Please note: LCCC's TEAS dates for Fall 2018 applications will be posted on October 15, 2017.
2016 Physical Therapist Assistant Program Steps to Admission for Fall 2017
All of the following requirements must be completed and received by February 1st.
Read these procedures carefully and follow the instructions below to maintain your candidacy in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. Students who require accommodations due to a disability should contact the Disability Support Office at 610-799-1190 or Educational Support Services at 610-799-1156.
1. Complete an application for admission to the college. Please note that you will be admitted to the college as a Pre-PTA student until you complete the following admission requirements for the Physical Therapist Assistant Program and are admitted to the program by the program’s admissions committee.
2. Submit an official copy of your academic records including transcripts from high school or GED and from every college attended at least two weeks prior to February 1. Note, in order to be considered for admission, students must have a minimum 2.50 GPA and have earned at least a “B” grade in algebra.
High School TranscriptsRequest a copy of your high school transcript from your high school guidance office. In order for the transcript to be considered as official, the transcript must be sent directly from the high school to the College at the address below. This is required for ALL candidates.
GED Certificates
If you completed a GED program, you must submit a copy of your certificate to the College at the address below AND your high school transcripts up to the time when you departed.
College Transcripts
If you have previous college experience you must request official copies of ALL of your college transcripts from the registrar’s office of every college you attended. In order for the transcript to be official, the transcript must be sent directly from the college to LCCC at the address below.
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Registration/Student Records
4525 Education Park Drive
Schnecksville, PA 18078
Please note: Official transcripts from every high school and college attended up to and including the most current fall semester must be received at least two weeks prior to February 1st in order for your admissions file to be considered complete.
3. Schedule and complete the LCCC Skills Assessment Test and Biology Placement Test if necessary.
LCCC Placement Test (free)
The Placement Test measures your skills in English, mathematics, and reading to determine your placement in introductory courses. The test requires approximately 2.5 hours to complete. Your results are available immediately. The Skills Assessment Test may be taken at any of the LCCC campuses. Please call the campus that is most convenient for you to arrange a time to complete the Skills Assessment Test.
- Main Campus in Schnecksville- 610-799-1575
- The Donley Center in Allentown- 610-799-1940
- LCCC Jim Thorpe- 570-669-7010
- The Morgan Center in Tamaqua- 570-668-6880
Exemptions and Waivers
If you have completed college-level courses in English composition, mathematics, college algebra or higher-level mathematics course and/or 9 credits in social sciences or humanities courses, you may be exempt from all or part of the Skills Assessment Test. To qualify for exemption, call the Advising Office at 610-799-1137.
Biology Placement Test
The Biology Placement Test covers general biology concepts and requires approximately one hour to complete. The Biology Placement Test may be taken at any of the LCCC locations. Please call a location listed under LCCC Placement Test to arrange a time to complete the Biology Test.
Exemptions and Waivers
If you have completed a college-level biology course with a “C” or better at LCCC or another accredited college or university, you may be exempt from the Biology test requirement.
4. Register for and take the TEAS. Please note: If you take the TEAS at a location other than LCCC, it is YOUR responsibility to provide the LCCC Physical Therapist Assistant program with your TEAS results directly from ATI prior to the February 1 deadline (ATI Registration; ATI Home for more information).
5. Complete the application (application will be available in September) for the Physical Therapist Assistant Program, and submit it to the Admissions Office prior to February 1.
6. Schedule and complete sixteen (16) hours of physical therapy site observation under the supervision of licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant. A minimum of four (4) hours must be completed in an outpatient setting and an additional four (4) hours must be observed in an inpatient facility. The additional eight (8) hours may be completed within the outpatient facility, the inpatient facility, or other venues as listed below based on the applicant’s interest. All observations must be completed within one year of submitting the application. Observations completed prior to one year of submitting the application will be considered as invalid and will not be acceptable.
Outpatient Facility: Physical therapy is provided to patients under the care of a physical therapist due to illness or injury on an outpatient basis when the patient visits an office but does not sleep overnight there. Examples of outpatient therapy clinics may include a private practice, or a hospital -owned outpatient facility. They do not include massage therapy clinics, chiropractic offices, dance studios, fitness centers or athletic training facilities.
Inpatient Facility: Physical therapy is provided to patients under the care of a physical therapist due to illness or injury in an inpatient facility where the patient sleeps and receives nursing care and other medical attention. Examples of facilities where inpatient therapy may be provided include a hospital, an acute rehabilitation facility, a nursing home, a sub-acute rehabilitation facility, or an assisted living facility.
Other Appropriate Observation Venues: Physical therapy is also provided to patients as home care therapy, pediatric therapy, school-based therapy and as other specialized programs such as hand therapy, balance centers, wheelchair seating, etc. or aquatic therapy. Students wishing to complete any of their other eight (8) hours of physical therapy observations at any of these sites should be certain they are supervised by a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant.
All applicants are required by law to keep all information related to specific patients and their treatment strictly confidential.
Guidelines for Site Visitations
- Download and print at least two official
- LCCC PTA Program Observation Hours Verification forms.
- Select at least two different facilities (inpatient and outpatient with additional hours as needed) to complete your visitations at least one week prior to when you would like to visit.
- Call each facility to schedule a convenient date and time for the site visit.
- A physical therapist or a physical therapist assistant employed at the facility must complete the form, sign and place it in an official letterhead envelope, sealed with his/her signature across the seal prior to returning it to you.
- The completed form in the official envelope must be submitted to the LCCC Admissions office, 4525 Education Park Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078 to be received by February 1.
7. After all steps are completed, only the most qualified candidates will be invited to schedule one interview with the PTA Program Admissions Committee. Interviews are scheduled during the months of February and March.
The applicant should be prepared to discuss his/her interest in the Physical Therapist Assistant program, his/her understanding of the role and values of the PTA in the healthcare setting, and his/her recollection about the clinical site visitations while maintaining patient confidentiality.
All candidates will be notified of their admission status by April 30th via U.S. Mail.