The Program

The two-year Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program at Pearl River Community College is located on the Hattiesburg Campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
Department of Accreditation
American Physical Therapy Association
1111 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Telephone: 703-708-3245
Website: www.apta.org/CAPTE

Those successfully completing the program graduate with an Associate in Applied Science Degree. Graduates are eligible to take the state licensing examination. A license is required by most states to practice as a PTA. PRCC PTA graduates enjoy being sought for employment immediately after graduation and the job market provides numerous job offers for every student.

The PTA Program was recognized as the 1997 Adult Vocational and Technical Education Program by the Mississippi Office of Vocational and Technical Education.

Hattiesburg is considered the Hub City because of its close proximity to New Orleans (110 miles south); Jackson Mississippi (the capital, located 95 miles north); Mobile, Alabama (100 miles to the southeast); and the Mississippi Riviera (the gulf coast, 65 miles south). Hattiesburg is also home to the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey College.

The PTA is an allied health professional employed in the practice settings as a physical therapist: hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, school systems, nursing homes, wellness centers, and other emerging practice settings.
The 1997 H.E.A.D.W.A.E. student honoree was a PTA Program sophomore. The Pearl River Community College PTA Program graduates have 100% job placement.

The Faculty

Patti Crowson, PT, MS, Chair of the Physical Assistant Program, Technical Instructor in the PTA Program; University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Karinna Lee, PT, MS, Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, Technical Instructor in the PTA Program; University of Mississippi Medical Center.