In keeping with the Kingsborough mission of providing both liberal arts and career education, the Department of Biological Sciences offers courses leading to the A.A.S. in Physical Therapist Assistant. This curriculum includes courses in general education, basic sciences, as well as technical courses in physical therapy.
Physical Therapy and the Physical Therapist Assistant
Physical therapy is a health profession which involves the physical rehabilitation of people who have disabling conditions, either temporary or permanent. These conditions may include sports injuries, fractures, chronic pain, strokes, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injuries. Physical therapy uses physical agents such as light, sound, electricity, water, and air to treat and prevent (primarily) pathologies of the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems.
The physical therapist assistant (PTA) works under the supervision of a physical therapist in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other health facilities. Physical therapists evaluate patients, plan treatment programs, and may delegate parts of those programs to physical therapist assistants while completing other parts of the program themselves. Guided by the physical therapist’s plan of care, the PTA may use specialized equipment to administer treatments to accomplish the therapist generated rehabilitation goals. These treatments may include the application of heat, cold, light, sound, and electricity. The PTA may also administer therapeutic exercises, ambulation training, and train patients in the use of artificial limbs, braces, and various aids in an effort to maximize function and facilitate the rehabilitation process. A student considering entering the field of PTA should have a demonstrated aptitude for the sciences, interact well with others, have an interest in working with physically challenged, ill or injured people, and enjoy a physically active job.