PTA 110 — Introduction to Physical Therapy
This course introduces the field of physical therapy (PT) and foundational knowledge of topics threaded throughout the technical portion of the physical therapist assistant curriculum. These topics include, but are not limited to, the history of the profession, PT practice settings, roles and responsibilities of the physical therapist assistant (PTA), the PT/PTA relationship and other interprofessional relationships, ethical and legal considerations in PT, communication skills, cultural competence and diversity in health care related to age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and disability, pharmacology medical terminology, documentation, basic patient safety, patient privacy/comfort, architectural barriers, recognizing and responding to emergency situations, and research and evidence based practice. Upon completion, students should be able to expand upon this foundational knowledge in subsequent courses as it pertains specifically to patient care and conditions/body systems studied. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course.