PTA-291: Clinical Externship I

School
Health and Human Services
Division
Health Careers
Department
Physical Therapy Assistant
Academic Level
Undergraduate
Course Subject
Physical Therapist Assistant
Course Number
291
Course Title
Clinical Externship I
Credit Hours
2.00
Instructor Contact Hours Per Semester
122.00 (for 15-week classes)
Student Contact Hours Per Semester
122.00 (for 15-week classes)
Grading Method
S/U
Pre-requisites
PTA-118, PTA-122, PTA-144, PTA-225
Catalog Course Description

A part-time, supervised clinical practicum at affiliated physical therapy departments. Students participate in patient treatment under the delegation and supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Students begin to integrate information from all previous course work to assist in those delegated components of patient care.

Goals, Topics, and Objectives

Core Course Topics
  1. Competencies outlined through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
  2. Roles of the Healthcare Team
  3. Chart Review
  4. The Physical Therapy Evaluation
  5. Physical Therapist (PT)/Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Relationship
  6. Physical Therapy Intervention
  7. Data Collection
  8. Ethical and Professional Behaviors
Core Course Learning Objectives (Separated)
  1. Demonstrate professional behaviors.
  2. Demonstrate appropriate ethical behaviors using guidelines established by the APTA.
  3. Define the roles of the PT, PTA physical therapy aide/technician, staff, and transporters.
  4. Describe the roles of other members of the Rehab team (i.e. Physiatrist, Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Social Worker, Vocational Specialist, Recreation Therapist).
  5. Explain how responsibilities are delegated to PTA’s, aides, and clerical staff.
  6. Describe the characteristics of an effective student-clinical instructor relationship.
  7. Perform selected treatment under the supervision of a physical therapist.
  8. Apply learned theories and techniques to direct patient.
  9. Communicate verbally in language appropriate to patients and professional staff.
  10. Create appropriate and accurate written notes and reports.
  11. Examine a patient’s medical record, and be able to extract information pertinent to the PTA for treatment.
  12. Identify issues related to insurance, reimbursement, supervision, and quality assurance.
  13. Identify aspects of a patient’s social or psychological history, which may affect the outcome of his/her therapy.
  14. Self assess clinical performance and professional behaviors.

Assessment and Requirements

Assessment of Academic Achievement

Students will be assessed though a series of written assignments, clinical instructor evaluations, and self-assessment.

General Course Requirements and Recommendations

Students must pass this course with an “S” or better to remain in the PTA Program. In order to receive a passing grade of “S” for this course, students are expected to:

  1. Meet with the ACCE after each externship.
  2. Complete all of the assignments in a timely manner.
  3. Completion of weekly logs for each affiliation.
  4. Receive a rating of at least “Satisfactory” on all three of the clinical evaluation forms completed by the clinical instructor.
Texts
Recommended: Rothstein, et al. "The Rehabilitation Specialist’s Handbook." F.A.Davis. Current edition.
Effective Term
Fall 2019