Standards, Requirements & Complaints

Health and Physical Requirements

Students need the ability to:

• Lift and move patients, equipment and accessories (up to 50 pounds).
• Manipulate treatment equipment and measuring instruments using fine motor skills.
• Hear audible cues and warnings from patients and equipment.
• Use sense of touch to provide patient care, palpate anatomical landmarks, position patients and administer treatments.
• Teach patients through use of verbal, tactile and demonstrative cues.
• Use interpersonal skills to handle patients with physical or emotional trauma and to interact with other people in the classroom, lab or clinical setting in a professional manner.

Insurance

All students admitted to the Physical Therapist Assistant program are expected to carry their own personal health insurance. 

Technical Standards

Professionalism

American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) Code of Ethics

Student Physical Therapist Assistants (SPTAs) are expected to exhibit professional, legal, and ethical behavior always, including during class, laboratory, and clinical education experiences. Additionally, faculty, students, and their clinical instructors are expected to abide by ethical guidelines set forth in the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Code of Ethics. The appendix to this handbook includes APTA’s Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy, Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant, and the Core Values for the Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant. These are also available via the APTA web site. For more information on how these rules apply to clinical education experiences, please refer to the clinical education section of the PTA program handbook.

Abilities-Based Self Assessment

PTA students will assess themselves on core abilities throughout the program and report their findings to PTA faculty. Each ability is an attribute, characteristic or behavior that are not explicitly part of the profession’s technical skills but are still required for success in the profession. These eleven abilities, and stress management, are included in the assessment of student safety and readiness to engage in clinical education.

Throughout the PTA curriculum, students will self-assess their abilities in these areas using the following as a guideline for self-reflection. These abilities are:

1. Commitment to Learning
   The ability to self-assess, self-correct and self-direct; to identify needs and sources of learning; and to continually seek new knowledge and understanding.
2. Interpersonal Skills
   The ability to interact effectively with patients, families, colleagues, other health care professionals and the community, and to deal effectively with cultural and ethnic diversity issues.
3. Communication Skills
   The ability to communicate effectively (i.e., speaking, body language, reading, writing, listening) for varied audiences and purposes.
4. Effective Use of Time and Resources
   The ability to obtain the maximum benefit from a minimum investment of time and resources.
5. Use of Constructive Feedback
   The ability to identify sources of and seek out feedback and to effectively use and provide feedback for improving personal interaction.
6. Problem-Solving
   The ability to recognize and define problems, analyze data, develop and implement solutions, and evaluate outcomes.
7. Professionalism
   The ability to exhibit appropriate professional conduct and represent the profession effectively.
8. Responsibility
   The ability to fulfill commitments and to be accountable for actions and outcomes.
9. Critical Thinking
   The ability to question logically; to identify, generate and evaluate elements of logical argument; to recognize and differentiate facts, illusions, assumptions and hidden assumptions; and to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant.
10. Stress Management
    The ability to identify sources of stress and to develop effective coping behaviors.

Special Scheduling

Student Employment

Complaints

Filing Complaints

In accordance with LCCC Policy 9.7 and Procedure 9.7P, the PTA Program maintains specific procedures for handling complaints that fall outside the realm of due process. This policy ensures that complaints are addressed systematically and thoroughly, with appropriate documentation and follow-up.

Students, patients, clinical sites, employers, and community members may submit complaints about a student, faculty, staff, or the program in general through multiple channels:

1. In-person reporting to appropriate program personnel
2. Through program-initiated surveys for students, alumni, clinical partners, and employers
3. Online submission at https://lccc.wy.edu/about/feedback.aspx
4. Direct email to the PTA Program Director, Brendon Larsen PTA MEd, at blarsen@lccc.wy.edu
5. Direct email to the HSW Dean, Karen Bowen, PhD, RN, at kbowen@lccc.wy.edu

Email: accreditation@apta.org

Prohibition Against Retaliation

In accordance with LCCC Policy 9.7, no retaliation will occur to the individual filing the complaint against the PTA Program or Laramie County Community College. This protection extends to all stakeholders, including students, clinical partners, employers, and community members.