Learn Practical Skills At Home

Your comprehensive lessons are clear and well organized; easy to follow, yet challenging and engaging at the same time. Photos and illustrations help bring each new concept to life. Each physical therapy aide lesson begins with an introductory note from your instructor, plus a preview outlining the subject matter and study objectives.

Next comes the reading assignment from your textbooks, lesson book or supplemental references. Practice exercises help you check and review the key concepts you’ve learned. Then, turn in your open-book exam (available online) for the lesson, whenever YOU are ready.

Enroll online or call 1-800-535-1613 to speak with an Admission Advisor!

Meet Your Instructor

Wade Ballance has an Associate Degree in Applied Science from John Tyler College, where he completed the Physical Therapist Assistant Program. He is a professional, licensed physical therapist assistant with extensive experience working with a large rehab team of physicians, nurses and therapists. He has assisted in the treatment of hundreds of patients in a variety of outpatient settings

What You’ll Learn Lesson By Lesson In This Course

Lesson 1: The Profession of Physical Therapy

Career Opportunities for the Aide. History and evolution of physical therapy; the rehabilitation team; the role of the physical therapy aide as a member of the rehabilitation team; history of physical medicine and therapeutic health care services; training and education; physical and therapeutic allied health careers; employment opportunities; typical hospital organization; medical specialties: titles and descriptions.

Lesson 2: Ethical and Legal Issues in Medicine

Communicating Effectively. Understanding medical ethics and medical law; the patient and the health care worker; licensing of health care workers; the Good Samaritan Law and medical malpractice; obtaining patient consent; patients’ medical records and the law; morals and ethics; confidentiality; informed consent; interprofessional issues; justice issues; medical ethics and the physical therapy aide; medical ethics and legal issues; negligence; restraints; parts of effective communication; verbal and nonverbal communication; telephone etiquette; dealing with problem calls; appointment scheduling.

Lesson 3: Medical Terminology

The Medical Record. Prefixes, suffixes and root words; using medical abbreviations; body structure and medical terminology; anatomical position; defining position and direction; understanding the patient’s medical record; charting notes in the medical record; writing in the medical record.

Lesson 4: Basic Structure and Function of the Human Body

Understanding the human body; the musculoskeletal system; the digestive system; the circulatory system; the respiratory system; the nervous system; the integumentary system; the urinary system; the endocrine system; the reproductive system.

Lesson 5: Applied Anatomy and Physiology of the Musculoskeletal System

The framework of the human body; the skeletal system: functions, structures and types of bones; the axial skeleton: bones of the skull, the facial bones, the spinal column, the vertebrae, the ribs and bones of the middle ear; the appendicular skeleton; joints and movement; diseases and disorders of bones and joints; fractures of the skeletal system; sprains and dislocations; the muscular system: structure, muscle action and contraction; disorders of the muscular system.

Lesson 6: Using Physical Therapy to Treat Common Medical Disorders

Treating arthritis and rheumatic conditions; assisting in the administration of heat modalities, massage and range of motion exercises; range of motion exercises for the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, ankle, knee and hip; treating and assisting the patient with low back pain; treating lumbosacral strain, back sprains, bursitis, cervical disorders and degenerative joint disease; treating a patient who has suffered a cerebral vascular accident; preventing deformity in the stroke patient; assisting the patient with re-education for walking; assisting the stroke patient to regain body control; treating patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, sciatica, peripheral vascular disorders, emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, dermatologic disorders, genitourinary disorders, burns and amputation.

Lesson 7: Safety and Preparation for Patient Care

Regulating temperature, humidity, ventilation, lighting, noise and odors to improve patient comfort; neatness, order and privacy; preventing falls and burns; body alignment, movement and balance; asepsis and infection control; performing proper hand washing; preparing the area; lifting, transferring and transporting patients safely; maneuvering a wheelchair.

Lesson 8: Turning, Positioning and Transferring the Patient

Turning and the supine position; turning in the prone position; turning from a supine position to a side-lying position; returning from a sitting position to a supine position; preparing for beginning transfers; wheelchair transfers; standing transfers; sitting transfers; car transfers; bathtub transfers; drawsheet transfers; pneumatic lift transfer; one-person transfer from floor to wheelchair.

Lesson 9: Ambulation, Gait and Therapeutic Exercises

Tips on preambulation teaching; choosing the appropriate device; crutches; gait training and gait deviations; the normal gait; the coxalgic gait; the painful knee gait; the sacroiliac gait; the flexed hip gait; the hemiplegic gait; the parkinsonian gait; forms of exercise; measuring muscle strength; skill and coordination exercises; range of motion exercises; anatomical planes of motion.

Lesson 10: Agents and Modalities

Specialized Clinical Procedures. Hydrocollator packs; infrared heating; the paraffin bath; deep heating agents; microwaves; shortwaves; deep heating agents; hydrotherapy; cold therapy; massage; cervical traction; therapeutic movement; immobilization by reduction; traction; electroneural stimulation; transcutaneous electrical stimulation; ultrasound; application of a cast; administration of medications; x-rays; CAT scan; reflex tests; other tests; pet therapy.