The part-time core PTA program includes online lectures and on-campus labs. Students are required to come to campus approximately one weekend per month.
The PTA program has established a consortium with Pierce College which allows students an option of which college lab space they attend. Students in the online/hybrid program are assigned to a site for attendance at lab sections.
Pierce College / Southern Puget Sound - Students located in the South Puget Sound area who are accepted into the PTA program may be interested in attending monthly labs with a group of students at the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom campus. WCC and Pierce College advisors and faculty work together to help you, starting with prerequisites and on through the entire PTA program. Students selected for the PTA program are Whatcom students ‘on paper’ but attend the lab sessions at Pierce. Lab space is limited so some students may be asked to attend the monthly lab in Bellingham. We do our best to place students in the closest lab location to where they live or commute from, however this is not guaranteed. If we have an excess of 12 in one location, we will still need to place students equally in both labs. Application ranking and application receipt date will be considered if there is an unequal distribution between lab locations.
The final clinical affiliations may be done in your home area.
The program is a rigorous and academically demanding course of study, requiring 20 to 30 hours per week outside of class on homework assignments. It is recommended you limit your outside obligations as much as possible.
To progress through the PTA program, you must take all PTA courses in sequence and maintain a final grade of C (2.0) or better in all graded courses and an S in all clinical courses. Note: a C in PTA courses is 74%.
To pass lab practical exams, you must earn at least a B (3.0). Note: a B in PTA courses is 80%.
Year 1
Spring quarter (8 credits)
PTA 101 Introduction to physical therapy (3 credits)
PTA 202 Applied anatomy and clinical kinesiology (lab) (5 credits)
Career exploration:
- Consider joining a professional student organization.
Action items:
- Apply for next year's financial aid.
Summer quarter (10 credits)
PTA 105 Tests and Measurements (2 credits)
PTA 110 PTA procedures I (lab) (5 credits)
PTA 273 Anatomy & pathophysiology I for the PTA (3 credits)
Fall quarter (11 credits)
PTA 111 PTA procedures II (lab) (7 credits)
PTA 274 Anatomy & pathophysiology II for the PTA (4 credits)
Winter quarter (7 credits)
PTA 113 PTA procedures III (lab) (4 credits)
PTA 204 Clinical neurology (3 credits)
Action items:
- Apply for next year's financial aid.
Year 2
Spring quarter (13 credits)
PTA 160 Service learning for the PTA (3 credits)
PTA 201 Ethical issues in physical therapy (3 credits)
PTA 227 PTA procedures VI (lab) (7 credits)
Summer quarter (10 credits)
PTA 225 PTA procedures IV (lab) (5 credits)
PTA 251 Clinical experience II (internship 80 hours) (5 credits)
Fall quarter (7 credits)
PTA 226 PTA procedures V (lab) (4 credits)
PTA 280 Special topics in physical therapy (2 credits)
PTA 285 Manual therapy for PTAs (1 credit)
Winter quarter (9 credits)
PTA 254 Clinical affiliation I (internship 280 hours) (9 credits)
Action items:
Year 3
Spring quarter (9 credits)
PTA 255 Clinical affiliation II (internship 280 hours) (9 credits)
Action items:
- Prepare for the national exam.
- Prepare for licensure with the Department of Health.
