Physical therapist assistant profession celebrates 50th anniversary

UC Clermont College is celebrating National Physical Therapy Month and the 50th anniversary of the physical therapist assistant profession with a slew of information sessions about the college’s PTA program.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, the idea for physical therapist assistants, who work with patients under the direction of a licensed physical therapist, was first considered in the 1940s, when the United States had experienced two world wars, the Great Depression and multiple polio outbreaks. These events resulted in a high demand for the services of the approximately 2,500 physical therapists working at that time. In 1968, Green River Community College in Washington admitted its first class of 26 students.

The occupation grew steadily throughout the next few decades. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that PTA employment will grow 31 percent between 2017 and 2026. The median PTA salary in 2017 was $57,430. The University of Cincinnati’s Physical Therapist Assistant program was first accredited through the College of Allied Health in 1987. The program was transferred to UC Clermont in November 2009. Twenty-three students are currently enrolled in the competitive associate degree program, and more than 100 have graduated since 2009.

“We as professors are grateful to be part of the process to bring new PTAs into the field. They are part of a noble profession of caring and compassionate professionals,” said Sam Coppoletti, associate professor and coordinator of the UC Clermont program. “It is amazing to see how the physical therapist assistant has grown in both their function and their role during my many years of being in the field.”

Physical Therapist Assistant information sessions are held each fall term to prepare PTA majors to apply for special, selective admissions during UC Clermont’s annual process.

“We review the entire application and speak about the essential functions that all PTA students need in order to be successful,” Coppoletti said.

Interested students who are ready to apply should RSVP to sam.coppoletti@uc.edu and plan to attend one of the following information sessions: Oct. 1 from 4 to 5 p.m., Snyder Building, Room 143; Oct. 3 from noon to 1 p.m., McDonough Hall, Room 110; Oct. 14 from 3 to 4 p.m., Snyder 143; Oct. 16, from 2 to 3 p.m., Snyder 143; and Oct. 18, from 3 to 4 p.m., Snyder 143. All sessions are held on UC Clermont’s campus, 4200 Clermont College Drive, Batavia, Ohio 45103.

Learn more about UC Clermont’s PTA program.