Health Professions: Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

PTA Program

Application deadline:  April 15

Admission Procedures

The following steps must be completed by April 15 to be eligible for Fall admission:

1. Apply to Tidewater Community College. TCC Admissions process
   
   
2. Complete a Health Professions Application indicating Physical Therapy Assistant as your program choice. Submit to the Domicile Health Professions and Records Office (Virginia Beach Campus), Princess Anne Building, Room A-100A, 1700 College Crescent, Virginia Beach, VA 23453.
   

   Applications will be time and date stamped. Applications can be mailed or hand delivered to:

   Gloria Singleton
   Domicile Health Professions and Records Office, A-100A
   Tidewater Community College
   1700 College Crescent
   Virginia Beach, VA 23453

3. To receive transfer credit from previous colleges attended, contact the Registrar at each college attended and have official transcripts sent directly to the Central Records Office. ***Transfer credit will be accepted for general education classes only.  As of   July 1, 2012 technical classes from other PT/PTA programs will no longer be accepted for transfer credit.
   
   
4. Submit online form, Request for Evaluation of Previous Educational Experiences SS-033
   Data must be received by the Central Records Office in order to evaluate your transcripts and assign transfer credit. Verify receipt of all transcripts and forms by contacting the Central Records Office.
   
   
5. If you have not yet successfully completed a college-level English or Math class, you will need to take placement tests. These tests determine the appropriate English and math developmental classes a student must take before enrolling in the general education requirements of ENG 111 and PHY 100. Locations, times, costs, etc. on the testing website.
   
   
6. If you have never taken or have not recently taken high school or college biology, or chemistry you may be required to take either BIO 01, CHM 01, or HLT 143 as a refresher course prior to enrolling in BIO 141. Call the Counseling Center, (757) 822-7211, to find which of these classes you will need to take.
   
   
7. Computer competency test
   Prior to graduation from the program, students must demonstrate computer competency in word processing, spreadsheet, database, and internet/e-mail. You can either take ITE 115 (Introduction to Microcomputer Software), or call the Counseling Center at (757) 822-7211 to schedule to take a computer competency test. It is best to do this early in the program.
   
   
8. Twenty hours of documented observation or work hours in each of two different physical therapy practice settings (i.e., outpatient and acute care, skilled nursing facility and outpatient, etc.) under the supervision of a Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant. Forty hours total.
   
   
9. Two recommendation forms from employers, professional associates, clinicians, or professors.        
10. Complete all semester one (1) pre-requisite general education coursework.        
    

Selection Process

• Applications will be reviewed first for the prerequisites, including both required and recommended coursework.
• Points will be awarded to applicants in the following manner:

Academic Points

• These represent points for first-time takers; second-time takers will receive one-half the allotted points; third-time takers will receive no points.
• No points are awarded for "C" grades, however, they are considered for transfer.
• Please attend an Open House Information Session to learn ways to strengthen your application.

Hours Points

• One (1) point for every 10 hours of observation/work in a PT facility over the required minimum of 40 hours. No more that 200 hours (16 points) may be counted toward acceptance to the program.

Recommendation Points

• Recommendation Forms:     Excellent rating = 5 points

                                                 Good rating = 2 points

The top 25-30 point earners will be accepted into the program each year. The next ten qualified applicants will make up the waiting list and placed in order of points earned. The time and date stamp on the student’s application will decide all point ties.

If a student is not accepted into the program and is still interested; he/she must resubmit a Health Professions Program application by the April 15 deadline for the following fall semester.