Program Information

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About the Program

The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Wharton County Junior College was granted initial accreditation on April 24, 1991 by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Since the first graduating class in May 1991, there have been over 150 graduates who have successfully completed the PTA curriculum. 

The PTA program is located with nursing and other allied health programs in the Johnson Health Occupations Center on the main campus in Wharton Texas. Classroom and laboratory instruction are provided in a spacious, well-equipped classroom that also contains an adjoining departmental library and student locker area. Equipment and supplies are maintained in-house and updates are regularly made to keep the program current with changing technology. Clinical experiences are provided off campus at a variety of locations and supervised by on-site clinical instructors.

The PTA curriculum is a 21-month (71 credit hour) integrated curriculum with 53 credit hours of classroom instruction and 18 credit hours of supervised clinical education. The PTA faculty are full-time employees of WCJC and have worked together since the programs inception. Graduates of the program receive an associate’s degree of applied science (AAS) and are then qualified to take the state licensure examination. Licensed PTA’s may find employment in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, pediatric centers, offices of physical therapists in private practice, home health care, or other specialized health care settings.