or loans to help pay for the cost of school?
- What is the difference between a PT and a PTA?
- Can becoming a PTA help me to eventually become a Physical Therapist?
- I want to pursue this degree. What do I need to do first?
“Is the BPCC PTA Program Accredited? Why is that important?”
Bossier Parish Community College is proud to have an excellent, fully accredited PTA Program. The PTA Program is accredited by CAPTE (the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education), which is a requirement for graduates to be eligible to sit for the national PTA licensure exam. We encourage you to research the criteria for accreditation and view the most current list of accredited programs at www.apta.org.
“Are PTAs required to sit for a licensure/certification examination? How do your graduates do on the national PTA licensure examination?”
After completion of the PTA clinical program, graduates are required to take and pass the National Physical Therapy Examinationto be eligible to apply for a licenseto practice as a PTA in the state of Louisiana.
For data related to BPCC PTA Program graduate success on licensure exam refer to the Program Data Chart.
“I live outside the Shreveport-Bossier City area. May I still apply to your Program?”
Absolutely. While the majority of our applicants and clinical students live and plan to work in this area, we encourage and are in fact actively recruiting students from other regions of the state. Job availability and salaries continue to grow in those communities not served by a local PT or PTA program and we receive frequent calls from rural hospitals and clinics seeking PTA graduates. If you are from out of town and are interested in pursuing a PTA degree from BPCC you are encouraged to contact a PTA advisor for additional information and to request a personalized transcript review.
“Do your graduates have any trouble finding employment after graduation? What kind of salaries are they making?”
Our program has a high reputation in the community and our graduates have a high rate of employment. While the job market and salaries in the Shreveport-Bossier City area are very good, the available jobs and salary ranges in more “rural” areas outside Shreveport-Bossier City tend to be even higher. For specific data regarding employment statistics of BPCC PTA Program graduates, refer to the Program Data Chart.
More information on the job descriptions, job outlook and salaries for PTAs can be found on the website for the Bureau of Labor Statisticswebsite.
“I don’t currently live in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. Would I have to move to Bossier City to complete this degree?”
The majority of the pre-PTA curriculum for this Program may be completed at any accredited 4-year university or community college (near your home). In addition, the 4 scheduled clinical practice experiences/“internships” that occur during the clinical component (final year) of the program (each 4-5 weeks in length) may be scheduled in hospitals/PT clinics in or near your hometown. Your required time in Bossier would include:
- potentially a 4-week summer semester (BPCC June summer session “B”) for completion of any pre-PTA courses not offered at your out-of-town institution (ALHT 109 - Health Care Systems/Safety for example). Courses during this semester typically meet from 3-5 days per week.
- A 4-week summer semester (BPCC July summer session “C”) for the first 2 courses (3 credit hours) of PTA clinical curriculum (PTAP 200 and PTAP 201). Courses during this semester meet from 3 to 5 days a week.
- A 10-week condensed fall semester for didactic (class/lab) PTA clinical curriculum (PTAP 202, PTAP 203, PTAP 203 and PTAP 205). Courses during this 10-week period meet 5 days a week.
- A 10-week condensed spring semester for didactic (class/lab) PTA clinical curriculum (PTAP 212, PTAP 213, PTAP 214, PTAP 215 and PTAP 217). Courses during this 10-week period meet 5 days a week.
“I already have a degree (Associate/Bachelor’s/Master’s). Am I ready for application to PTA clinicals?”
While it is likely that within your degree you have taken some or even most of the pre-requisite course requirements, there is a strong possibility that you may be lacking one or more of the required classes. You should request that a PTA advisor review your transcript and help you identify what may be missing. Additionally, if a significant amount of time has passed since the completion of your degree, your advisor may recommend re-taking or auditing particular courses so that your knowledge in that content is current.
“What factors are considered in the selection process for clinicals?”
The selection process for clinicals is based 50% on academic criteria and 50% on non-academic criteria. Those factors include:
Academic Factors
- Non-science pre-PTA coursework grades
- Cumulative science pre-PTA coursework grades
Non-academic Factors
- clinical observation rating form scores (completed by the PTs or PTAs you observed)
- academic rating form (completed by your ALHT 109 instructor)
- interview score
“How many students do you accept each year into the PTA Program? How many people usually apply for clinicals each year?”
We accept a maximum of 20 students per year into the clinical phase of the PTA Program. The number of applicants varies from year to year, but has averaged around 90 for the past 2 years.
“What do I do if I am not selected for the PTA clinical program?”
We encourage any applicant not selected for the clinical program to meet with a PTA advisor to review strengths/weaknesses of their application packet. Options for students not selected include (a) pursuing another allied health program at BPCC (b) working on improving an application score with re-application to the PTA program the following year (c) working toward completion of a Bachelor’s Degreein a related field or (d) investigating PTA Program application at another institution.
“How much does the Physical Therapist Assistant Program cost?”
The pre-PTA component of the program has only those costs associated with regular tuition per credit hour which is the same for all BPCC students. Once accepted into the clinical component of the program there are additional costs related to clinical fees, uniforms, immunizations, etc.
"Where can I get more information on financial aid, scholarships, grants and/or loans to help pay for the cost of school?"
You can find out about resources available through BPCC at the Financial Aid Scholarship page, and resources available through the American Physical Therapy Association.
“What is the difference between a PT and a PTA?”
| Physical Therapist | Physical Therapist Assistant |
|---|---|
| Education | Education |
| Doctor of Physical Therapy (a Graduate School Degree) | Associate Degree |
| Starting Salary | Starting Salary |
| approximately $60,000 in Shreveport, LA | approximately $38,000 in Shreveport, LA |
| Responsibilities | Responsibilities |
| Evaluate patients/clients Develop plan of care Treat and reassess patients Supervise the PTA |
Work under the supervision of physical therapist. Treat patients |
| Patient Conditions Treated (Examples) | Patient Conditions Treated (Examples) |
| Stroke Spinal Cord Injury Sports Injuries Back Injuries Work-related Injuries Neurological Disorders Heart Attacks Following Surgery Physical Trauma Pediatric Developmental Delay |
Same as Physical Therapist |
| Work Place (Examples) | Work Place (Examples) |
| Hospitals Nursing Homes Home Health Agencies Private Practices School Systems |
Same as Physical Therapist |
| Requires Licensure Exam To Work | Requires Licensure Exam To Work |
| Yes | Yes |
| Area Schools That Offer Training | Schools That Offer Training |
| LSUHSC Shreveport, LA LSUHSC New Orleans, LA |
Bossier Parish Community College Our Lady of the Lake Community College (Baton Rouge, LA) Delgado Community College (New Orleans, LA) Kilgore Community College (Kilgore, TX) South Arkansas Community College (El Dorado, AR) Louisiana College (Pineville, LA) |
“Can becoming a PTA help me to eventually become a Physical Therapist?”
In order to become a Physical Therapist, a student must complete a Doctoral level program in Physical Therapy. In Louisiana, there are 2 institutions which offer that degree program – LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveportand LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.While completing an Associate Degree in PTA is not the most typical “route” to take in pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy, it is one option.
Acceptance into the DPT Programs in Louisiana is on a selective/competitive basis. In order to apply for admission to those programs, you must first obtain a Baccalaureate Degree. Additionally, that B.S. degree must include all of the pre-requisite (pre-PT) courses required by the respective programs. For a more complete description of the pre-requisite requirements and application/selection process utilized by those programs we encourage you to review the website of the LSUHSC PT Program in Shreveport and contact those faculty advisors/instructors with questions.
Typically, students wishing to become a Physical Therapist must first complete a 4-yr. B.S. degree and then apply for admission to a Doctoral-level Physical Therapy Program. Obtaining an Associate Degree in PTA first is neither necessary or common. Locally, however, there is an opportunity for graduates of the BPCC PTA Program to transfer to Louisiana State University in Shreveport and receive transfer credit for many of the PTA qualification courses and selected* PTA clinical courses if they wish to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Community Health. With careful attention to fulfill the pre-requisite requirements for PT school application while pursuing that B.S. degree, the LSU-S graduate may then make application to the LSUHSC DPT Program. Students wishing to complete the PTA Program and then transfer to LSU-S to complete the Bachelor's Degree in Community Health should contact a PTA advisor for more information on that articulation.
Please be aware that the PTA Program at Bossier Parish Community College and the PT Program at LSUHSC are in no way linked or affiliated. There is no “shortcut” toward achieving a degree in Physical Therapy provided by first becoming a PT Assistant. Additionally, please be aware that graduates of the BPCC PTA Program are not given preference in the selection process for the LSUHSC PT Program. Becoming a PTA while en-route to becoming a PT offers primarily the advantage of providing the student earlier opportunities for work experience and income earning in the field of physical therapy.
* BPCC PTA to LSU-S transfer students will need to schedule an appointment with an advisor in the LSU-S College of Education and Human Development Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences for an official degree plan.
“I want to pursue this degree. What do I need to do first?”
- Contact a PTA advisor to answer any questions related to the Program and request a transcript review. While you are welcome to call, the most efficient way to correspond and receive responses is by e-mail.
- Contact the admissions office on the main campus of Bossier Parish Community College (678-6000) to request an application for admission to the college. There is a $15.00 application fee that must be paid at the time of submission. They will give you a catalog that includes information about the PTA program. Be sure to mark “PTA” on the application as your field of study so you will be assigned a PTA advisor.
- Ask for an Academic Bulletin/Schedule of Classes. The academic bulletin will contain information on new student orientation, tuition and fees, financial aid, student services and courses that will be offered during registration. It will also include the date and time you should come for registration.
- Request information on financial aid by visiting the Financial Aid Office on the main campus, or by calling 678-6000. Be aware that if you do not qualify for financial aid, you may still request a deferment of fees, which allows you to pay tuition in three parts rather than all at once.