Physical Therapist Assistant STEPS Session

1. Physical Therapist Assistant Degree
5 semester program (One semester of
Pre-reqs plus 4 semesters technical).
Admission is based on weighted
criteria.
Applications Due:
May 15 of each year to apply for the
following Fall semester class on the
Grand Strand Campus.
Late or Incomplete applications will not
be reviewed for admission.

2. To Apply for the PTA program you must:
1. Apply to and be accepted at HGTC, which includes paying the $30
application fee, submitting official high school and college
transcripts, and submitting the “Additional Admission/Placement
Requirements Affidavit.”( The Affidavit is viewable on slide 3 and
may be printed from the “Forms” box on the Libguides page.)
2. Complete the 6 prerequisite courses (viewable on slide 4) with
grades of C or higher and within the required Departmental time
limits.
3. Achieve a 2.5 GPA in all prerequisite/core courses completed.
4. Take the TEAS test (2 year time limit), www.atitesting.com.
5. View the online Physical Therapist Assistant Departmental
Information Session - 2 year time limit.
www.hgtc.edu/healthscience.
6. Submit proof of 20 hours of observations completed within three
years prior to applying for the PTA program. Forms and site list
information available on the Libguides page.
7. May not be on academic or disciplinary suspension.
8. Submit your completed application to the Admissions office on any
HGTC campus by the deadline of May 15.

3. This is an example
of the Additional
Admission
Placement
Requirement
Affidavit. The full
document may be
found in the Forms
box on the
Libguides page.
Complete and
submit the
Affidavit to the
Admissions office.
Do not complete
the Background
Check or Drug
Screen process
until after
receiving
notification of
being accepted
into your program
and receiving
instructions on
when to do so.

4. Physical Therapist Assistant Prerequisite Courses
Required GPA of 2.5 with grades of C or higher
Prerequisite Courses
ENG 101* – English Composition
PSY 201 – General Psychology
Humanities – choose one humanities(ART 101, 105, 108, ENG 201, 202 ,205, 206, 208,
209, 214,224,FRE 201,202,HIS 101,102,201,202, MUS 105, PHI 101, 110, 201, REL 103, SPA 201,
202, THE 101
MAT 110 or 120** – College Algebra or Probability and Statistics
BIO 210 ***– Anatomy and Physiology I (5 year time limit)
BIO 211 - Anatomy and Physiology II (5 year time limit)
Core Courses
ENG 102 – English Composition II
SPC 205 – Public Speaking
PSY 203 – Human Growth and Development
*English Progression/dependent on test scores: ENG 032 - ENG 100 - ENG 101 – ENG 102
**Math Progression/dependent on test scores: MAT 032 - MAT 101 - MAT 120
MAT 032 - MAT 101 - MAT 102 - MAT 110
***BIO 210 has a prerequisite of BIO 101, BIO 112 or CHM 110 or the required test scores:
Accuplacer: Reading – 75, Sentence Skills – 81, Algebra - 75
Compass: Reading – 85, Writing – 78, Algebra – 46
SAT: Verbal - 480, Math – 460
ACT: Reading -19, English – 19, Math-19

5. TEAS TEST INFORMATION
Pre - registration is required at www.atitesting.com
Cost : approximately $71.00 – may change without notice
Version: 5
170-question, multiple-choice test with a time limit of 209 minutes.
Reading Section is 58 minutes with 48 questions
Science Section is 66 minutes with 54 questions
English and Language Usage Section is 34 minutes with 34 questions
Mathematics Section is 51 minutes with 34 questions (calculators are not
permitted)
May retest every 3 months – retesting without waiting 3 months will make new
score invalid.
Scores are valid for 2 years.
The test is given on a computer and you receive your results immediately.
You may test at other colleges/locations and have your scores sent to HGTC.
Time: Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Place: Bldg. 1000, Speir Building, Grand Strand Campus
Dates: Please check www.atitesting.com for test dates.

6. TEAS Test Prep Resources @ the HGTC Library
Books (Available for 3-week checkout)**
CN GS GT
Complete TEAS V! : Test of Essential Academic Skills study guide and practice
tests
1 1 1
McGraw-Hill's 5 TEAS practice tests 1
Reserves (Available for 3-hour, Library Use Only checkout)
Study Manual for the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) Version V 2 2 1
Study Manual for the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) : Reading,
mathematics, science and English and language usage
1
eBooks (Available for 3-week checkout)
Teas Crash Course Book (1 copy)
McGraw-Hill Education 5 Teas Practice Tests (1 copy)
**When all HGTC books are checked out, please use PASCAL Delivers (a state-wide
interlibrary loan service). When searching in the HGTC catalog, click the PASCAL icon
to check the combined catalog of SC colleges and universities for TEAS titles.
Learning Express Library (linked on the home page of the HGTC Library's website) is
another online resource with practice tests and study materials for nursing and
health science entrance exams in addition to the COMPASS exam. Both of these
alternatives are FREE.
Questions? http://libanswers.hgtc.edu/
Study Guides are also available for purchase in the bookstore, Barnes and Noble
and Amazon.

7. Required Online Departmental Information
Session
The PTA Faculty created this session to provide you
with information about clinicals, fees, jobs, and
everything else you need to know about working in
the field of Physical Therapy.
You will view pictures and see information about the
PTA Instructional facilities and state of the art
equipment you will train with at HGTC.
Learn what is expected of you as a student in the
PTA program as well as in the job field.
Have many of your questions answered.
The required online session may be viewed on the
Libguides page or www.hgtc.edu/healthscience.

8. Complete 20 hours of observations
PTA applicants are required to schedule and complete 20 hours
of observations in a PTA facility. Observation hours must be
completed in the three years prior to submitting your PTA
application.
Scheduling and completing the observations is the students
responsibility. A list of facilities is available in the “Forms you
will need” box on the Libguides page.
Observations may be completed at more than one facility – as
long as the combined hours equal at least 20 hours.
The observation form (provided in the “Forms” box as well)
must be signed by a licensed PT or PTA. Their contact
information and license number must be included.
The completed observation form should be submitted to the
Admissions office on any campus by the application deadline.
Please attach the form to your PTA application.

9. The scoring criteria in the next slide is used
to determine which applicants will be
accepted into the PTA program. The 32
students with the highest number of points
are accepted each year.
There is no minimum point requirement.
Acceptance depends on your points vs. the
points of the other applicants at that time.
Therefore admissible points may change each
review period.
Acceptance into the PTA program is limited
and competitive. There is no guarantee of
acceptance. Your grades are very important.
Even though the minimum GPA requirement
is 2.50 you should strive for a much higher
GPA.

10. Point Option A OR Point Option B
Composite TEAS Score of Points
Earned
Pre-requisite core courses GPA
(BIO210, BIO211, ENG101,
MAT110/120, PSY201, and
Humanities)
Points
Earned
98.8 – 100 15 3.91 – 4.00 13
96.4 – 98.7 14 3.81 – 3.90 12
94.0 – 96.3 13 3.71 – 3.80 11
91.6 – 93.9 12 3.61 – 3.70 10
89.2 – 91.5 11 3.51 – 3.60 9
86.8 – 89.1 10 3.41 – 3.50 8
84.4 – 86.7 9 3.31 – 3.40 7
82.0 – 84.3 8 3.21 – 3.30 6
79.6 – 81.9 7 3.11 – 3.20 5
77.2 – 79.5 6 3.01 – 3.10 4
74.8 – 77.1 5 2.91 – 3.00 3
72.4 – 74.7 4 2.81 – 2.90 2
70.0 – 72.3 3 2.75 – 2.80 1
Completed at least 8 credit hours
of the PTA prerequisite or co-
requisite courses with an overall
GPA of 2.5 or better (BIO210,
BIO211, ENG101, ENG102,
MAT110/120, PSY201, PSY203,
SPC205, and Humanities) from
HGTC or Coastal Carolina Univ.
(CCU)
2
Horry or Georgetown County
Resident (as established by the
College)
1 Horry or Georgetown County
Resident (as established by the
College)
1
Physical Therapist Assistant Admissions Scoring Criteria
A prospective PTA student may earn a total of 16 points for admission
through either point option A or B.

11. Be the Best Applicant You Can Be!
Applying with the highest number of points you can obtain is
important!!!
Consider these options to increase your points
Retake the TEAS - Your score is not high enough for points or you want to obtain more
points for your score? You can retake the TEAS– just be sure to wait three months in
between each time you take it.
Take 8 credit hours of your prerequisite/General Ed courses at HGTC or Coastal Carolina
University – this will give you 2 more points in Option B.
Apply for and obtain residency status – go to
http://www.hgtc.edu/admissions/residency.html for a residency application. Obtaining a
South Carolina driver’s license and car registration (if the car is in your name) are normally
an important part of this process. Read the application and instructions carefully.
Apply with the best grades possible! The grades in your prereq courses play a large part in
PTA acceptance for Option B. Have a C in MAT 120? Consider retaking it, or take MAT 110
(has a prereq of MAT 102) to achieve a higher grade. Achieving an A in either may increase
your GPA high enough to get another point on your application. Have a C in your
humanities? Why not try a different humanities course and strive for a higher grade to
increase your GPA and hopefully your points. You can use the calculator on the Libguides
page to see how much your GPA will increase by retaking a course, or taking a different
course in the same prereq category (such as math or humanities), and receiving a higher
grade. Always check with financial aid before retaking courses as it may affect your
Satisfactory Academic Progress if you retake too many or already have W’s, F’s or D’s in
other courses.

12. The following requirements must be completed AFTER initial
acceptance into the program.
The college will provide you with the instructions about when
and how to complete these requirements if you are notified of
acceptance. Please plan ahead to cover the costs of these items.
Failure to complete these requirements within the designated
time frame will prohibit your progression into the program.
• Submit a $500.00 deposit to reserve your seat. This is an out of pocket
expense – not covered by financial aid.
• Pass Certified Background Check and Drug Screening – cost to you is $112.00.
The return of an unfavorable CBS and/or UDS may result in a student being
removed from the desired program. Clinical sites/facilities determine
applicant’s eligibility to participate in clinical studies based on their policies. If
you complete the background check before being instructed to do so you will
have to redo it and pay the $112 again. The Background Check, drug
screening, and payment of $112 will be required each semester while in the
program.
• Complete a Health Physical and submit proof of required immunizations.
(Physical cost is your responsibility so plan ahead financially.)
• Show proof of current Health Care Providers CPR. You may take a class through
HGTC’s Workforce Development Department. Register at
www.hgtc.edu/jobtraining. This course costs approximately$69. You will also
purchase a book and a mask.

13. Other expenses for which you are responsible may include, but are not
limited to, the items listed here. Costs are approximate and may vary slightly.
Books $500 - $900.00
Board Preparation Fee and Practice Exit Exam $350
CPR Certification $40-$70
Physical $45-$100
PPD $25-$65
Influenza $20-$30
TDAP $50-$100
MMR Titer or Vaccines $50-$90 titer
$85-$100 vaccines
Hepatitis Vaccine $65-$150
Varicella Titer or Vaccine $40-$50 titer
$130-$200
Online General Hospital Orientation $10
Uniform & Name Tag $100.00
Background Check (CBC) and Drug Screening (UDS) $112 ($75 CBC and $37 UDS)
2nd, 3rd and 4th technical
semesters
Travel to Clinical Sites Varies
Student Membership in APTA $85.00
Student Liability Insurance (Per Year) $85.00
Trajecsys $150.00
National Physical Therapy Examination $400
Initial License Application Fee South Carolina $120
Prometric Testing Center Fee for National PT Exam $55.60

14. Physical Therapist Assistant is a 5 semester program (one semester of
prereqs and four semesters of Technical/Core) beginning each Fall
semester (August) on the Grand Strand Campus. Classes and clinicals
associated with this program are during the day. Once accepted you will
attend year round, including summer. Please plan ahead financially as
you may not receive financial aid for the summer.
First Semester (Fall) Second Semester (Spring)
PTH 270 Special Topics in Physical Therapy PTH 202 Physical Therapy Modalities
PSY 203 Human Growth and Development PTH 222 Pathology II
ENG 102 English Composition II PTH 234 Clinical Education I
PTH 101 Physical Therapy Professional Prep PTH 240 Therapeutic Exercise/Applications
PTH 205 Physical Therapy Functional Anatomy
PTH 221 Pathology I
SPC 205 Public Speaking
Third Semester (Summer) Fourth Semester (Fall)
PTH 228 Manual Therapy Techniques PTH 235 Interpersonal Dynamics
PTH 242 Orthopedic Management PTH 244 Rehabilitation
PTH 253 Clinical Practice II PTH 275 Advanced Professional Preparation
PTH 276 Physical Therapy Practicum II
If you have already completed the core courses such as PSY 203, SPC 205, etc.
you do not have to retake them in the program.
Clinicals will vary by semester but may require 1-2 days a week. Students may
have to travel up to a 50 mile radius to fulfill clinical requirements so
transportation and gas money must be available.

15. Thank you for completing the PTA
STEPS session.
HGTC reserves the right to change the
program admission requirements at any time.
You will be required to adhere to any changes
made at the time you submit your
application.
Please review and submit the checklist,
below the STEPS session on the Libguides
page, to receive credit for viewing this
required session.
Please include your H number (Student ID
number) when submitting the checklist.