Overview
Physical Therapy is a helping profession. The program at Weatherford College prepares you to work with people from all ages recovering from injuries that vary from sports injuries to trauma from accidents, neurologic conditions, degenerative diseases, and congenital diseases.
We are accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation in Physical Therapy (CAPTE) ensuring the highest quality of education for PTA students. All of our courses are taught face to face in small class sizes by experienced physical therapy clinicians. Our students participate in clinical internships in hospitals and clinics throughout the Fort Worth Dallas area and cities to the north, south, and west of the metroplex.
If you like working with people from all ages and stages in life, this program might be for you.
Accreditation
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Weatherford College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call Cindy Lavine 817-598-8873 or email clavine@wc.edu.
Requirements
There are some physical requirements needed to be able to work in physical therapy but you don’t have to buy special equipment. The equipment you will work with is provided by the hospital or clinic. The physical requirements needed to work in physical therapy are called “Essential Functions of the PTA”. Follow this link to read about them: Essential Functions.
Career Options
After graduating and passing the licensure exam, most PTA’s work in hospital settings or private clinics. Many work in rehab hospitals, home health, or school settings.
The median annual wage for physical therapist assistants was $59,770 in May 2020 by the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of physical therapist assistants and aides is projected to grow 29 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for physical therapy is expected to increase in response to the healthcare needs of an aging population and individuals with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.
The average wages in Texas are available through the Texas Workforce commission.
Transfer Options
- To the workforce.
Scholarships
The Weatherford College Foundation has endowment funds that provide scholarships specifically for student enrolled in the PTA program. Additionally Dr. Luke Haynes of Haynes Physical Therapy and The Estate of Mary Zielinski provide scholarships for PTA students through the WC Foundation.
https://wc.academicworks.com/donors/mary-m-zielinski-estate
https://wc.academicworks.com/donors/dr-luke-and-ashtyn-haynes
Faculty
- Cindy Lavine, PTA, MPH
- Christi Mills, PT
- Rich Ritcherson, PTA, BS
- Rick Ward, PT, GSC, CWC, CEEAA, Faculty
Outcomes
|
Graduating Class |
Graduation Rate | Licensure Exam Pass Rate | Employment Rate |
| 2020 and 2021 | 95% |
94.4% – First attempt 97.2% – Ultimate |
97.1% |
| 2021 and 2022 | 95% |
86.8% – First attempt 97.3% – Ultimate |
94.1% |
| 2022 and 2023 | 92.6% |
86.8% – First attempt N/A – Ultimate |
98.1% |
The PTA Program is a big team, and I love that we help and support each other the whole way.
The professors of the program go above and beyond, and will do anything to help you succeed.