Walking the halls at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Richwood Valley Campus, visitors will see what they expect to find on a college campus. There are classrooms with desks and whiteboards and laboratories with microscopes and Bunsen burners, but one room stands out.
Inside that lab, students work with weights, exercise balls and other fitness equipment while surrounded by models of the musculoskeletal system. The cross between a workout facility and an anatomy classroom is home to OTC’s Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program, which just celebrated its 25th graduating class.
“Until OTC started its program, there was not a physical therapist assistant program in southwest Missouri,” said Becky McKnight, OTC’s former PTA program director, and a current faculty member. “We had to educate clinicians and therapists that physical therapist assistants are valuable members of the healthcare team.”
The relationship between a physical therapist and a physical therapist assistant can be compared to a doctor and a physician’s assistant. The physical therapist determines the diagnosis and establishes a treatment plan, and the physical therapist assistant carries out the plan to ensure quality treatment.
“It is a hands-on, fun environment,” said OTC’s PTA Program Director, Niki Wallen. “You’re trying to make patient care fun while helping them learn life-long strategies to remain healthy.”
PTA is one of the college’s most popular programs. Along with nursing and dental hygiene, physical therapist assistant is one of OTC’s competitive admission programs. PTA can accept 24 students annually, but the program receives around 60 applicants yearly — many of whom have bachelor’s degrees.
Niki graduated from OTC’s program in 2006, when she was one of Becky’s students. The Ozark native had gone to another college to play soccer right out of high school, but after a year, Niki wanted to be closer to home. Initially, she thought about becoming an athletic trainer, but when she learned about OTC’s PTA program, she decided to pursue that career.
“Physical therapist assistants need to be passionate about their work. Having a genuine interest in the human body and how it works is a must,” Niki said. “PTAs have many employment opportunities, and the position is very versatile.”
The Program’s Director of Clinical Education, Tina Engel, places students in many different facilities around the Springfield region that include hospitals, outpatient facilities, long-term care facilities, and even schools.
“Students have clinical rotations throughout the Springfield region,” Tina said. “I am very grateful for the support from the local healthcare community. The program could not be successful without the incredible partners that offer these clinical education opportunities.”
OTC’s PTA Program average cost is around $12,000, and Missouri’s average Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant salary is $54,110. While the career pays well, most people are drawn to the profession because their work helps people.
“I’ve worked with premature babies in a neo-natal facility, to athletes, to a grandmother who wants to be able to hold her newborn grandchild,” Becky said. “You do make a difference in people’s lives.”