MUSKEGON, Mich. – Baker College’s Muskegon campus reports that 100 percent of its March 2017 physical therapist assistant (PTA) graduates have passed the rigorous national and state licensure exams on the first try.
“The success of an entire cohort of graduates is strong evidence of the quality and commitment of our students as well as the strength of Baker College’s program,” said Lee Coggin, J.D., Baker College of Muskegon president.
Licensure as a PTA is required to practice in most states of the U.S., including Michigan, and demonstrates that the individual meets the national standard for knowledge that underlies the practice of a PTA.
The Muskegon program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), the only accrediting organization of entry-level PTA programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
As graduates of a CAPTE-accredited PTA program, the Baker College students were eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Assistant and Michigan Jurisprudence examinations.
A PTA performs patient care under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist at hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, private practices, geriatric care facilities, sports medicine centers, schools systems and industrial sites.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the 2016 PTA median annual salary was $56,610 and projects PTA employment to grow 40 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. This is due to the expected increase in health care needs of an older population and individuals with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.
For more information about Baker College career programs, contact Debbie Smith in the Baker College of Muskegon admissions office at 231.777.5200 or debbie.smith@baker.edu, or visit www.baker.edu.
Baker College is a private nonprofit college based in Michigan. Founded in 1911, Baker College represents a better way forward for more than 3,300 faculty and staff, 17,000 students and hundreds of thousands of alumni. For more information on Baker College, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.