Selective Admission Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

Admission Procedures

***ALL MATERIALS DUE BY MAY 31st IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR FALL ADMISSION***

Minimum Application Requirements

STUDENTS MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING COMPLETED IN ORDER TO APPLY TO THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT PROGRAM.

1. SCC General Admissions Application
   Students complete the application to the college online.
   NOTE: There is no separate admission application for the PTA program. Students who register for the TEAS Test or have their official transcripts for the required TEAS test submitted by the vendor to SCC are considered for admission to the PTA program.
2. Official Transcripts
   Provide Surry Community College Admissions Office with official transcripts and records:
   1. High school or High School Equivalency scores
   2. All colleges attended, if applicable
3. Placement
   Meet or exceed the benchmark scores for the placement test(s) or successfully complete all developmental prerequisites. Students have numerous ways to demonstrate they are college ready, as indicated below.
   1. High School/High School Equivalencies: An applicant who has graduated from a US high school within the past 10 years and has 2.8 or higher unweighted GPA, or has a GED taken since 2014 with a score of 17- or higher in every section, or has HiSet scores with a 15 in every section and a minimum of a 4 on the essay

OR

2. SAT/ACT scores (valid for 10 years): Specific scores will meet the English/Reading and/or Math requirements
   For tests taken prior to March 2016:
   SAT Critical Reading - 500+ OR SAT Writing - 500, or ACT Reading - 22+ OR ACT English - 18+ will meet required competency in English/Reading
   SAT Math - 500+ OR ACT Math - 22+ will meet required competency in Math
   For test taken in March 2016 or later:
   SAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing - 480+, or ACT Reading - 22+ OR ACT English - 18+ will meet required competency in English/Reading
   SAT Math - 530 OR ACT Math - 22+ will meet required competence in Math

OR

3. Completion of College level English and Math from a regionally accredited college or university
   A grade or “C” or higher in a college level English composition and math course that meets program requirements

OR

4. Completion of an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited US college

OR

5. Placement Test Scores (all scores are valid for 10 years):
   While discontinued at Surry Community College in 2019, the NC-DAP Math (DMA) and NC­-DAP Reading and English (DRE) tests will be valid for 10 years. The following are the required NC-DAP scores:

Placement testing is available for applicants who a) graduated more than 10 years ago from high school, or b) do not meet the GED/HiSet requirements, or c) do not meet any of the above criteria completely, including those without a valid unweighted high school GPA, the RISE assessment is available.

If an applicant is eligible to take the placement test, the following scores must be met:

Applicants for the ADN, LPN-ADN, RIBN and PN programs must demonstrate mastery in MAT-045 and ENG-045.

The following tests may also be used to meet English, Reading, or Math competencies if taken within the past 10 years:

Important Information

Applicants who are required to take a co-requisite course with the program-level English and/or Math must pass the program-level course with a grade of C or better by the specified deadline to be eligible for consideration.

4. GPA Achieve and maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher in all college courses. For high school students who have not completed any post-secondary courses, the student must have at least a 3.0 GPA in their high school courses.

• Physical Therapist Assistant applicants are required to submit all college transcripts upon application and all college transcripts are used to calculate a comprehensive college GPA for admission consideration. When a student’s transcript is older than 10 years and lower their GPA below the admission threshold for their respective program, the student may request that the transcript be removed from their cumulative GPA calculation. If the request is granted, the student may not use classes on the disregarded transcript to meet Physical Therapist Assistant admission requirements.
• Students who have a transcript removed are not allowed to displace students who have included all college transcripts in their cumulative GPA calculation.
• Students may only request to disregard one transcript in their cumulative GPA calculation.
• This policy change would apply to transcripts from any college including SCC. Currently enrolled SCC students that returned to the college after three years of non-enrollment are eligible for academic forgiveness. See Academic Forgiveness Policy.

4. Science Courses
   Students who have not successfully completed BIO - 168 Anatomy and Physiology I  must have completed Biology and Chemistry with a grade of “C” or better in high school or BIO 111  and CHM 092 or CHM 131  and associated lab component with a grade of “C” or better in order to take BIO - 168 Anatomy and Physiology I .
5. Experience
   Complete a minimum of 20 observation hours in a physical therapy clinical setting under the supervision of a licensed PT or PTA. These hours must be documented and signed off on by the PT or PTA. A form to document these clinical hours is available for download on the SCC PTA website.

General Education Courses for the PTA Program

In addition to the PTA courses, the following General Education courses are required for an AAS in Physical Therapist Assistant:

• BIO 168 *
• BIO 169 *
• ENG 111 *
• ENG 112  or ENG 114  
• HUM Elective (3 hours)
• MAT 152 *
• PSY 150 *
• MED 121  

*Students earning a grade of B or higher in these courses will earn points toward admission.

REQUIRED GRADES AND LENGTH OF TIME SINCE COMPLETING ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I IF TAKEN PRIOR TO ADMISSION.

• Students must have achieved at least a “C” in all curriculum courses with no more than three attempts. BIO 168  and BIO 169  completion must have been within the last five years.

TEST FOR ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC SKILLS FOR ALLIED HEALTH (TEAS)

• Students should contact the Instructional Assistant for Health Sciences (336-386-3275) to register for the test no later than noon on the day prior to the scheduled test.
• The cost of the test is approximately $70.00 plus NC sales tax and payment must be paid at the time of testing with a valid credit card or debit card and paid to ATI.
• Taking the TEAS test does not automatically qualify the student for admission to the PTA program.
• Students will receive their score at the conclusion of the test and will know if they have met the minimum score required to continue in the admissions process. The minimum required score is 59.4.
• Once the test has been completed, the PTA Program Director will provide Student Services with a list of students who have taken the TEAS test. Student Services will conduct an audit of the student’s file to ensure all criteria for admission have been met.
• Students must wait thirty (30) days pending approval before retaking the TEAS test.  

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION TO THE PTA PROGRAM

• Phase I: Students will be ranked based on their GPA, grades earned in BIO 168 , BIO 169 , MAT 152 , ENG 111 , and PSY 150 , work experience as a Physical Therapy Aide/Tech or currently licensed Massage & Bodywork Therapist, bachelor’s degree in allied health related field*, associate degree in science*, and TEAS test score.
• Phase II: Applicants who have successfully completed Phase I will be selected to continue to Phase II, where they will be interviewed and required to write an essay.
• Final Admissions: Applicants who successfully complete Phase II will be eligible for the final admissions phase, where applicants are ranked according to their performance in phases I and II.

*Allied health related fields include: Exercise physiology, athletic training, orthotics, prosthetics, COTA, respiratory therapy, speech language pathology, etc. NOT included among “Allied Health” are certified nurse aides, personal trainers, etc.

Admission Notification

• Students who are accepted for final admission into the PTA program will be notified by mail in late June. Medical forms, acceptance forms, and orientation information will be included in the acceptance packets.
• Students must return acceptance forms by the designated date in order to maintain their admitted status.
• Students who are not admitted into the PTA program who wish to be considered for the following year must reapply and retake the TEAS test.
• Once all seats are filled, alternate students will be chosen by rank if an accepted student declines or is disqualified.
• Only one prior admission to the SCC PTA program will be permitted.
• Final admission status is contingent upon completion of the required items (see Additional Admission Requirements).

Additional Admission Requirements

Admission into the PTA program is contingent upon completion of the following items by the dates requested. Prospective students must submit:

1. A completed medical form, including applicable test results and current immunization records or proof of immunity. This includes a positive Hepatitis B titer or signed declination form; positive varicella (Chicken Pox) titer or recent immunization; positive MMR titer or proof of two vaccinations of MMR; positive Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) titer or proof of one vaccination; one dose of COVID 19 vaccination given at any time by any manufacturer; and Tetanus/diphtheria (Td) booster within the last 10 years. The completed medical information must be submitted to the vendor contracted by the Health Sciences Division no later than the designated date for PTA students.
2. Evidence of appropriate health and/or accident insurance (or can be purchased through school).
3. Malpractice insurance dues must be paid by designated date and may be included in fees paid with tuition.

Criminal Background Check & Drug Screen

All students will be required to submit to a criminal background check and drug screening during April of semester 2, prior to being assigned to their clinical sites. PTA students prohibited from participating in a clinical internship based on their criminal background check and/or drug screen will be dismissed from the PTA program due to their inability to progress.

The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Surry Community College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: https://www.capteonline.org/.

Technical Standards and Health Requirements: Physical Therapist Assistant Students

All Students in this program are expected to meet certain essential functions/technical standards which are essential for successful completion of all phases of the program and which reflect industry requirements and standards. To verify the students’ ability to perform these essential functions, students may be required to demonstrate the following technical standards: