As part of the institution's continued mission as the region's primary health care training provider, Dixie State College of Utah received approval from the Utah State Board of Regents last Friday to offer a new physical therapist assistant associate of applied science degree program. Classwork for the degree program will begin at the start of the 2009 fall semester.
The new physical therapist assistant (PTA) program, which has been the making for the past four years, will be housed in DSC's new Russell C. Taylor Health Science Center, with classroom space and lab equipment to simulate a physical therapy clinic. The PTA program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills work alongside a physical therapist and perform hands-on physical therapy care. Graduates of the program will be qualified to work with pediatric to geriatric-age patients, sports injuries, exercise programs, hydrotherapy and electrical therapy, among others.
According to program coordinator Rand Edwards, the curricular requirements for the program included prerequisites such as human anatomy and physiology, and English composition. Edwards added that the PTA program will be a "limited-entry program," in which students will apply and be selected based on GPA and other criteria yet to be established. He noted that the program will accept approximately 16 students per year.
Edwards says the PTA program is applying for accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education, a process that takes three years to complete. He went on to say that according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, rates of PTA job growth are "must faster than average," with the national median wage listed at $44,000 a year.
For more information on DSC's new PTA program, please contact program coordinator Rand Edwards at 435-879-4861 or at redwards@dixie.edu.
Dixie State College currently offers an array of health sciences programs, including baccalaureate programs in nursing and dental hygiene, along associate and certificate programs in nursing, dental hygiene, emergency care and rescue (EMT/Paramedic), medical radiography, respiratory therapy, surgical technology and phlebotomy. For a complete listing of DSC's health sciences programs, visit www.dixie.edu.
DSC moved its entire allied health sciences program into the newly-built Russell C. Taylor Health Science Center, which will be located on the Dixie Regional Medical Centeršs River Road Campus. Classwork began in the new 78,000-square foot, three-story facility last month with the start of the Fall 2008 semester.
In 2000, Dixie State College was granted license to begin offering bacheloršs degrees in high demand areas, which initially included business administration and computer & information technology. In 2005, the Board of Regents approved a change in mission for Dixie State College, allowing the college to begin offering bacheloršs degrees in "core" or "foundational"
areas consistent with four-year colleges.
Several other degrees have since followed, including elementary education (2002), nursing (2004), communication & new media (2005), English (2006), biology (2006), dental hygiene (2007), accounting (2007) communication (replacing communication & new media; 2007) and aviation management (2007).
Earlier this year, DSC received approval by the Regents to offer a new integrated studies baccalaureate degree.
The integrated studies program consists of common core and select concentrations in nine of disciplines, including business, communication, computer and information technology, English, biology, mathematical sciences, psychology, fine arts and Spanish.
In addition, DSC was given the green light by the Regents to offer a secondary education teaching (SET) licensure program this past December in three emphases; biology, English education and integrated science. Class work for those programs will begin at the start of the 2008 fall semester next August.
Dixie State College will continue to function as a comprehensive community college as well, offering associate degree and certificate programs to its students. Along with the new respiratory therapy and PTA programs, DSC recently received approval for an early childhood education associate degree program, which has three tracks, including an associate of science (AS) and associate of arts (AA), which are transferable degrees and could serve as a prerequisite for a student to enter a baccalaureate program in elementary education or early childhood development. The third track for the early childhood education degree is an associate of applied science (AAS) track, a two-year terminal working degree with a vocational track. The AAS degree aims to provide students with the skills needed to work in child care services and other care programs.
The overall strategic goal for Dixie State College is to offer core and high demand educational opportunities at both the associate and baccalaureate levels that are consistent with and responsive to the needs of the community. Future programs for Dixie State College will likely center in three primary strategic clusters, which include business & technology, health care & public safety, and education.
