Frederick Community College prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, creed, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religious affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status in its activities, admissions, educational programs, and employment.

The PTA program requires prospective students to attest to meeting the essential functions listed below on their application to the PTA program.

Essentials Functions for a PTA Career

The PTA program requires prospective students to attest to meeting the essential functions listed below on their application to the PTA program.

Essential Functions are a list of skills that are expected of all physical therapist assistants and should serve as a guideline for professional expectations once the student is employed as a PTA. These essential functions include, but are not limited to, the following: Communication skills sufficient to teach others, explain procedures, interact with others, and convey information in writing.

• Obtain and report information verbally and in writing using the English language.
• Receive and respond to verbal and written communications in an appropriate and professional manner.
• Use of communication and sensory skills to convey and elicit information.
• Accurate perception of non-verbal information and cues in interpersonal encounters.

Physical ability is necessary as a PTA. A PTA must have physical mobility and strength sufficient to work with a variety of patient population. Physical requirements include but are not limited to:

• Fine motor skills sufficient to apply fine motor skills and hand dexterity to safely perform examination and therapeutic interventions.
• Frequently bend, twist, and stoop and occasionally crawl, climb, reach above shoulder level, and kneel.
• Having adequate balance in both standing and walking to be able to also support a patient with a disability.
• Being able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds independently.
• Pushing and pulling heavy or immobile patients – up to 100 pounds independently.
• Physical stamina sufficient to perform client care for entire length of clinical experience (6-8 hours).

Observation skills are necessary in healthcare. A PTA must be able to observe and monitor patients, caregivers, volunteers, and other medical staff. The essential observation functions require the use of senses. A PTA must be able to:

• Observe movement patterns, activities and behaviors.
• Observe signs related to physical status (e.g. vital signs, symmetry and condition of the skin, soft tissue & wounds)
• Observe signs related to behavioral status
• Read information in clinical environments such as patient medical record, diagnostic tests, dials, displays, and equipment related to patient care.

Behavioral and social attributes in a clinical setting means having the maturity and emotional health to fulfill all responsibilities. Essential behavioral and social functions include:

• Act in an ethical, legal, and responsible manner consistent with the Core Values and Professional Behaviors outlined by the American Physical Therapy Association.
• Engage in patient care to all patient populations including but not limited to children, adolescents, adults, vulnerable adults, or persons with developmental disability.
• Recognize and demonstrate respect for cultural, ethnic, ethical, and value differences among staff, patients, caregivers, and other health care professionals.
• Be able to handle stresses of dealing with physically and emotionally difficult situations, patients, or caregivers.
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability to changing situations and uncertainty.
• Emotional stability sufficient to assume responsibility/accountability for actions, provide client with emotional support, adapt to environmental stress, and monitor own emotions.
• Adhere to timeliness and attendance requirements.

Cognitive abilities are necessary for timely problem solving, safety judgment, and reasoning in a clinical setting. The essential cognitive functions include:

• Analytical thinking sufficient to transfer knowledge from one situation to another, problem solve, prioritize tasks, and use long-term and short-term memory.
• Critical thinking ability sufficient to exercise sound judgement through the sequencing of information and the identification of cause and effect relationships
• Assessing self-performance to continually improve professional skills and implement plans for professional growth and development.

Prospective students need to be aware that physical therapy involves contact with communicable diseases. All students entering the PTA program must meet the following health requirements prior to participating in clinical education experiences:

• TB test or chest x-ray
• Adult Tdap
• Polio primary series or polio booster
• MMR
• Varicella
• Hepatitis B, 3 vaccinations plus a positive titer
• Current flu shot
• COVID-19 vaccine (required by most clinical partners)

Background Check and Drug Screen

In accordance with the policies of many of our clinical facilities Frederick Community College’s PTA Program requires all students to have a criminal background check and drug screening. This background check and drug screening will be completed PRIOR to enrollment in clinical education experiences (PTHA 180, PTHA 235, PTHA 240) and may be repeated during the program as deemed necessary.

All students must be successfully cleared via this background check and drug screening to be admitted to the clinical facilities. If a student is not successfully cleared, the student may not enter the clinical setting and, therefore, will be unable to complete the PTA Program’s requirements and graduate.

Program applicants are advised that The Maryland Board of Physical Therapy Examiners may deny a license to an applicant who has been convicted of or pleads nolo contendre to a crime involving moral turpitude, whether or not any appeal or other proceeding is pending to have the plea set aside. If prospective students have questions regarding this, they should contact the PT Board of Examiners directly.

CPR

Proof of CPR certification (American Heart Association and Military Training Network course) must be submitted prior to clinical education experiences and maintained while enrolled in the PTA program.

Medical Insurance

All students are required to provide proof of personal health insurance upon admission to the PTA Program. The college and the clinical education experience settings are not responsible for the cost of medical care if the PTA student becomes ill or injured at school or at the medical facility.

• PTA Program Student Manual
• PTA Clinical Education Manual