Cecil College, located in North East, Md, is preparing to accept its first class of physical therapist assistants (PTA) in the spring following the official opening of the Ingo Zeise Suite. The suite in the Physical Education Complex on the college’s North East campus consists of a new classroom and lab set up to replicate real-world physical therapy clinics and will be home to the new PTA degree program, according to a news report from the Cecil Whig. Melody Stanhope, director of the program, says the college will accept up to 24 students into the inaugural program class, depending on how many seats are approved by CAPTE.

Stanhope states, “We have a limited and selective admissions process with the PTA program. Students accepted into the program will be students currently taking classes at Cecil or members of the community who decide to go back to school.” The Cecil Whig news report notes that once accepted into the program, students will need to complete five semesters and 70 credits worth of coursework to receive their associate of applied science degree. Students of the new PTA program will also be required to complete 600 hours of clinical work through internships at physical therapy practices in the area.

Graduates of the program will be required to take a national licensing exam before working professionally. Stanhope is excited that the program, which has been in development for just over a year, is coming to fruition, as indicated on the Cecil Whig news release.  Stanhope declares, “This is going to be a fantastic program for the college and this region. The salaries for PTAs are very good and the job market is excellent.”

Stanhope adds, “We have a clean slate to develop a premier program for the region using the most up-to-date research and technology at our disposal.”

Photo Appears Courtesy of Cecil College

Source: Cecil Whig