- Home
- Programs[+]
- Getting Started[+]
- Why ACC[+]
- Locations[+]
- Newsroom[+]
- Contact Us
In today’s thriving health care market, employment of Physical Therapist Assistants is expected to grow 30.8 percent from 2016 to 2026 (California Employment Development Department).
Don’t let this dynamic career opportunity pass you by—American Career College offers a 20-month Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Occupational Science degree program.
American Career College's Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) Degree Program offers a blend of classroom, clinical, and laboratory learning—to quickly and effectively prepare you to succeed in this challenging yet rewarding field.
Blended program: This program is taught in a blended format combining online and classroom instruction. You can start the program online and finish on campus.
Want to learn more about ACC?REQUEST MORE INFO Want to check out a campus?SCHEDULE A CAMPUS TOUR
The American Career College Physical Therapist Assistant program is geared toward preparing you for a challenging, rewarding career as a physical therapist assistant in exciting environments such as hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, clinics, medical offices, and a range of other health care settings. Your duties as a Physical Therapist Assistant may include:
The PTA program is designed to help students acquire the knowledge and training to be able to complete the following tasks:
Effective, Efficient Career Preparation
ACC's dynamic curriculum enables you to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become a qualified, competent, confident Physical Therapist Assistant --quickly and efficiently.
The Physical Therapist Assistant program is available at the Orange County Physical Therapist Assistant Program.
Accreditation Statement:
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program in Orange County is accredited by The Physical Therapist Assistant Program in Orange County is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
APTA Headquarters
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100
Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085
Phone: 703-706-3245 / Email: accreditation@apta.org
The program encourages and solicits ongoing feedback from enrolled students, faculty members, patients, clinical faculty, and employers of ACC graduates. Every individual has the right to file a grievance. If an individual believes a College official, faculty member, administrator or student has acted improperly or inconsistently with ACC policies and/or procedures, the individual may file a grievance. This may include, but is not limited to, misapplication or misinterpretation of policy, procedures, practices, unfair treatment or conduct, etc. All grievances must be filed within 30 days of the incident. If you have feedback or wish to file a grievance, please contact the PTA Program Director, Dr. Janice Lwin at jLwin@americancareercollege.edu.
The Grievance Policy and Procedures found in the Catalog is designed to support and foster a fair, objective, respectful and ethical set of policies and procedures for resolution of disputes. The policies and procedures are designed to provide students with a process in which to protect the College and its students.
Students, faculty or administrators who submit or support a filed grievance may not be subjected to retaliation. Incidents of retaliation should be immediately reported to the Campus Director of Education or Campus Executive Director.
Frivolous or malicious grievances and matters that have been or are in litigation will not be reviewed/considered. Any person(s) submitting a frivolous or malicious grievance will be referred to the appropriate committee for possible disciplinary action. These policies and procedures are internal to ACC.
If a student does have a complaint or concern about the program they should contact the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Contact information for CAPTE can be accessed through the APTA website at http://www.apta.org or by calling the Department of Accreditation of APTA at 703-706-3245.
CAPTE can only respond to specifically PTA accreditation criterion violations. If a student chooses to file a complaint with CAPTE they should address the complaint to CAPTE. In order for CAPTE to address a complaint, they require that the student sign the letter of complaint. Complaints that are not related to accreditation issues should be addressed by following the procedures outlined in the Catalog.
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100
Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085
CAPTE Physical Therapist Assistant Student Achievement Measures
(Rates rounded to the nearest whole number)
| 2018 | 2019 | Two-Year Average |
Graduation Rate | 86.7% | 72.7% | 79.7% |
First-Time Exam Pass Rate* | 86.5% | 91.2% | 88.7% |
Ultimate Licensure Exam Pass Rate* | 91.9% | 97.1% | 94.4% |
Employment Rate | 100% | 90% | 95% |
*Obtained from the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.
Physical Therapist Assistants can work in a physical therapy clinic, hospital, or other health care facility. Moreover, there is a growing demand for professionals who demonstrate the ability to relieve physical therapists of routine administrative and clinic duties.
Upon successful completion of the American Career College Physical Therapist Assistant program, you may qualify for an entry-level position in:
Employment of Physical Therapist Assistants is expected to grow 30.8 percent from 2016 to 2026 (California Employment Development Department).
*American Career College cannot guarantee employment.
The goal of the school's program is to help you graduate with the confidence, knowledge, and qualifications to be a Physical Therapist Assistant.
Physical Therapy Assistants play critical roles in helping physical therapists with the rehabilitation of patients—including accident victims, injured athletes, those suffering from burns, strokes, arthritis, and more.
American Career College's Physical Therapist Assistant Associate of Occupational Science degree program encompasses:
Clinical Practicum I
This clinical practicum experience provides each student with the opportunity to observe and apply basic skills performed within the classroom while under constant supervision in the clinical setting. The aim of this experience includes observation of departmental activities including familiarization in delegation while applying basic intervention skills, safety awareness, documentation, communication, and modality application.
Clinical Practicum II
This clinical practicum experience is a full time 10 week clinical affiliation where students will have the opportunity to experience clinical practice in a minimum of two rehabilitation settings. Upon completion, the student is expected to achieve knowledge and skills that are required to implement a plan of care under the direction of a licensed physical therapist to improve mobility and function of patients of varying diagnoses and impairments. Students are expected to perform clinical skills with increasing efficiency as well as implement knowledge learned through ongoing coursework including cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions related to prosthetics and orthotics. Attention will be paid to developing proficiency in the communication and interaction between a PT/PTA as well as demonstrating appropriate PT/PTA clinical relationship. The student will attain the ability to provide patient care with quality, efficiency, complexity, and consistency under the supervision and guidance of a physical therapist and reflective of a PTA student progressing toward competency consistent with an entry level physical therapist assistant.
Didactic and Laboratory Courses
Various delivery methods are employed within the didactic portion of the school's program. Self-discovery methods and problem – based learning supplement standard lecture delivery platforms. In combination, these delivery methods will maximize exchange of information and encourage student initiative in and out of the clinical setting.
Throughout the class curriculum, documentation skills will be developed, with emphasis placed on accurate documentation and its relationship to patient safety, practitioner communication, interdisciplinary plans of care, denied reimbursement, and practice acts and laws.
Interdisciplinary instruction personnel from inside the college are incorporated into some classes, using the expertise of other program instructors (e.g., respiratory). Interdisciplinary instruction personnel from outside the college are incorporated into some classes, using the expertise of other clinical professionals (e.g., pharmacy).
Exposure to advanced equipment will be available to students in a newly constructed facility.
Once you receive your American Career College Associate’s degree, qualify to sit for the PTA license exam and pass it, you can begin pursuing career opportunities as a Physical Therapist Assistant.
As such, you may be responsible for providing physical therapy services under the direction of a physical therapist. You may help patients who are in the process of recovering from injuries, adapting to and improving lifestyle changes as they are recovering from illness, along with those who need help regaining movement and managing pain.
Your day-to-day responsibilities may include:
*American Career College cannot guarantee employment
Personal Information you submit through our Sites, such as your name, address and other contact information, may be collected by American Career College for internal marketing and development purposes as well as to respond to your inquiry, complete a transaction for you, or fulfill other forms of customer service. You can choose not to receive marketing from us by "unsubscribing" using the instructions in any marketing email you receive from us.