Johnson College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is an accrediting agency that is nationally recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CAPTE grants specialized accreditation status to qualified entry-level education programs for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Johnson received the maximum accreditation for a newly established program which is a duration of five years. CAPTE is the only accrediting body for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. In October 2013, the program was granted Candidate for Accreditation status, which is the first step in the process. It is at that time that students in the inaugural class were accepted to begin the technical portion of the program. CAPTE representatives made a formal visit to the college in September 2015, during the last term of the first class of students. The College was notified of the decision for accreditation by CAPTE on November 25, 2014.
Dr. Melissa Cencetti, Department Chair of the Physical Therapist Assistant program said, “CAPTE has a very important job to do. They are looking out for the well-being of the student, the program faculty, the institution, and most importantly, the health care consumer. Accreditation is a rigorous process that requires a team effort. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the support of my Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, Nicole Fabricatore, administration at Johnson College, our Program Advisory Committee, and our students, who put their faith in us from the beginning. We will continue to develop our program to meet the needs of our students, the profession of physical therapy, and our community.”
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program will graduate its first class on December 17th. The first class has eight graduates. In the fall of 2014, the College accepted an additional 12 and 12 more in the fall of 2015. In 2015, the College began tracking transfer students within the program and 10 of 12 accepted were transfer students from other institutions.