San Jacinto CollegeSouthPhysical Therapist AssistantProgram
Frequently AskedQuestions
1.IsthePTAProgramverydifficulttogetinto?
Yes.Itischallenging.Thereareonly24positionsintheprogramandtheapplicantpoolexceedsthat.
2.Isthejobmarketgood?
Yes!Thejobmarketisexcellentatthistime.~100%ofourgraduatesinthelast5yearswereemployedwithin6monthsofgraduationwiththemajoritygainingemploymentwithin3monthsorless.
3.Whatisthestartingsalary?
Salary information can be found at the United States Bureau ofLaborStatistics
4.What are the program’s graduationrates?
2013 cohort: 23/24(96%)
2014 cohort: 23/24(96%)
2015 cohort: 20/24 (86%)
2016 cohort: 21/24 (91%)
2017 cohort: 22/24 (92%)
5.I heard there is a national licensing exam that I must pass in order to practice as a PTAinTexas? What is the pass rate of this exam for yourprogram?
For the past five years, the college has a 100% pass rate with most students passingtheexam on the firsttrial.
6.DoyouofferthisprogramatNorthorCentralCampus?
No,thePTAprogramislocatedonlyonSouth.However,youmaytakeanyofthenon-physicaltherapistassistantcourses(anycoursewithoutthePTHAprefix)atanyofthethreecampuses.
7.Doyouofferthisprogramatnight?
Yesandno.ThePTHAcourseslistedintheCurriculumareofferedonlyasdayclasses;howeveryoucantakealltheothercoursesatnight,onweekends,on Internet,etc.
8.Whenisyourapplicationdeadline?
March1st
9.Whendoesyourprogramstart?
TheincomingclassofstudentsbeginseachFallsemester.
10.DoIhavetotaketheSATorACT?
No.
11.WheredoIgoforobservation?
AllPT'sandPTA'sarerequiredtodoobservationhours.Anyfacilityisappropriateas longasyouobservealicensedPTorPTAandyouexperiencetwodifferentsettingsforaminimumof20hourseachforatotalof40hours.Atleast1settingmustbeanin-patientfacility.Examplesettingsareoutpatient,in-patientrehabilitation,acutecarehospital,pediatricsandhomehealth.
12.IsthereaformfortheObservationhours?
Yes.YoumayusetheHoursofObservationformonourwebsiteat
13.Isthereaformforreferencestocomplete?
Yes.UsetheRecommendationFormonourwebsiteat.Threeofthesemustbecompleted(numbersmustbecircled)andatleastonemustbefromalicensedPTorPTA.
14.Doyouhavemanynon-traditionalstudentsintheprogram?
Yes,thePTAprogramhasbothmaleandfemalestudentsofvaryingages,culturalbackgrounds,family dynamics and worksituations.
15.Do any of the required non-PTHA classes have to be taken within a certain timeperiod? No, there is no time limit to when any of the non-PTHA classes need to have been takenas long as they are equivalent and reflected accordingly on yourtranscript.
16.IfIhaveallthenon-PTHAclassescompletedpriortothestartoftheprogram,canIfinishthePTHAcoursesinoneyearversustwo?
No,thePTHAcoursesmustbetakeninorder;thereforeyourprogramwouldbe2yearsparttimeversus2yearsfulltime.
17.Ihavetoworkthroughouttheprogram.CanItaketheprogrampart-time?
Yes.InsteadoftakingtheprogramasoutlinedunderCurriculuminthebrochure,youcanspendthefirstyeartakingallthenonPTHAcoursesandthesubsequenttwoyearstakingonlythePTHAcourses.Pleasenotethatyouwillhavetocompletethreeclinicalrotationthatarefulltimefor5or7weeksasoutlinedintheCurriculumportionofthebrochure.
18.What if I want to reapply for theprogram?
Many students reapply and we encourage you to do so. You will need to complete anewapplication with all new documents and note on your application that you arereapplying.