Apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant Program

Apply to Laramie County Community College (LCCC) prior to Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program. All PTA applicants must have an LCCC email address to access the program-specific application. The LCCC admissions process is free and typically takes 5 minutes. 

As part of the application process, the application will prompt you to provide an official copy of all past college transcripts. This is required for successful credit transfer. (You will provide unofficial transcripts when completing the PTA program application.)

Note: If you are a current student or have taken courses at LCCC within the last year, you do not need to reapply to LCCC.

You must complete, or be currently enrolled in, the following required prerequisites with a “C” or better by the application deadline.

• MATH 1400 - College Algebra or higher
• ENGL 1010 - English Composition I
• ZOO 2010 - Anatomy/Physiology or ZOO 2015 Human Anatomy
• STRT 1000 College Success or COMM 2010 - Public Speaking
• HLTK 1200 - Medical Terminology

Note: Information on how these courses is applied to your application can be found in step 6.

1. Prior to performing any observations, read and sign the Pre-Admission Observation Guidelines and Acceptance Form.
   
   
2. Contact a physical therapy facility to schedule observation/volunteer experience.
   
   
3. Upon arrival at the physical therapy facility, provide the supervising PT/PTA with a link to the Pre-Admission Observation Evaluation Form, which they will complete. You may direct them to lccc.wy.edu/PTAapply.
   a.       We recommend students review the Observation Evaluation questions prior to completing their clinical observation.
   
   
4. Complete at least 20 hours of observation or work with a licensed PT or PTA. Additional observation, up to 80 hours, will be accepted with additional points on the application (see step 6.) Work-related experience will not be accepted as observation/volunteer experience beyond the initial 20 hours.
   a.       Observation hours provide prospective students with a better understanding of a PTAs daily work, and it is beneficial to get these hours in a variety of settings, such hospital or long-term care facility. For this reason, employment experience related to healthcare is also recognized during the application (see step 6.)
   

Note: Some facilities require proof of immunizations prior to your observation, please allow adequate time to complete these actions. Additionally, we request students to dress professionally (i.e., interview attire) during your observation hours.

Please have the following documents ready when you apply.

1. Unofficial transcripts. Official transcripts should have been requested during the admission process to LCCC. You will need to upload unofficial copies of all past college transcripts with the online HSW Program Application.
   
   
2. Contact information for current instructors. If you are currently enrolled in any pre-requisite courses, your instructor will need to sign a brief attestation regarding your academic standing. Instructions for this attestation are in the PTAT program application.
   
   
3. Contact information for three professional references. Included in the PTA application is space for three professional references. Professional references include former or current supervisors and instructors, not relatives. Get confirmation from each potential reference and ensure you have a correct email address before beginning the PTA Program Application
   
   
4. Resume and Cover Letter. In your cover letter, address the following:

1. 1. Why you are interested in becoming a physical therapist assistant?
   2. What have you learned from pre-admission observation? What did you learn from the patients, PTs, and PTAs with whom you worked?
   3. To help this process, the PTA program has provided a template cover letter and rubric, along with a rubric for scoring. View the template and rubric.

Complete the Online PTA Program Application. Please have all forms and required documents ready when you apply (see step 4.) All required forms must be complete to be considered for program admission.

Note: To complete the online program application, you must have an LCCC student email address. This is obtained by applying to LCCC (see step 1.)

The PTA Program Selection Committee will use the following scale, awarding grade-based points based on the number of credit hours per course, in-progress courses are scored with two-points per credit.

Applicant Scoring Table

Item1	Points
MATH 1400 College Algebra or higher (3 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 3
ENGL 1010 English Composition (3 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 3
ZOO 2010 Anatomy & Physiology I  or ZOO 2015 Human Anatomy (4 credits) 2	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 4
STRT 1000 Strategies for Success (3 credits) or COMM 2010 Public Speaking (3 credits)2	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 3
HLTK 1200 Medical Terminology (2 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 2
Prerequisite GPA	6(≥ 3.5 GPA), 5(≥ 3.0 GPA), 4 (≥ 2.5 GPA)           X 4
ZOO 2020 Anatomy & Physiology II  or ZOO 2025 Human Physiology (4 credits) 2	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 4
POLS 1000 American and Wyoming Government2,3 or ECON 1200 Economics, Law, and Government or HIST 1211 U.S. History to 1865 or HIST 1221 U.S. History 1865 to Present or HIST 1251 Wyoming History (3 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 3
EDST 2420 Human Lifespan Development (3 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 3
HLTK 2510 Pathophysiology (2 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 2
COMM 2010 Public Speaking (3 credits) or STRT 1000 Strategies for Success (3 credits)	4(A), 3(B), 2(C)          X 3
Overall College GPA	6(3.5 or above), 5(3.0 or above), 4 (2.5 or above), X 4
Previous College Degree(s)	10 Points for a Bachelor Degree
Employment in a Physical Therapy department/clinic, as PT Aide, six months or more	20 Points
Other employment in a related healthcare field	10 Points
Pre-Admission Observation: Total Hours4	15 Points (80 hours or more), 10 Points (40 hours or more), 5 Points (20 hours)
Physical Therapy Observation: Evaluation Average	12 points max
Cover and Resume	30 Points max
1st Reference Form	12 Points max
2nd Reference Form	12 Points max
3rd Reference Form	12 Points max
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE:	301

¹ If any single course has been repeated, the most recent attempt will be used to score the application.

² Whenever multiple courses are accepted, scoring prioritizes the course with the higher grade.

³ State statutory requirement.

⁴ Work-related experience will not be accepted as observation/volunteer experience beyond the initial 20 hours.

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The PTA Program Selection Committee reviews applicants and selects admitted students. Applicants will receive notification of their admission status through their official LCCC email after the selection process. Students not selected, and students placed on an alternate list, will also be notified. 

Admission into the PTA program is contingent upon:

• Successful completion of in-progress prerequisite courses
• Maintenance of good academic standing with LCCC
• Completion of background check, immunization, and drug screen following admission

To progress in the PTA program, the student must:

• Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or above
• Maintain a minimum grade of “C” in each required PTA and support courses. (A support course is any course that does not contain the PTAT prefix.)
• Maintain a 75% weighted-average for all written examinations in the PTA program.
• Achieve at least 75% (passing score) on every skill check in the PTA program.