Clinical Education Program

A key component of the Physical Therapist Assistant program is student participation in 15 weeks of clinical education experience during their technical core year. They complete two weeks of clinical experiences at the end of the summer semester, six weeks at the end of fall semester and seven weeks at the end of spring semester as their terminal clinical experience. Our program is affiliated with over 50 facilities in the region offering varied experiences in the application of physical therapy. These facilities include acute care hospitals; rehabilitation centers; outpatient orthopedic and/or sports medicine clinics; neurologic rehabilitation clinics; skilled nursing centers; pediatric centers; schools; and home health agencies.

Students work collaboratively with the ACCE to determine the clinical experiences that best meet their individual goals and needs. Once assigned to a clinical site, students will work with a clinical instructor to apply the information, concepts and skills mastered in their coursework to actual patient situations. Students are responsible for all costs related to clinical experiences including (but not limited to) transportation, meals, uniforms, physical examinations, vaccinations, background checks, drug screens, and insurance. Clinical education site listings are available to PTA students upon acceptance to core year through the PTA Clinical Education Community.

For questions about Clinical Education for the PTA student, please contact Carolyn Shisler at (513) 558-5201 or carolyn.shisler@uc.edu.