As a physical therapist assistant, you’ll help people move and function in their daily lives, and assist them in reaching their short- and long-term fitness goals!
physical therapy assistant
The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program prepares you to become an entry-level licensed PTA. You’ll learn to conduct exercises for mobility, coordination and strength. You’ll also develop skills in manual therapy and physical agents like electrotherapy, heat or cold, and learn to train clients to use assistive devices such as crutches and walkers.
PTAs help people of all ages who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. Some of the care provided by a PTA may include teaching patients or clients exercises for mobility, strength and coordination, training for activities such as walking with crutches, canes or walkers, using manual therapy, physical agents and electrotherapy. PTAs also observe the patient's abilities and report their observations to the physical therapist.
Catalog: AAS in Physical Therapist Assistant*
*The Physical Therapist Assistant program is designed to meet the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification in Alaska. However, the program might not meet the educational requirements for other states' professional licensure or certification. Please see UAA’s Licensure and Certificate website for more information.
WHY CHOOSE Physical therapy assistant AT UAA?
100% job placement rate of Alumni who passed the national physical therapist assistant licensing exam.
Graduates are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Learn from program faculty who have advanced training and experience in physical therapy.
Program is fully accredited by the Comission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
NEWS & Stories
Jessica Ross, an alumni of UAA's dental hygiene program and current assistant professor in the Department of Human Services, was recently honored with the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. The award recognizes emerging leaders in higher education who demonstrate a commitment to innovation, equity, and community engagement.
Human Services alumna Billie Slaikeu knows a thing or two about what it means to start over. A retired certified nursing assistant, Billie returned to school in her sixties after being inspired by her daughter’s experience with mental illness. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2025.
UAA hosts its first Native Heritage Month celebration, inviting students and community members to honor Alaska Native culture and resilience.
When human services and social work alumna Cass Pook says she has always been a helper, she’s not just referring to her nature as an empathetic and compassionate listener. “Culturally, it's in my DNA to be a helper,” said Pook. “Looking back on it throughout history, 100 or 200 years ago I would have been doing the same thing. I was born to be a social worker.”
After serving a year as the President-elect of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Yvonne Chase is now the president. Dr. Chase shares some of her vibrant background in human services that led her to UAA.
Message from the interim director
Welcome to the UAA Physical Therapist Assistant Program! We are excited that you are
interested in the program. The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is an integral part
of the health care team that implements physical therapy treatment plans under the
supervision of a Physical Therapist (PT). We are happy to offer this program at UAA.
The program is a combination of didactic and hands-on lab experiences. It is rigorous
and very time consuming. However, it is set up for students to be successful in the
clinical environment as entry-level Physical Therapist Assistants. PTA students are
taught skills such as therapeutic exercise, orthopedic and neurological interventions,
therapeutic modalities, clinical thinking, and the art of patient care. In addition
to patient treatment courses, students study the basic sciences of anatomy, physiology,
clinical pathology, and kinesiology. Clinical experiences are integrated throughout
the curriculum in a variety of clinical settings under the supervision of a Physical
Therapist or Physical Therapist Assistant, offering students opportunities to practice
their skills and critical-thinking processes.
The goal of physical therapy is to aid patients and clients in their return to maximal function. Graduates are eligible to sit for the National Physical Therapist Assistant exam through the Federation of State Boards in Physical Therapy upon successful completion of the program. State licensure is required to practice as a PTA.
-Patricia Runde
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Contact Us
Phone: (907) 786-4346
Email: uaa_pta@alaska.edu
UAA Physical Therapist Assistant Program
Professional Studies Building
2533 Providence Drive, PSB 146
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Mailing Address
UAA Physical Therapist Assistant Program
3211 Providence Drive, PSB 146
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
