Associate in Applied Science - Physical Therapist Assistant

The PTA is a licensed healthcare professional dedicated to high standards of clinical practice. The PTA Program at GCC is an intense, academically rigorous program and requires dedicated, hardworking students with solid support systems. In order to pass the challenging national licensing exam and achieve the skill set necessary for excellence in clinical practice, students can expect a demanding course load, robust study, considerable practice of treatment techniques, research and collaborative project work outside the scheduled class hours.

Students will be a professional member of the health care team. This allows them to be directly involved in helping people with injuries to relieve their pain as well as heal and to regain function so as to lead a more normal, independent life. Students will be able to work at many different kinds of health care facilities, such as sports care clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and schools with a wide range of patients.

The Physical Therapist Assistant degree program at GCC is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. The program includes on-site internship opportunities at health care facilities. The curriculum provides hands-on lab experiences in functional anatomy, kinesiology, pain management, massage, orthopedic therapeutic exercise, and neurological treatment techniques used with pediatric and geriatric populations.