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
Please visit the Program Application Procedure web page for information on how to apply to the program today.
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
Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation alumna shares her experience of being the first graduate of the Therapeutic Recreation concentration and recently passing her national CTRS exam.
Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) term assistant professor Megan Bennett discusses her excitement about teaching courses for the AAS in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, a new degree option within the SLP program, and being a new faculty member at UAA.
Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation graduate Rafael Alfaro and current student Evan Clupper recently led a capstone trip to Denali National Park with Dr. Benjamin Rush, assistant professor of outdoor leadership. For Evan, the experience surpassed his expectations.
Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation assistant professor, Eric Oba, has no "prob-llama" sharing his passion for teaching therapeutic recreation courses and how he earned the title of Mr. June in the 2023 Mountain Men of Alaska calendar.
Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation alumna Morgan Hooe not only honors her mother’s legacy through her position as Seawolf volleyball assistant coach, but also through the establishment of the Liz Hooe Memorial Volleyball Scholarship.
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.
-LeeAnne Carrothers, PT, PhD
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
