Students take academic and sequential professional studies on the Des Plaines campus. Planned clinical experience is provided in medical facilities. Students in this curriculum are required to pay laboratory fees, to provide proof of health insurance, to purchase uniforms, to provide their own transportation to four assigned clinical facilities and to participate in laboratory activities which require applications of physical therapy treatments. Clinical assignments are made within a 50-mile radius of the Des Plaines campus. Graduates are eligible to take the Illinois state licensing examination for Physical Therapist Assistants. This curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association.

An application file is considered complete when the following prerequisites have been satisfied:

• High school graduation with minimum GPA of 2.5 or GED
• Minimum enhanced ACT score of 18 or 12 hours of college credit with a minimum GPA of 2.5, with at least four credit hours of laboratory science
• One year of high school biology (with laboratory) or BIO 101
  (completed within the last five years with a minimum grade of C)
• One year of high school physics or PHY 101
  (completed within the last five years with a minimum grade of C)
• Interview with and consent of PTA faculty
• Satisfactory health as demonstrated and certified by current physical examination prior to final acceptance
• Proof of medical insurance (prior to final acceptance)
• Documented on-site visit to a physical therapy facility (download form) for a minimum of 10 hours and recommendation from supervising therapist (download form). Forms are also available in the Office of Admission and Enrollment Management.)
• Take Oakton's composition placement test, placing into EGL 101, prior to admission interview or present evidence of credit in EGL 101 or its equivalent.
• Take Oakton's reading comprehension test (DRP) prior to admissions interview. Students who score below 65 may be required to take additional coursework.
• College GPA (or high school GPA for those with fewer than 12 college credits) of 2.5 or above
  Students must receive a minimum grade of C in all PTA courses, HIT 104, BIO 131 and BIO 132.

Note:

a) Official college transcripts* from all colleges attended must be sent to the Office of Admission and Enrollment Management, Attention: PTA Admission, Oakton Community College, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016. When all transcripts have been received, they will be evaluated by a Credentials Analyst.

b) Foreign high school graduates or students with foreign college credit, who wish to have credits transferred must have English-translated transcripts evaluated by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oakton requires the catalog-match approach. (Obtain form from the Office of Admission and Enrollment Management.)

*A transcript is considered official when it is sent by mail from one institution to another or if sent to the student's residence, it must be kept in the sealed envelope and brought directly to the Office of Admission and Enrollment Management, Room 1530.

Health Career curricula are governed by specific objectives, rules and regulations formulated by the College, accrediting bodies and participating clinical facilities. Students should familiarize themselves with these standards. Students should also be aware that failure to maintain satisfactory progress in technical courses may significantly delay completion of the curriculum or may result in a request for the student to withdraw from the curriculum. Each student’s right to participation in the clinical portion of the curriculum is also contingent upon compliance with the rules of the clinical facility. The clinical facility has sole discretion to determine when its rules have been violated.

Clinical placements may require a health assessment, certain immunizations, substance abuse testing, criminal background check, specific skills certification (i.e., CPR) and health insurance.  These requirements represent an additional program cost to the student.  A social security number is required to comply with the criminal background check requirement.

Special Notes:

This degree program requires a minimum of 69 semester credit hours in general education and sequential program courses offered over two years.

For more information about PTA, please call the office of the program chair, 847-635-1896.

Typically this program fills quickly. Early application and completion of file is encouraged.

• For most students, the program will require a full-time and daytime commitment. Only those who complete extensive general education and core requirements prior to their enrollment in the program will be able to attend on less than a full-time basis.
• Only students officially accepted to the PTA program may enroll in PTA courses. Actual classes in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program begin only in the Fall term of each school year. Students who do complete the core and general education credits which are a part of the curriculum must still plan on attending for two full academic years (plus summers.)
• Students admitted to the program will need to enroll in courses that involve off-campus clinical rotation. Students must comply with the requirements of those clinical sites. Those admitted will be required to submit a current and complete physical examination record before registration for Fall classes (forms are sent with acceptance letter), and a copy of their health insurance card to prove coverage. Part of the physical exam includes immunizations.