Physical Therapist Assistant Program
Delivery Options:
In-Person
Delivery Type:
Associate of Applied Science Degree
Program Length Once Accepted to Program:
3 Semesters
Why Pursue PTA?
Physical therapist assistants work under the guidance of physical therapists to help people with movement limitations. Our program will train you to be a skilled, adaptable and ethical caregiver ready to work across various healthcare settings, from acute care to rehabilitation.
Graduates are Prepared to:
- Work in diverse healthcare settings, such as hospitals, private practices and nursing homes.
- Work in acute care, outpatient, rehabilitation and extended care settings.
- Provide various patient interventions, including exercises, massage and electrotherapy.
- Help patients improve mobility, strength and coordination through tailored exercise.
- Assist patients in learning to use assistive devices such as crutches and walkers.
- Ensure patient safety and comfort during therapy sessions.
- Modify treatment plans to progress patients as directed by the supervising physical therapist.
- Educate patients, families and caregivers on therapy techniques and exercises.
- Interact with other healthcare providers to coordinate patient care effectively.
- Respond to both patient and environmental emergencies
How to apply to the PTA program
Step 1
Step 1: Complete all prerequisites with at least a C- grade in prerequisite courses and be in good academic standing
Step 2
Step 2: Collect official transcripts if all prerequisites were not taken at Great Falls College
Step 3
Step 3. Be admitted to Great Falls College and have a complete admissions file before applying to the program.
- New to Great Falls College? Apply here
- Continuing student at Great Falls College? Your admissions file is already complete.
Step 4
Step 4: Submit the program application
Application opens March 3 (delayed from Feb. 15) and application packets are accepted on an ongoing basis but must be dropped off or postmarked on or before May 30 to meet the priority deadline to get into the Physical Therapist Assistant program for the upcoming semester. Only complete application packets will be processed, so do not send items separately.
Types of Courses
| AHPT 105 | Introduction to Physical Therapist Assisting |
| BIOH 211 | Human Anatomy Phys II w/ Lab |
| PSYX 100 | Introduction to Psychology |
Career Opportunities
You can expect to earn more than $31 an hour in a field where 19% job growth is predicted from 2022-2032.
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | $72,800 |
| Home healthcare services | $78,360 |
| Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists | $73,180 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $69,600 |
| Offices of physicians | $59,310 |
They do a really good job showing you just how broad of a spectrum there is in the therapy world, and what we can do.
Additional Program Information
Physical Therapy Assistant Program Mission
The Great Falls College PTA Program: Developing Quality Skills through Unwavering Ethics
Core Values of Professional Conduct in Physical Therapy
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Program Goals and Outcomes
Student Goal (Student Learning Outcomes):
- The student will demonstrate an entry level skill set of interventions using critical thinking, ethics, safety skills and knowledge of red flags for the provision of services under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Developing Quality Skills/Unwavering Ethics
Student Outcomes (Program Effectiveness):
- 100% of students will demonstrate successful completion of intervention objectives with a “pass” on the terminal clinical prior to graduation.
Student Goal (Student Learning Outcomes):
- The student will construct effective communication and documentation between colleagues, patients, interdisciplinary team and various other stakeholders regarding provision of physical therapy services. Developing Quality Skills
Student Outcomes (Program Effectiveness):
- 100% of students will demonstrate successful completion of all communication/documentation objectives with a “pass” on the terminal clinical prior to graduation.
Student Goal (Student Learning Outcomes):
- The student will effectively implement best practice outcome measures under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Developing Quality Skills
Student Outcomes (Program Effectiveness):
- 100% of students will demonstrate successful completion of tests and measures through reporting the patient’s status objective with a “pass” on the terminal clinical prior to graduation.
Student Goal (Student Learning Outcomes):
- The student will effectively educate the implementation of preventative and evidence-based practice as it relates to their clinical decision making. Developing Quality Skills
Student Outcome (Program Effectiveness):
- 100% of students will use peer review research within at least two assignments while in the program.
- 100% of students will demonstrate through at least one assignment that addresses appropriate education, preventative practice, communication and treatment toward various special populations in regards to their cultural, community or individual needs prior to graduation
Student Goal (Student Learning Outcomes):
- The student will demonstrate commitment to the profession by serving the needs of their patients and community through participation in service-related activities. Unwavering Ethics
Student Outcomes (Program Effectiveness):
- 100% of students will have participated in at least one service-related activity within the community prior to graduation.
Student Goal (Student Learning Outcomes):
- The student will practice ethical billing, quality assurance standards and scheduling of patients in the provision of services under the direction and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Unwavering Ethics
Student Outcomes (Program Effectiveness):
- 100% of students will demonstrate successful completion of the billing/scheduling/quality assurance objective with a “pass” on the terminal clinical prior to graduation.
Faculty Goal:
- Program faculty will demonstrate life-long learning through the pursuit of continuing education related to the profession of physical therapy and area of teaching responsibility. Developing Quality Skills
Faculty Outcome:
- 100% of full-time faculty will participate in at least one continued education or professional development course annually.
Faculty Goal:
- Program faculty will continually develop updated course materials to provide students a contemporary education via evidence based practice. Developing Quality Skills
Faculty Outcome:
- 100% of full-time faculty will implement at least one assignment based on peer review research annually.
Faculty Goal:
- The program faculty will demonstrate commitment to the profession through service-learning activities within the community. Unwavering Ethics
Faculty Outcome:
- 100% of full-time faculty will participate with students in at least one service-learning activity within the community annually.
PTA Program Goal:
- The program will continue to demonstrate quality education and rigor while meeting the needs of the community. Developing Quality Skills with Unwavering Ethics
Program Outcomes:
- Maintain an 85% 2 year average ultimate pass rate on the NPTE.
- Maintain an 80% graduation rate over a 2 year average.
- Maintain an 90% employment rates averaged over 2 years.
PTA Program Goal:
- The program will contribute to the needs of the community through the student association and its pursuit of volunteering and fundraising. Unwavering Ethics
Program Outcome:
- The program’s student association will promote at least one volunteer event with a portion of the proceeds going toward a non-profit organization annually.
PTA Program Goal:
- The program will promote life-long learning to reflect contemporary practice and advocate physical therapy via the APTA to best meet the needs of the profession and society. Developing Quality Skills with Unwavering Ethics
Program Outcomes:
- The program will implement at least one assignment discussing the importance of life-long learning prior to graduation.
- The program’s student association will require 100% of voting constituents to be members of the APTA annually
Program Statistics
PTA Program Statistics as of 12/8/23:
| ’19-’20 | ’20-’21 | ’21-’22 | |
| Graduates who entered the program | 9 | 16 | 11 |
| Graduates who completed the program | 9 | 15 | 8 |
| % Completion Rate*** | 100% | 93.8% | 80% |
| 2-year average graduation/completion rate | 95.2% | 96% | 88.5% |
| Graduates who took the NPTE | 9 | 15 | 8 |
| First time NPTE pass rate | 77.8% | 86.7% | 87.5% |
| 2-year average first time NPTE pass rate | 75% | 83.3% | 86.9% |
| Ultimate NPTE Pass Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 2-year average Ultimate NPTE Pass Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Employment Rate** | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 2-year average Employment Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% |
**Employment rate as defined by the number of graduates who sought employment and were employed in physical therapy (full-time or part-time) within one year of graduation.
***Completion rate does NOT include students unable to complete the program due to health, family, or personal reasons unrelated to clinical or academic reasons.
PTA Programmatic Student Demographic Characteristics:
| ’21-’22 | ’22-’23 | ’23-’24 | |
| Number of Students Admitted to Program | 11 | 7 | 5 |
| Average Age in years | 29 | 28 | 29 |
| Gender: Number of Females | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Gender: Number of Males | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Race: African-American/Black (Non-Hispanic) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Race: American Indian/Alaskan Native | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Race: Asian/Pacific Islander | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Race: Hispanic/Latino | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Race: White (not of Hispanic origin) | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Race: Other | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Race: Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of Students with no College Degree | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Number of Students with Associate Degree | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Number of Students with Bachelor Degree | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Number of Students with Master Degree | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Accrediting Body
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Great Falls College Montana State University is accredited by:
The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100
Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085
703-706-3245
[email protected]
www.capteonline.org
If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call:
Brad Bechard – Program Director
406-771-5134
[email protected]
The next onsite visit will occur in Fall of 2028.
Complaints:
Complaints from the community, faculty, or students regarding the program or the program graduates should be first addressed by contacting the PTA Program Director. Unresolved complaints or complaints about the Program Director should be directed to Julie Barnwell – Director of Health Sciences. Julie Barnwell’s e-mail address is [email protected] and her contact number is (406) 771-4389. All complaints will be documented, including the projected outcome, and kept on file at the program facility.
Complaints regarding accreditation of this program should be addressed to the Commission for Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education. This Commission is located at 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314.
Application Deadlines
The formal portion of the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program begins fall semester with a limited enrollment of 20 students. Enrollment is a competitive process. There are 30 credits of prerequisite courses which may take one year or longer to complete. All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher. The student must apply for acceptance into the formal portion of the PTA program and be accepted. A grade of “76%” or “pass” is required for all courses within the PTA program after formal acceptance. The formal portion of the PTA program is challenging and consists of fall, spring, and summer semesters; taking one full year. This time includes built-in clinical experiences which may or may not be in the Great Falls area. Upon completion of the PTA program, the graduate is prepared to take the national board examination for physical therapist assistants provided by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and must receive a passing score in order to become a licensed PTA. Licensure is required to practice as a physical therapist assistant in Montana and is overseen by the State of Montana Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.
After completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to take the national licensure examination for physical therapist assistants through the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Montana does require licensure to practice as a physical therapist assistant.
In seeking admission into the program, the student is required to complete all requirements listed in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Information and Application Packet.
PTA Program Requirements Prior to Admission:
Prior to Fall admission into the PTA program students must:
- Be admitted to Great Falls College MSU and in good academic standing. Application information may be acquired at the office, or by calling Student Admissions at (406) 268-3700 or online at www.gfcmsu.edu.
- Complete 40 hours or more of observation with a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant. Please note that higher point values for admission to the PTA Program are awarded at 10 hour intervals. Refer to section “Observation Hours” in the application packet.
- Earn a grade of C (not a C-) or higher in all pre-requisite courses
- Computer literacy and keyboarding skills are assumed
Application packets must be postmarked on or before May 31st to be considered eligible for admission into the Physical Therapist Assistant program for the 2023-24 academic year. From the pool of completed applications, the prospective PTA students will be screened. In the event that a full class of 20 PTA students cannot be initially attained, then incomplete or late applications may be looked at for possible admission. Applications with requirements not met at the time of the program deadline may be provisionally admitted pending fulfillment of ALL requirements. All persons submitting an application will be notified of their admission status following the selection process, approximately 4 weeks later.
Please only send required documentation as other supplemental items will be discarded.
It is recommended that application packets be sent by certified mail, or hand delivered and date stamped.
Hand-deliver or mail the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Application Packet to:
Physical Therapist Assistant Program
Attention: Health Science Administrative Assistant
Great Falls College MSU
2100 16th Avenue South
Great Falls, MT 59405
Curriculum Map & Assessment Plan
Physical Therapy Assistant Program Assessment Plan: Program director will submit annual report in May using program summary document.
