Aug 06, 2026  
2026-2027 Catalog 
    
2026-2027 Catalog

PTAS 205 - Clinical II


PREREQUISITES: PTAS 115 - Clinical I , PTAS 202 - Treatment Interventions for Special Populations , PTAS 217 - Treatment Modalities III , all required general education courses of the PTA Program, and Program Chair Approval
PROGRAM: Physical Therapist Assistant
CREDIT HOURS MIN: 6
CLINICAL - HEALTH SCIENCES HOURS MIN: 18
TOTAL CONTACT HOURS MIN: 288
DATE OF LAST REVISION: Fall 2024

Requires the student to perform in a clinical environment with patients using applications of theories and techniques of PTAS 201 - Treatment Modalities II  , PTAS 202 - Treatment Interventions for Special Populations  , and PTAS 217 - Treatment Modalities III  under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist.

MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be expected to:

7A2. Body system interactions, health, and surgical conditions across the life span, movement sciences, pain and pain experiences, and psychological aspects of health and disability.

  • Employ knowledge of relevant anatomy and physiology of encountered pathophysiologies in a clinical setting
  • Employ knowledge of characteristics of encountered pathophysiologies in a clinical setting

7B. Ethics and values, professional development and responsibilities, service, leadership, lifelong learning, along with teaching and learning with an every-changing healthcare environment.

7B1. Standards of Ethical Conduct (APTA) and APTA Core Values for the PT and PTA

  • Display clinical setting professional appearance and demeanor standards
  • Demonstrate punctual and consistent attendance
  • Demonstrate the ethical and legal standards of the physical therapist assistant
  • Demonstrate professional behaviors specific to a clinical setting

7B2. Develop services and leadership skills and abilities that address legislative and political advocacy, community collaboration, and health care disparity.

  • Discuss service and leadership opportunities with a clinical instructor in a clinical setting.

7B3. Practices within the legal framework of one’s jurisdiction(s) and relevant federal and state requirements.

  • Demonstrate behaviors associated with the positions, policies, and procedures of legal requirements within a clinical setting

7C. Lifelong learning, education, and health care disparities in the ever-changing health care environment.

7C1. Contemporary physical therapy knowledge and practice including evidence-informed practice, interpretation of statistical evidence, and clinical reasoning and decision-making.

  • Integrate research in a clinical setting in the investigation of the physical therapy plan of care

7C2. Improve skills to educate and communicate in a manner that meets the needs of the patient, caregivers, and other health care professionals

  • Explain the need for medical and layperson’s terminology for appropriate individuals
  • Seek constructive feedback in communication for improved clinical performance
  • Seek communication with instructor(s) for greater learning in a clinical setting

7C3. Advance understanding of health care disparities in relation to physical therapy, recognizing and adjusting personal behavior to optimize inclusive and equitable patient care and patient care environments.

  • Examine influences of nonverbal communication in patient care

7D1. Implementation of the plan of care established by the physical therapist:

  • Obtain and review current information from physical therapy documentation, health records, patient and clients, caregivers, and family members related to general health status, consults, prior and current level of function before carrying out the physical therapy plan of care.
    • Inform a clinical instructor of necessary patient characteristics in medical and physical therapy documentation for effective and safe physical therapy provision
  • Recognize need for clarification, supervision, or action by the supervising PT
    • Report patient progression and/or regression requiring update and/or revision of the physical therapy plan of care and consult accordingly with a clinical instructor and supervising physical therapist in a clinical setting
  • Determine when an intervention is inappropriate
    • Employ intervention strategies for intended goals and intervention strategies in the physical therapy plan of care
  • Select interventions as determined by the supervising PT based on clinical data, goals, and intended outcomes.
    • Establish patient progression therapeutic strategies within the physical therapy plan of care in a clinical setting
  • Modify, adjust, and discontinue interventions based on the patient response and clinical data in collaboration with the supervising PT
    • Initiate collaboration with the supervising physical therapist regarding the need for modifications of the physical therapy plan of care.
  • Contribute to the d/c and follow-up planning with the supervising PT.
    • Initiate recommendations for patient discharge with the supervising physical therapist
  • Use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).
    • Approximates the delivery of physical therapy services in consideration of common impairments to body structure and function, activity limitations, and participation restrictions affecting special populations per the ICF

7D2. Select and perform components of data collection using appropriate tests and measures for all phases of PT interventions in:

  • Coordinate psychomotor skills acquired in didactic and clinical training in areas listed below as relevant to the assigned clinical setting under the assistance of a clinical instructor*
    • Cardiovascular system
    • Pulmonary system
    • Neurological system
    • Musculoskeletal system
    • Integumentary and lymphatic system
    • Grown and human development
    • Pain and pain experiences
    • Psychosocial aspects
    • Mental health aspects

(NOTE: Areas of data collection include related tests for aerobic function, anthropometric characteristics, mental function, equipment, gait, balance, joint integrity, muscle performance, development, posture, range of motion, self-care, home management, and/or community engagement.)

7D3. Select and perform physical therapy interventions for each of the following as identified in the plan of care established by the physical therapist to achieve goals and outcomes:

  • Coordinate psychomotor skills acquired in didactic and clinical training in the areas listed below as relevant to the assigned clinical setting under the assistance of a clinical instructor*
    • Cardiovascular conditions
    • Pulmonary conditions
    • Neurological conditions
    • Musculoskeletal conditions
    • Integumentary and lymphatic conditions
    • Metabolic Conditions
    • Growth and human development
    • Pain and pain experiences

(NOTE: Includes interventions related to the following: airway techniques, devices and equipment, biophysical agents, functional training, manual therapy techniques, motor function training, patient/client education, therapeutic exercise, and wound management).

7D4. Delivery of Physical Therapy Services: Complete documentation according to legal framework of one’s jurisdiction, practice setting, and regulating agencies.

  • Emulate physical therapy documentation components in a clinical setting with a clinical instructor
  • Provide effective physical therapy documentation in a clinical setting

7D5. Delivery of Physical Therapy Services: Respond effectively to environmental emergencies that may occur in the clinical setting.

  • Observe immediate emergency procedures in a clinical setting with the assistance of the clinical instructor

7D6. Delivery of Physical Therapy Services: Educate others using teaching methods that are commensurate with the needs of the learner, including participation in the clinical education of students, incorporate cultural humility and social determinants of health when providing patient and/or caregiver education.

  • Observe nonverbal communication strategies appropriate for various cultures in effective patient care
  • Recognize cultural influences on the provision of physical therapy services under the plan of care within a clinical setting

7D7. Health Care Activities: Participate in efforts to ensure patient and health care provider safety

  • Follows safety and emergency procedures in physical therapy interventions in a clinical setting with the assistance of the clinical instructor
  • Follows immediate emergency procedures regarding patient medical status in a clinical setting with the assistance of the clinical instructor

7D8. Health Care Activities: Participate in patient-centered interprofessional collaborative care.

  • Examine the relationships among individuals in physical therapy rehabilitation: physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, rehabilitation aide, and physical therapist assistant student
  • Support the role of the physical therapist assistant in the provision of the physical therapy plan of care in collaboration with other health professionals
  • Discern appropriate components of the physical therapy plan of care to educate patients and other relevant individuals for understanding and best outcomes.
  • Value the responsibility of a physical therapist assistant in educating patients on available alternative methods of care other than physical therapy, with the support of the supervising physical therapist

7D9. Health Care Activities: Participate in performance improvement/quality assurance activities.

  • Examine strengths and weaknesses in self-assessment within a clinical setting associated with improvement and quality assurance activities.

7D10. Community Health: Provide services and/or educational resources informed by cultural humility that address primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, health promotion, and wellness to individuals, groups, and communities.

  • Predicts opportunities for prevention, health promotion, and wellness of a patient population served by a clinical instructor within a clinical setting.

7D11. Community Health: Provide physical therapy services that address: JEDI, belonging, and anti-racism, and health care disparities, and social determinants of health.

  • Organizes effective teaching methods for patients and other relevant individuals according to the physical therapy plan of care
  • Express influences on health and well-being within the provision of physical therapy services

7D12. Practice Management: Participate in organizational planning and operation of the physical therapy service

  • Identify the hierarchical structure of the physical therapy department
  • Identify the larger organizational structure in which the physical therapy department resides as appropriate for the assigned clinical setting.

7D13. Practice Management: Participate in the financial management of the practice setting, including accurate billing and payment for services rendered

  • Demonstrate the physical therapist assistant’s role in fiscal management activities

*Exposure range for these objectives is dependent upon placement in the specifically assigned clinical site. Students experience completion of requirements in the clinical setting according to the policies and procedures for clinical education in the physical therapist assistant program.

Course Addendum - Syllabus (Click to expand)