Essential Skills for PTA Education and Practice
To succeed in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program, complete clinical education experiences, and meet the professional expectations of entry-level practice, students must be able to perform the following essential functions, which reflect the skills expected of physical therapist assistants.
Essential Functions and Technical Standards
Students must be able to perform the following essential functions, which reflect the skills expected of physical therapist assistants and include, but are not limited to:
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Communication
- Demonstrate communication abilities sufficient to obtain, understand, convey, and document information accurately, appropriately, and professionally.
- Communicate effectively in spoken, written, electronic, and nonverbal forms.
- Obtain and report relevant information using clear and appropriate language.
- Read, understand, and document information in medical records, educational materials, clinical forms, and electronic documentation systems.
- Use appropriate medical terminology.
- Explain procedures, therapeutic activities, precautions, and home recommendations to patients, caregivers, faculty, clinical instructors, and other members of the healthcare team.
- Provide patient and caregiver education appropriate to the individual’s needs, abilities, health literacy, and cultural background.
- Receive, interpret, and respond appropriately to verbal and written instructions.
- Recognize and interpret nonverbal communication and behavioral cues.
- Communicate respectfully with individuals of varied ages, abilities, backgrounds, identities, cultures, beliefs, and life experiences.
- Participate appropriately in professional discussions, handoffs, conferences, and interdisciplinary communication.
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Observation and Sensory Abilities
- Demonstrate observation and sensory abilities sufficient to obtain and interpret information needed for safe and effective patient care.
- Observe movement patterns, posture, balance, gait, functional mobility, and patient response to activity.
- Recognize changes in a patient’s physical, physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral status.
- Observe skin condition, wounds, swelling, symmetry, body alignment, and other clinical signs relevant to patient care.
- Access and interpret information presented in medical records, diagnostic reports, equipment displays, treatment devices, instructional materials, and clinical environments.
- Monitor equipment settings, alarms, timers, and indicators.
- Identify environmental hazards and conditions that may affect patient, student, or staff safety.
- Obtain and interpret vital signs and other physiological information using appropriate clinical methods and equipment.
- Use sensory information, including touch and palpation, as needed to identify anatomical structures, tissue characteristics, temperature, pulses, positioning, and patient response.
- Integrate information gathered through observation, communication, clinical equipment, and other available methods to make appropriate clinical decisions.
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Motor and Physical Abilities
- Demonstrate motor coordination, mobility, balance, strength, endurance, and manual dexterity sufficient to participate safely in classroom, laboratory, simulation, and clinical activities.
- Perform patient positioning, mobility, transfers, gait training, and therapeutic activities using appropriate body mechanics, levels of assistance, adaptive equipment, mechanical devices, and safe patient-handling procedures.
- Provide physical assistance to patients who may have limited mobility, impaired balance, weakness, pain, or other functional limitations.
- Maintain adequate balance and postural control while standing, walking, reaching, bending, kneeling, stooping, and changing positions.
- Perform fine motor tasks and use hand dexterity to complete data collection and therapeutic interventions safely.
- Palpate anatomical structures and physiological signs as required during patient examination and treatment.
- Apply therapeutic techniques, including range-of-motion activities, stretching, soft-tissue interventions, exercise, and other procedures within the physical therapist assistant’s role.
- Set up, adjust, monitor, and safely operate therapeutic equipment, mobility devices, assistive devices, and adaptive equipment.
- Respond promptly and appropriately to a patient who loses balance, becomes medically unstable, or requires immediate assistance.
- Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency procedures consistent with current certification requirements.
- Maintain sufficient physical stamina to participate in laboratory and clinical activities for the scheduled duration, which may include extended periods of standing, walking, bending, positioning, and providing patient care.
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Cognitive Abilities
- Demonstrate cognitive abilities sufficient to learn, understand, analyze, retain, and apply information in a timely and safe manner.
- Comprehend, retain, recall, and apply information from classroom, laboratory, simulation, and clinical instruction.
- Integrate information from multiple sources, including patient reports, medical records, clinical findings, equipment, and the established plan of care.
- Apply critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and sound judgment.
- Recognize cause-and-effect relationships.
- Prioritize tasks and respond appropriately when multiple demands occur at the same time.
- Identify changes in patient status and determine when intervention should be modified, discontinued, or referred to the supervising physical therapist or another appropriate healthcare professional.
- Follow written and verbal directions accurately.
- Recognize contraindications, precautions, safety concerns, and emergency situations.
- Organize and complete responsibilities within required timeframes.
- Evaluate personal performance, accept feedback, and apply recommendations for improvement.
- Develop and implement plans for continued learning and professional growth.
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Behavioral, Emotional and Professional Abilities
- Demonstrate maturity, emotional stability, adaptability, and professional behavior necessary to participate effectively in academic and clinical environments.
- Act in an ethical, legal, responsible, and professional manner.
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity, accountability, dependability, and respect.
- Accept responsibility for decisions and actions.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
- Respond appropriately to feedback, correction, and evaluation.
- Adapt to changing circumstances, unexpected events, uncertainty, and varied patient-care environments.
- Manage the emotional and physical demands of working with individuals who may be experiencing pain, illness, disability, distress, cognitive impairment, behavioral challenges, or end-of-life concerns.
- Monitor and regulate personal emotions and behavior in stressful or difficult situations.
- Demonstrate empathy and provide appropriate emotional support while maintaining professional judgment.
- Work effectively with patients, caregivers, faculty, clinical instructors, peers, and members of the healthcare team.
- Provide respectful care to individuals across the lifespan and to individuals with varied diagnoses, abilities, backgrounds, identities, cultures, values, and beliefs.
- Recognize personal limitations and seek assistance when appropriate.
- Demonstrate consistent preparation, timeliness, attendance, and follow-through.
- Adhere to program, college, clinical-site, legal, ethical, safety, and professional standards.
Reasonable Accommodations
- Students must be able to meet the essential functions and technical standards of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program with or without reasonable accommodation.
- A student who believes an accommodation may be necessary should contact the college office responsible for disability support services. Requests for accommodations are reviewed through the college’s established interactive process.
- Reasonable accommodations may assist a student in meeting an essential standard, but they do not eliminate essential academic, clinical, safety, or professional requirements; fundamentally alter the nature of the program or its curriculum; or place patients, students, faculty, staff, or others at an unacceptable risk.
- Students are encouraged to initiate the accommodation process as early as possible because some accommodations may require planning, coordination, assistive technology, or consultation with clinical education sites.
Additional Program Requirements
- The essential functions and technical standards are separate from academic progression, clinical eligibility, and program compliance requirements.
- Students must also satisfy all applicable requirements related to:
- Course grades and academic progression.
- Practical and competency examinations.
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification.
- Health, immunization, screening, and clinical clearance requirements.
- Background checks and other clinical-site requirements.
- Attendance, timeliness, and participation.
- Professional conduct and the Howard Community College Student Code of Conduct.
- Clinical education policies and procedures.
These essential functions and technical standards were developed with reference to the occupational duties, work activities, abilities, and work context identified for Physical Therapist Assistants by the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET program and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; the Standards and Required Elements of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education; applicable professional expectations for physical therapist assistants; and the curricular, laboratory, simulation, and clinical education requirements of the Howard Community College Physical Therapist Assistant Program.
