PTA Program Requirements

Health Requirements

Students in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program participate in three six-week full‑time clinical experiences in a variety of healthcare settings. Because these settings involve direct patient care, students must meet health, safety and compliance requirements before beginning any clinical placement. The student assumes the cost for completion of all health requirements.

Clinical partners may have additional health or onboarding requirements. If a clinical site requests further documentation, screenings, or action steps, students are responsible for completing those requirements prior to starting the rotation.

Current program health requirements include:

  1. A physical examination conducted by a licensed healthcare provider. The examination must confirm that the student is physically and cognitively fit for duty, free from communicable disease and can safely participate in direct patient care activities.
  2. Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification from the American Heart Association (AHA).
  3. FBI and BCI background checks.
  4. Providing documentation of required immunizations, immunity (titers) and other health screenings. Clinical partners may have additional health or onboarding requirements. If a clinical site requests additional documentation, screenings, or action steps, students are responsible for completing them before starting the rotation.

View Selective Health Requirements

Licensure Examination

Students who successfully complete the program are eligible to sit for the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy’s (FSBPT) National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). The NPTE is the licensure exam for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.

After passing the NPTE, the individual must obtain state licensure to practice, which may require additional steps. State of Ohio licensure is required to practice physical therapy and bill for services in the State of Ohio. Students are responsible for inquiring about national and state licensing requirements before enrolling in the program.

Background Check Requirements

In addition to program health requirements, background checks by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI & I) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are required for licensure.

The student assumes the cost of the background checks. Final licensure eligibility based on an individual’s background is determined on a case-by-case basis during the licensure application process.

For more information regarding background checks: