Physical Therapist Assistant Degree

4 semester program.

Admission is based on weighted criteria.

Applications Due:

May 15 of each year to apply for the following Fall semester class on the Grand Strand Campus.

Late or Incomplete applications will not be reviewed for admission.

To Apply for the PTA program you must:

1. Apply to and be accepted at HGTC, which includes paying the $30 application fee, submitting official high school and college transcripts and submitting the “Additional Admission/Placement Requirements Affidavit.”( The Affidavit is viewable on the next slide and may be printed from the “Forms” box on the Libguides page.)

2. Complete the 5 prerequisite courses with grades of C or higher and within the required Departmental time limits.

3. Have a 2.5 GPA in all prerequisite/core courses completed.

4. Take the TEAS test – 2 year time limit.5. Attend an Info Session with the PTA Department -

2 year time limit. Info Session dates and times are on your main Libguides page.

6. Submit proof of 20 hours of observations completed in the three years prior to applying for the PTA program.

7. May not be on academic or disciplinary suspension.

H o r r y Ge o r g e t o w n T E C H N I C A L C O L L E G E

ITEM #1

Additional Admission/Placement Requirements Affidavit

BEFORE PROCEEDING: THIS DOCUMENT IS REQUIRED BEFORE STUDENT CAN BE ADMITTED TO AN APPLICABLE PROGRAM OF STUDY.

Certain programs of study at Horry-Georgetown Technical College carry additional requirements beyond regular admission and academic requirements before a student may either be placed into the program and/or be placed into a class that occurs in a clinical environment (hospital, office, public clinic, etc.).

Those additional requirements may include satisfactory completion of: Criminal Background Check (CBC), Urine Drug Screening (UDS), and health exam/ physical/ immunization requirements. All costs associated with additional requirements are the sole responsibility of the student and in no way are the responsibility of Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

All students will be required to purchase the correct background check package as noted in the “Student Background Check, Drug Screening and Immunization/Health Information Process” packet. Failure to comply with the additional requirement(s) for your identified program of study, or failure to comply with requirements to complete a CBC, UDS and/or health exam/ physical/ immunization, or failure to complete or provide proof of completion of additional requirements by the stated deadline (varies by program, but usually within 30 days prior to the beginning semester of clinical/field experience), and/or unsatisfactory results on additional requirements (positive drug test, unacceptable criminal background, etc.) WILL make you ineligible for admission for placement or to continue in the program of study and/or clinical class(es) as appropriate.

*Note: Students who have not previously been enrolled in a clinical for more than one semester and/or should your enrollment be interrupted (you miss a semester), new results for background checks, urine drug screening and/or health/immunization will be required. All fees and costs associated with any checks, screenings or immunization are the sole responsibility of the student.

Certification of Understanding

I, , certify that I have read this statement and understand its

implication on my current and future enrollment as a student at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, up to and including removal from any appropriate class and/or program(s) of study for failure to comply with outlined additional requirements. In addition I also certify that I will notify the College of any arrests or criminal charges filed against me (the student) subsequent to completing this form; and any situations or incidents that occur after the background check/drug test has been purchased (including taking any illegal drugs). Failure to notify the College may result in dismissal from the program.

_ Signature Date

_ / _/ Print Name Date of Birth

_ _ Student H#

O cea n s of P ossibilitie s

Physical Therapist Assistant CoursesRequired GPA of 2.5 with grades of C or higher

Prerequisite CoursesENG 101* – English Composition PSY 201 – General PsychologyHumanities – choose one humanities(ART 101, 105, 108, ENG 201,202,205,206,208,209,214,224,FRE 201,202,HIS 101,102,201,202, MUS

105, PHI 101, 110, 201, REL 103, SPA 201, 202, THE 101MAT 110 or 120** – College Algebra or Probability and Statistics BIO 210 ***– Anatomy and Physiology I (5 year time limit)

Core CoursesENG 102 – English Composition IISPC 205 – Public SpeakingBIO 211 – Anatomy and Physiology II (5 yr. time limit)CPT 101 -Introduction to Computers (5 yr. time limit)

*English Progression/dependent on test scores: ENG 032-ENG 100-ENG 101 – ENG 102 **Math Progression/dependent on test scores: MAT 032-MAT 101-MAT 120

MAT 032-MAT 101-MAT 102-MAT 110

***BIO 210 has a prerequisite of BIO 101, BIO 112 or CHM 110 or the required test scores:

Compass: Reading – 85, Writing – 78, Algebra – 46SAT: Verbal - 480, Math – 440ACT: Reading -19, English – 19, Math-21

TEAS TEST INFORMATION

Pre - registration is required at www.atitesting.com

Cost : $61.00 Version: 5

170-question, multiple-choice test with a time limit of 209 minutes.

Reading Section is 58 minutes with 48 questions Science Section is 66 minutes with 54 questions English and Language Usage Section is 34 minutes with 34 questionsMathematics Section is 51 minutes with 34 questions (calculators are not permitted)

May retest every 3 months – retesting without waiting 3 months will make new score invalid.

Scores are valid for 2 years.

The test is given on a computer and you receive your results immediately.

You may test at other colleges/locations and have your scores sent to HGTC.

Time: Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.Place: Bldg. 1000, Speir Building, Grand Strand Campus Dates: Please check www.atitesting.com for test dates.

TEAS Test Prep Resources @ the HGTC Library

Books (Available for 3-week checkout)**

CN GS GT

Complete TEAS V! : Test of Essential Academic Skills study guide and practice tests 1 1 1

McGraw-Hill's 5 TEAS practice tests 1

Reserves (Available for 3-hour, Library Use Only checkout)Study Manual for the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) Version V 2 2 1

Study Manual for the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) : Reading, mathematics, science and English and language usage

1

eBooks (Available for 3-week checkout) Teas Crash Course Book (1 copy)

McGraw-Hill Education 5 Teas Practice Tests (1 copy)

**When all HGTC books are checked out, please use PASCAL Delivers (a state-wide interlibrary loan service). When searching in the HGTC catalog, click the PASCAL icon to check the combined catalog of SC colleges and universities for TEAS titles. Learning Express Library (linked on the home page of the HGTC Library's website) is another online resource with practice tests and study materials for nursing and health science entrance exams in addition to the COMPASS exam. Both of these alternatives are FREE.Questions? http://libanswers.hgtc.edu/ Study Guides are also available for purchase in the bookstore, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Information Session with the Department Chair

This session will be attended in person. No need to schedule ahead - just show up.

During this time the PTA faculty will tell you about classes, clinicals, fees, jobs, and everything you need to know about working in the field of Physical Therapy. A great time to have your questions answered.

You will be able to take a tour of HGTC’s PTA educational facilities and see the state of the art equipment you will be training to use.

The dates and times of in person sessions are available on your health science Libguides page, http://libguides.hgtc.edu/healthscience

Complete 20 hours of observations

PTA applicants are required to schedule and complete 20 hours of observations in a PTA facility. Observation hours must be completed in the three years prior to submitting your PTA application.

Scheduling and completing the observations is the students responsibility. A list of facilities is available in the forms box on your Libguides page.

Observations may be completed at more than one facility – as long as the combined hours equal at least 20 hours.

The observation form( provided in the form box as well) must be signed by a licensed PT or PTA. Their contact information and license number must be included.

The completed observation form should be submitted to the Admissions office on any campus by the application deadline. You are encouraged to attach it to your application.

The scoring criteria in the previous slide is used to determine which applicants will be accepted into the PTA program. 32 students with the highest number of

points are accepted each year.

Every year varies but last year students with 10 points or more were accepted and the year before students with 8 points or more were accepted. Obtaining these points does not guarantee acceptance. Acceptance depends on your points vs. the points of the other applicants at that time. Therefore admissible points may change each review period.

Acceptance into the PTA program is limited and competitive. There is no guarantee of acceptance. Your grades are very important. Even though the minimum GPA requirement is 2.50 you should strive for a much higher GPA.

Be the Best Applicant You Can Be!

Applying with the highest number of points you can obtain is important!!!

You may increase your points by:

Retaking the TEAS – Your score is not high enough for points or you want to obtain more points for your score? You can retake it – just be sure to wait three months in between each time you take it.

Taking 12 credit hours of your prerequisite/General Ed courses at HGTC or Coastal Carolina University – the only way to obtain points in the last section of the point criteria.

Applying for and obtaining residency status – go to http://www.hgtc.edu/admissions/residency.html for a residency application. Obtaining a South Carolina driver’s license and car registration (if the car is in your name) are normally an important part of this process. Read the application and instructions carefully.

Applying with the best grades possible! The grades in your prereq courses play a large part in PTA acceptance. Have a C in MAT 120? Consider retaking it or take MAT 110 (has a prereq of MAT 102) to achieve a higher grade. Achieving an A in either may increase your GPA high enough to get another point on your application. Have a C in your humanities? Why not try a different humanities course and strive for a higher grade to increase your GPA and hopefully your points. You can use the calculator on the Libguides page to see how much your GPA will increase by retaking or taking a different course in the same prereq category (such as math or humanities) and receiving a higher grade. Always check with financial aid before retaking courses as it may affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress if you retake too many or already have W’s, F’s or D’s in other courses.

These requirements must be completed AFTER being accepted into the program. The college will provide you with the instructions about when to complete these requirements in your notification of initial

acceptance into the program. Please plan ahead to cover the costs of these items. Failure to complete

these requirements within the designated time frame will prohibit your progression into the program.

• Submit $500.00 deposit to reserve your seat. This is an out of pocket expense – not covered by financial aid.

• Pass Certified Background Check and Drug Screening – cost to you is $91.00. The return of an unfavorable CBS and/or UDS may result in student being removed from desired program. Clinical sites/facilities determine applicant’s eligibility to participate in clinical studies based on their policies. If you complete the background check before being instructed to do so you will have to redo it and pay the $91 again.

• Complete a Health Physical and submit proof of required immunizations. (Physical cost is your responsibility so plan ahead financially.)

• Show proof of current Health Care Providers CPR. You may take a class through HGTC’s Workforce Development Department. Register at www.hgtc.edu/jobtraining. This course costs $69 and in addition will require the purchase of a book and mask.

Other expenses for which you are responsible may include, but are not limited to:

Physical Therapist Assistant is a 4 semester program beginning each Fall semester (August) on the Grand Strand Campus. Classes and clinicals associated with this program are during the day. Once accepted you will attend year round, including summer. Please plan ahead financially as you may not receive financial aid for the summer.  

Of course, if you have already completed the core courses such as CPT 101, SPC 205, etc. you do not have to retake them in the program.

Clinicals will vary by semester but may require 1-2 days a week. Students may have to travel up to a 50 mile radius to fulfill clinical requirements so transportation and gas money must be available. 

Thank you for completing the Power Point STEPS session.

Please view the checklist underneath the STEPS session on the Libguides page and submit it to receive credit for the required session.

You will need your H number (Student ID number) to submit the checklist.