Running head: A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 1

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1 Running head: A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 1 A Comparison of Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Graduates from Community Colleges versus Four-Year Institutions Melissa Webb Ball State University

2 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 2 The Need Never before has the demand for health care professionals been as great as it is now. But the supply of qualified domestic graduates is not expected to keep up with this demand, thus creating a shortage in most fields (Lang, 2009, p. 53). The shortage of graduates in the health sciences fields has opened the door for community colleges to fill a big role in the United States. Not only can community colleges provide continuing education courses to help current professionals in the field maintain their credentials or licensure, but they can also offer certificate and associate degree programs once they receive the appropriate accreditation. Although the need in nursing is well documented, just as great a need exists in other health care fields... physical therapist assistants (p. 53) being one of them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of physical therapist assistants is expected to increase 46% from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations (2012, para. 1). The increasing elderly population, an estimated 78 million baby boomers, is a group with much greater-than-average health care needs and will demand services to alleviate chronic and debilitating diseases (Lang, 2009, p. 58). As the need has continued to rise over the last few years, community colleges have refined their programs in the health sciences fields to graduate high quality professionals who are eager and prepared to serve. However, community colleges are not the only institutions of higher learning who have attempted to meet the need of health sciences graduates. So how do community college graduates from health sciences fields, specifically Physical Therapist Assistant programs, compare to graduates in the same field from traditional four-year institutions?

3 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 3 Background The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) reported there are currently 293 accredited Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) programs in the United States. During the academic year, 10,598 students were enrolled in PTA programs throughout the country (2012). The role of a PTA is to help patients who are recovering from debilitating illness, amputations, surgery, or accidents to restore their physical function and to relieve pain by means of physical exercise treatments, hydrotherapy, muscle manipulations, and a variety of other techniques (Smith-Woods, n.d.). They work as part of a team to provide physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of the physical therapist (American Physical Therapy Association, 2012, para. 1) by implementing and modifying treatment plans prescribed for patients by physical therapists. PTAs work with patients of all ages in settings varying from hospitals to schools to sports and fitness facilities to nursing homes. According to the APTA, PTAs must graduate from a CAPTE-accredited PTA program and licensure or certification is required in most stat in which a PTA works (para. 4). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported: The median annual wage of physical therapist assistants was $49,690 in May half the workers earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,070, and the top 10 percent earned more than $68,820. (2012) Much of the disparity between the lowest and top ten percent can be attributed to the location in which physical therapy assistants work. Those in areas that have a higher cost of living make much more than individuals in areas with a lower cost of living. In the state of Indiana the hourly mean wage was $24.57 and the annual mean wage was $51,100 as of May 2009 (Physical

4 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 4 Therapy Career Guide, 2012). This falls right in the middle of the data reported by the BLS. Many informational websites for prospective PTA students say the more certifications and specializations one receives, the higher the potential salary could be. For example: Experienced physical therapy assistants can make more money if they have experience in several areas, especially the specialty areas that are not seen as frequently. An example is a physical therapy assistant who has experience in pediatric or sports may be selected in contracts for patients with those issues over another candidate who does not have that experience. This allows for different work environment and contracts depending on the employer which provides leverage for salary. (Physical Therapy Career Guide, 2012, para. 2) This is important to take into consideration when exploring the various institutions offering PTA programs. Statistics on The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy s (FSBPT) website show there are six separate institutions of higher education in Indiana that offer PTA programs, with Ivy Tech Community College and Brown Mackie College both offering the program in two separate regions of the state (2012). Of the six schools in Indiana with PTA programs, four of them are traditional four-year institutions that also offer some associates degrees and two institutions are two-year schools that only offer certificate programs and associates degrees. Brown Mackie College, University of Evansville, University of Indianapolis, and University of Saint Francis fall under the category of traditional four-year institutions, while Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University offer mostly associates degree programs. Though PTA programs are offered at all six of these institutions,

5 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 5 The length of a PTA program is typically 2 years (5 semesters) consisting of general education course, physical therapy courses, and clinical education... Approximately seventy-five percent (75%) of the PTA curriculum comprises classroom (didactic) and lab study and the remaining 25 percent (25%) is dedicated to clinical education. (APTA, 2012) When embarking upon the journey to receive a degree in PTA, students must be very educated about all of the program requirements. Mark Wise, the PTA Program Chair at Ivy Tech Community College East Central region, shared during an interview that the curriculum for PTA programs is very specialized. He said students who want to transfer to other areas of study or pursue further degrees after receiving their associates in PTA have a hard time and often have to begin their academic journeys again. While the specialized curriculum means graduates from PTA programs are highly prepared to pass their boards and serve patients effectively, the lack of transferability of the program courses can be detrimental to those students who are not able to complete PTA programs. Wise also mentioned a transition the field of Physical Therapy has undergone over the last five years in which Physical Therapists (PT) must receive doctorate degrees instead of bachelor degrees. Because PTA positions require only an associate-level degree, the time required for individuals to ascertain a PT degree can be up to four times as much. The difference in time to a degree has greatly increased the number of applicants to PTA programs, in turn causing programs to be much more selective (personal communication, November 14, 2012). So how should prospective PTA students navigate the murky waters of which program to choose? Because the degree is a two-year program, does the name of the institution on the diploma affect board pass rates, job placement rates, or salary?

6 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 6 studied. Comparison For the purpose of this project, schools in Indiana that offer PTA degree programs were Brown Mackie College (BMC) is a family of schools (2012, para. 6) consisting of more than 25 schools in 15 states. They pride themselves on offering programs in five careerfocused areas of study (para. 1) and helping students receive the education they need to start a career. Degrees offered from BMC vary from certificates to bachelor s degrees. PTA programs are offered at the Fort Wayne and South Bend campuses. Ivy Tech Community College (ITCC) is the nation s largest state-wide community college with single accreditation. It is [Indiana s] largest public post-secondary institution serving nearly 200,000 students a year (2012, para. 1). PTA programs are offered in the East Central and Northwest regions of ITCC. The University of Evansville (UE) is a fully-accredited, private, liberal arts and sciences based university affiliated with the United Methodist Church (2012, para. 2). They offer a two-year PTA degree and a six- or seven-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) is a private, comprehensive and diverse institution of higher education located on nearly 50 acres just minutes from downtown Indianapolis (2012, para. 1). It is also affiliated with the United Methodist Church. UIndy offers an associate-level PTA program, a bachelor-level pre-pt program, and three different doctoral PT programs. The University of Saint Francis (USF) is a private, Catholic university located in Fort Wayne, Indiana that enrolls nearly 2,300 students in majors ranging from the liberal arts,

7 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 7 to the creative arts, to the health sciences (2012, para. 1). Their PTA program is advertised as a four-semester curriculum. Vincennes University (VU) is the birthplace of one of the nation s first two-year institutions of higher learning (2012, para. 1). It offers a five-semester PTA associate s degree program. Each PTA program is required to report their graduation rate (within 150% of the length of the program as defined by CAPTE), employment rate within six months (of those seeking employment), and licensure pass rates. Below is a chart exposing the data collected from each program s websites for the academic years combined with information from the FSBPT. Table 1 PTA Programs in Indiana School Name Graduation Rate Employment Rate Number of graduates who took the test/avg. Ultimate Pass Rate Average Cost (Instate) Brown Mackie College South Bend Ivy Tech Community College Northwest Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana East Central University of Evansville University of Indianapolis University of Saint Francis 57.9% 99.3% 80/93.75% $40,250 75% 90% 59/91.53% $11, % 100% 60/95% $9, % 100% 36/100% $61, % 100% 62/100% $47,000 87% 100% 59/96.61% $48,000 Vincennes University 70% 97% 57/100% $12,000

8 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 8 Based on information provided by the FSBPT, nation-wide, the first-time candidate pass rate for PTA students on the National Physical Therapy Examinations (NPTE) were 81% in 2009, 82% in 2010, and 82% in 2011 (2012). Overall, PTA programs in Indiana seem to graduate students who pass the licensure exams at far higher rates than the national average. When comparing the statistics from ITCC to those from the traditional four-year institutions, the graduation rates fall on the higher end, and employment rates in the East Central region of ITCC are 100%, just as they are at most of the four-year schools. It is important to note the difference between the Northwest and East Central regions of ITCC, where the Northwest region has reported lower scores than the East Central region in every category. The pass rates on the licensure examinations for ITCC graduates seem to be slightly lower than their counterparts at four-year institutions, but they do have just as many or more graduates take the exams each year as the four-year schools. The last important piece of information on the chart is the average cost of attendance for an instate student. The values on the chart do not include housing or dining, which is required by some of the four-year institutions. The entire PTA program cost at either of the Ivy Tech campuses is significantly lower than any of the four-year schools, but very similar to that of Vincennes University. Implications In sorting through the plethora of data available through the six schools in Indiana that offer PTA programs, it was hard to conclude whether or not students graduating from Ivy Tech Community College s PTA program were better or worse off than those graduating from fouryear institutions. Statistically speaking, the graduation, employment, and licensure pass rates are fairly consistent across the board. There is very no information available about starting salaries for graduates from different types of institutions, simply statistics on starting salaries for PTAs in

9 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 9 general. As far as the data is concerned, the cost of attendance for community colleges in comparison to four-year institutions is the only significant difference in the PTA programs. While evaluating the quantitative information gathered through an interview with Mark Wise, more benefits of attending Ivy Tech s PTA program came into view. Wise said one of the benefits of the PTA program at the East Central ITCC campus is the huge variety of life diversity (personal communication, November 14, 2012). He talked about the number of students in their program who have already received doctorate or master s degrees, but want to change their career or do something that will actually help people. The ITCC program is substantially less expensive than programs at the four-year institutions, so Ivy Tech sees far more of the non-traditional students in their PTA program than other schools might. While reflecting on the student make-up of their program, Wise said he thought the diversity in the classroom truly helped students to gain a deeper understanding of the art they [were] studying. Conclusion In considering the multitude of variables around this topic, there is no great answer to my initial question. Ultimately, the location students find themselves in may guide them to select one type of program over another. If they are traditional students who want the on-campus experience, it may be worth paying more money for their education. However, if they are nontraditional students who want to change their career or are beginning the education game a little later in life, the cheaper community college program may be a better option. The pros and cons to each of the programs need to be evaluated on an individual basis because there is no conclusive evidence that one program will help anyone go further than another.

10 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 10 References American Physical Therapy Association (2012). Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Education. Retrieved from Brown Mackie College (2012). National web site. Retrieved from Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (2012). Welcome to CAPTE: Quick facts. Retrieved from Ivy Tech Community College (2012). About Ivy Tech Community College. Retrieved from Lang, J. (2009). The outlook in the health sciences. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2009(146), Retrieved from db=aph&an= &site=ehost-live Physical Therapy Career Guide (2012). Physical therapy assistant salary by state. Retrieved from Smith-Woods, K. (n.d.). Physical Therapy Assistant: Discussions with fellow and future physical therapy assistants. Retrieved from The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. (2012, April). NPTE. Retrieved from University of Evansville (2012). Quick facts. Retrieved from traditions/facts.cfm University of Indianapolis (2012). About UIndy. Retrieved from University of Saint Francis (2012). About USF. Retrieved from sf.edu/sf/about

11 A COMPARISON OF PTA GRADUATES 11 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012). Occupational outlook handbook, edition: Physical therapist assistants and aides. Retrieved from Vincennes University (2012). About us. Retrieved from