LEARNING ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY AND ABOUT LIFE
About the Programs Accredited in 1983, the PTA program is the older of the two. It includes four full-time faculty and between four and six adjuncts and lab assistants. “All faculty members maintain clinical work. This ensures that our students are being taught by practicing clinicians, people who are still treating patients, and who are not just teaching something they remember from 5 or 10 years ago,” Kopack says. The OTA program opened in 1982 and, due to numerous factors, closed in 2004. It re-opened in 2009. “For many years after the Balanced Budget Act, there was a shortage (cutbacks) due to changes in Medicare. Nursing homes were laying people off. Many OTA programs, including Harcum, were forced to close,” says Michael J. Gerg, T, OTR/L, CHT, CEES, CWCE, OTA Program Director. “Today, OTAs are the fastest growing segment because they are more costeffective and actually cost a facility less than an OT.” The Harcum OTA program has 66 students. Like OTA, “PTA is a two-year program,” Kopack says. PTAs are also less expensive to hire than a PT. Upon graduation, students sit for the national certification examinations in each of the disciplines. As of January 2015, both programs were demonstrating a 100% overall pass rate for the May 2014 graduating class.
12
patches magazine
In both programs, students have to learn the human body— inside and out. Although they are complementary, except for the core curriculum requirements, the academic experiences are different. The OTA program trains students to assist patients with basic skills that can help to improve their quality of life and to function in their environment. PTA programs focus on muscle building and motor skills; they teach the patient appropriate ways to restore physical capabilities and prevent further injury. The OTA program offers Fall and Spring starts. Classes that begin in the Fall meet on Fridays; classes that begin in the Spring meet on Saturdays. The weekly program courses are supported by online assignments. Core educational courses are offered weekdays, evenings, or online. During semesters 1, 2 and 3, for four days each semester, students do observations at clinical sites. Semester 4, the last, consists of two, full-time clinical placements, over eight weeks. PTA students can be accepted up until August for the Fall semester, although the class typically fills after the priority deadline each March. The Spring semester begins in January and the Summer semester starts in May. Students participate in three clinical affiliations—one for four weeks at the end of the junior year and two for seven weeks at the end of the senior year.
Harcum’s PTA Program When describing the focus of the program, Kopack explains: “It is so important that our students can demonstrate safe and competent treatment interventions, and that they can problem solve and look for information.” Both faculty and students recognize the dedication of the PTA administration and teaching faculty, which is another reason the program is so popular. This dedication is also evidenced by the percentage of students who pass the national licensure examination and by the facilities that actively look to hire the Harcum PTA graduates. “There is a lot to know. It is a very fast-paced program,” says Sam Gruber, a 35-year-old senior in the PTA program. “The faculty does a pretty good job to get us ready for our field work. “The professors are always willing to help us and put themselves out as a resource to help us,” agrees Jennifer Crossley, a 25-year-old senior. Effective teaching involves guiding the students and helping them to learn to think about clinical options and the various ways they can be doing things to help their patients. Lauren LoCurto, a 25-yearold senior, says, “It is important in education to get along with your professors and I really love the