The Physical Therapist Assistant program is a six-quarter, full-time, daytime program with both morning and afternoon courses held Monday–Friday at the Kirkland Campus. Admission to the PTA program is selective and requires a special application for admission. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) and to apply for state licensure as a PTA. Licensure is required in the state of Washington.
The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program supports the mission of Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech), which is "to prepare students for today's careers and tomorrow's opportunities."
The mission of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Physical Therapist Assistant program is to prepare students to enter the healthcare workforce as entry-level physical therapist assistants who are competent to assist the physical therapist in the provision of safe, ethical and effective physical therapy. The program aims to provide students with high quality didactic and clinical education in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills of physical therapy as well as tools for lifelong learning to maintain industry competitiveness.
The Lake Washington Institute of Technology Physical Therapist Assistant program believes the function of the physical therapist assistant is to assist the physical therapist in the provision of safe and effective physical therapy to help people restore and improve motion for greater quality of life. It is the philosophy of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at LWTech to foster the acquisition of physical therapist assistant skills in a safe learning environment that supports communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, and to promote culturally sensitive, ethical, and compassionate care in the physical therapy workplace.
Graduates of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Physical Therapist Assistant program will possess the skills necessary to perform safe, effective, and ethical entry-level physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist.
Graduates of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Physical Therapist Assistant program will be prepared to obtain an entry-level position as a physical therapist assistant.
Graduates of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Physical Therapist Assistant program will be prepared to engage in lifelong learning and career development as a physical therapist assistant in order to maintain industry competitiveness.
The LWTech PTA program will provide students with a curriculum consistent with the current contemporary practice of physical therapy, the current guidelines of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Minimum Required Skills of Physical Therapist Assistant Graduates at Entry-Level.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology Physical Therapist Assistant program faculty
will promote and model the importance of lifelong learning and career development
through the identification and completion of relevant professional development activities.
Physical Therapist Assistant program admissions prerequisites are listed in the additional application information below.
If you have not already taken classes at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, you must fill out the online admissions application to receive a Student ID number and an LWTech issued email address. You will not be able to fill out the application without completing this step.
As of June 2, 2022: For the rolling admissions 2022 Summer quarter cycle, applications which are otherwise complete but have BIOL&241 in progress during summer quarter will be reviewed and may be considered for provisional admission pending successful completion of BIOL&241 and a complete, qualified application on all other requirements.
August 1, 2022
Due to space availability, the program will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis until the cohort fills up or August 1, 2022 (whichever comes first).
2022 Fall Quarter
Physical Therapist Assistant AAS Online Application PTACAS
The LWTech Physical Therapist Assistant Program 2021-2022 admissions cycle application
is provided by the Physical Therapist Assistant Centralized Application Service (PTA-CAS) offered by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
Students interested in pursuing pre-requisites to the Physical Therapist Assistant program are highly encouraged to schedule a one-on-one advising appointment with a Student Success Navigator. Please review the Additional Application Information (above) before attending a meeting and come prepared with any transcripts or placement scores for planning purposes.
Information sessions provide an overview of the selection process and admission application requirements. The Zoom link will be utilized for both information sessions.
TBA
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call (425) 739-8381 or email selective.admission@lwtech.edu.
To be eligible for employment, graduates must also take and pass the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE).
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology welcomes comments, suggestions, ideas, and constructive criticism from individuals in the community who do not have a formal affiliation with LWTech or the PTA program.
The PTA Program Director will respond to all comments within seven (7) working days (M-F excluding holidays) to further discuss and resolve the issue. If satisfactory resolution is not or cannot be reached, appeal may be made to the Dean of Allied Health within seven (7) working days (M-F excluding holidays). Again, if satisfactory resolution is not or cannot be reached, appeal may be made to the Office of the Vice President of Instruction within seven (7) working days (M-F excluding holidays). The decision of the Vice President of Instruction will be final and not subject to further appeal. Neither the Dean nor the Vice President of Instruction will become involved until all attempts to resolve the issue with the Program Director have been exhausted, unless the comment is directly related to the performance of the Program Director.
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Avg. WA State Salary $61,526/yr |
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People Employed in WA 1,579 |
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Avg. Wage in King County $30.88/hr |
To be eligible for employment, graduates must also take and pass the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE).
“It is a very small class to you really get a lot of interaction with instructors. The campus is in a good location where there are no parking fees or worries about safety. Being a technical college it had a different feel than a university or community college in the sense that I didn't feel like I was just taking random classes with random people, it was very intentional with the set-up of classes and staying with the same students while moving through the courses."
- Hannah
Physical Therapist Assistant Student
“I chose LWTech PTA program because although it is a farther commute than a PTA program that is ten minutes from where I live, I knew that I would receive quality training, a better teacher-to-student ratio, at a much more affordable price.”
- Amanda
Physical Therapist Assistant Student
Business Hours
Mon-Fri, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Campus Hours
Mon-Thurs, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday, Closed to the public
Sat-Sun, Closed