PTA Blog Talk : Student Issues and News

Online PTA Education

Jason Marketti — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:45:00 GMT

Recently I came across an online PTA program. To tell the truth I was skeptical about it. After more research I concluded that it was ingenious to offer education online for PTAs.

Now some may say, "You can't teach therapy online."

San Juan College (www.sanjuancollege.edu/pta) in Farmington, NM has done just this. They have a successful online PTA program and graduated one class with a 100 percent pass rate, and are graduating another class this December.

If someone can get a respiratory therapy degree online and a DPT online, why shouldn't they be able to educate themselves as a PTA with the same method?

"With our program, students enrolled in the online portion can live anywhere in the United States," said Wendy D. Bircher, PT, EdD, director of the PTA program.

She went on to say, "The students attend sessions toward the end of each semester for seven to 14 days to learn the lab skills and to ensure they successfully complete a lab exam and are competent to continue on to the next semester. The students attend the lab sessions everyday (including Saturday and Sunday) for approximately eight to 12 hours a day. It is a grueling schedule, but with this format, individuals who have no other option for a PTA degree now have one."

To elaborate on the success of online education in the therapy field, do a search for online CEUs. If I take an online CEU, I am essentially learning therapy techniques online. San Juan College requires a proctor and has a time limit for each test. Do your online CEUs require that?

Just the Assistant

Jason Marketti — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:15:00 GMT

Because I am a PTA do people look at me as "only an assistant" to the REAL therapist?

I have asked myself that question and have been told by patients and family members, "Oh, you're the assistant, can I talk to the therapist?" So, like everyone else who wanted to better themselves I went back to school.

My resume is quite impressive. Lots of jobs in different settings, plenty of experience, publications, CEUs, certificates and, of course, several degrees.

I have been told if I do not like being a PTA I should go back to school to become a PT. Sounds like a great idea until I took a look at tuition costs for me to become a PT. I would be better off becoming a nurse. So I went to nursing school. It didn't work out the way I planned and it took me away from my family too much so I abandoned that after a year. (I was taught great assessment skills though.)

Then I got to talking to some other PTAs who would consider the option to become a PT if the courses were made more available to them. Most of us had 10 plus years in the field and were fairly adept at our skills and confident in our knowledge that we could become PTs if we wouldn't have to take A and P, chemistry, biology, etc., all over again. Apparently some schools "expire" the courses on the transcripts if they are more than 5 years old. Does human anatomy and the basic chemical make up of living organisms change that rapidly?

What a PTA with 10 plus years of experience would need is primarily evaluation and assessment skills. Yeah, we could throw in a couple of review courses (keep them condensed and brief) then get on with the clinical part of the program. I think a one-year intense clinical training program for a PTA with 10 years in the field would be a good transitional program. How many of us with that many years in the field would actually do it if it was a year program?

Being a CI

Jason Marketti — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:46:00 GMT

It's a challenge to take on one or two students, but it is worth the time and effort knowing that some knowledge was passed along to others who will also share that knowledge in their career. I enjoy the time I spend with students and I like the questions they ask. The best thing is that when I can't answer the question I could say, "That's a great question, why don't you look that up and let me know what you find."

But I don't say it. I could, but that would not be fair to the student. I hardly ever quiz them on anatomy (Where is the articularis genus muscle and what is its function to the structure it affects?) I would rather question their clinical judgment to situations in patient care. I figure they get all the book work and A and P stuff in school.

I've had them practice their hand placements in the ICU with comatose patients to allow them to get a better idea on how to stand at the bedside and what to look for and feel for at end ranges at different joints. I've gone on field trips with them to stroke centers and assisted living places to allow them to get to know the resources in the area they will be working in.

I bring them into meetings and let them listen in to the phone calls that are made-the tedious stuff that we do-to allow them to see what it really is like. Sure it would be easy to show them the facility and within a week let them see patients while I kick back and answer their questions but they would not really be learning what its like to be a PTA.

I encourage them to speak to the social workers in the facilities and if they feel comfortable with it they can discuss treatment with the MD if appropriate. I've known some PTAs who were treated like aides during clinicals. If that happens, it's time to find another place to be for four to six weeks.

I also figure it is better for a PTA to be the CI for a student PTA because the student can actually see what we do. The student can learn when to defer treatment to the PT and get a better idea about scope of practice. Who better to learn from than a seasoned professional in the same job?

Some places may not allow the PTAs to be CIs and that is ridiculous. How can a student PTA learn to do a job effectively if they are not trained by peers? How will they know when to take the initiative and when to discuss patient care with the PT prior to treatment? Doctors train doctors, nurses train nurses and PTAs need to train PTAs.