The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is designed for those who wish to enter employment as physical therapist assistants working under the supervision of a physical therapist. Graduates may work in acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation hospitals, fitness and wellness centers, public schools, and similar settings.

Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to the PTA program, with 25 to 30 students admitted to the program each fall semester. Selection is highly competitive, and is based on a system of points using several criteria. Entrance requirements include VPT placement into MTH 154 with no co-requisite required or successful completion of an equivalent or higher level college math class; and successful completion of BIO 141, ENG 111, HLT 130, PSY 230, and SDV 101 (or SDV 100), with achievement in BIO 141 as a key admission determinant. Participation in a minimum of 40 documented observation hours in specific health care settings is required and applicants must submit recommendation letters from two separate employers, professional associates, physical therapy clinicians or professors.

Official transcripts from other colleges attended must be sent to Tidewater Community College, Office of the College Registrar, P.O. Box 9000, Norfolk, VA 23509, and be evaluated prior to the application deadline date. For further information regarding admission, continuance and graduation, go to tcc.edu (search keywords "physical therapist assistant").

Licensure is required in most states. In Virginia, program graduates must pass a national licensure examination.

The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Tidewater Community College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 757-822-7251 or email mbasinger@tcc.edu

The two-year program is designed to prepare the student with the philosophical, theoretical, and clinical knowledge to become a trained technical health care worker who can assist the physical therapist in meeting the physical therapy needs of the public. These needs include, but are not limited to, improving patient mobility, relieving pain, lessening the functional limitations that occur as a result of physical disability. The profession of physical therapy also includes health and wellness promotion, public education, and injury and disability prevention.