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Physical Therapist Assistant Schools in Missouri – MO

By Joanna Pelletier, allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 7 2010

Missouri Physical Therapist Assistant Education

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Missouri's population has grown by 5.6 percent over the past few years (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29000.html), and is projected to increase as time moves on. This is enough to create an influx of work for Physical Therapy Assistants, who can help student athletes, seniors, and people who have recently gotten out of surgery recover from injuries, learn how to use crutches, or strengthen weakened muscles.

Physical Therapist Assistants in Missouri must go through an Associate's degree program accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association and the Missouri Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Students in these programs take classes in medical terminology, health and disease, patient care, anatomy and kinesiology, physical agents and modalities, and therapeutic exercise, and complete an externship under the supervision of a licensed Physical Therapist. Students can expect to be in college for two to three years.

If students gain experience through an externship, they should gain work experience in more than one type of environment. Nursing homes, hospitals, orthopedic care centers, schools, private offices, or athletic facilities are perfect for testing students' anatomical knowledge and build their therapeutic, collaborative, interpersonal, and verbal communication skills. Students typically complete their externships in their last semester of school.

Once they become licensed, Physical Therapy Assistants must gain 30 hours of continuing education every two years. They can obtain CE hours through classes, seminars, and programs provided by the FSBPT, APTA, American Medical Association (AMA), the Missouri Physical Therapy Association (MPTA), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or an accredited college or university. These programs must comply with the Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts' licensure rules, which state that these hours must maintain, expand, and develop the Physical Therapy Assistant's skills and knowledge of the practice (http://pr.mo.gov/physicaltherapists-rules-statutes.asp).

Through campus based and online programs, aspiring Physical Therapy Assistants in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Independence, Missouri may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the St. Johns Mercy Medical Center, St. Anthony’s Medical Center, Barnes Jewish Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center.