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Physical Therapist Assistant Program Lab.
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Graduate Outcome Measures for the Physical Therapist Assistant Program

Group of 2007 graduates from PTA program.2007 PTA Graduates.

Ohlone PTA Program Goals

By providing a comprehensive and forward-looking curriculum that mirrors the current standards of practice in physical therapy, the graduate will be:

  • Prepared for practice in a variety of settings that serve diverse patient populations.
  • Able to practice within the laws and regulations of California and ethical tenets of the American Physical Therapy Association.
  • Able to apply knowledge, skills, and demeanor that engender comprehensive assistance to the patient and the supervising physical therapist so that treatment goals may be reached effectively and expediously.
  • Receptive to planning, attaining, and evaluating self for continuing education needs.
  • An effective communicator (oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills) who benefits patients, colleagues, and other members of the health care team.

American Physical Therapy Association information on demographics and statistics provided by Ohlone College PTA Program.

Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy information regarding Ohlone College PTA Program licensure exam pass rates

Factors effecting pass rates at Ohlone College:

  1. Some of our graduates move out of state to states that do not require licensure to practice and have not taken the test, decreasing the number of graduates taking the exam.
  2. Currently, our PTA program is under enrolled and graduates a small number of students once a year. This decreases the total number of graduates taking the exam in any one year.
  3. Some students delay taking the exam after graduation in August due to financial constraints and/or completion of other courses to graduate. This decreases the total number of graduates taking the exam in any one year.
  4. Our program is still in its first five years of existence and the curriculum is still considered new.

Steps being taken at Ohlone to further increase our graduates pass rates on the exam:

  1. PTA-140 PTA Licensure Exam Preparation is offered online each Fall semester for graduates. It focuses on study tactics, forming study groups, preparation methods for online computer tests, and self-evaluation of skills needed to pass the exam.
  2. On-going curriculum review including trials of computerized testing for final exams, combined final practical exams, and course material updates.
  3. Graduate Focus Groups and Surveys are conducted yearly to gather general feedback about the program and are used to update course content on an as needed basis.