Washtenaw Community College
Physical Therapist Assistant (APPTA)
Fall 2021 Entry (2021-22 Academic Year)
ABILITIES STATEMENT
Rev. 8/31/20 Health and 2
nd
Tier Admissions Office · Washtenaw Community College · 4800 East Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: (734) 973-3596 or (734) 477-8998 · Fax: (734) 677-5408 · Email: healthadmissions@wccnet.edu · www.wccnet.edu
A
dmission into the Physical Therapist Assistant program is contingent upon students declaring that they have specific physical
and cognitive abilities. These requirements are detailed below. WCC reserves the right to request that students successfully
demonstrate the specific cognitive and physical abilities related to the PTA program.
Ab
ilities Necessary for Attainment of Competencies in the PTA Program
The student MUST be able to:
1. Speak clearly in order to verbally communicate with patients, families, health care team members, peers, and faculty.
2. Stand and walk for six (6) to ten (10) hour per day.
3. Bend, squat, kneel, and climb stairs.
4. Possess sufficient strength to push/pull objects more than 50 pounds and to transfer objects of more than 100 pounds.
5. Perform CPR, i.e. move above patient to compress chest and manually ventilate patient.
6. Work with arms fully extended overhead.
7. Possess manual dexterity, i.e. use hands for grasping, pushing, pulling, and other fine motor manipulation, including
legible writing and typing.
8. Demonstrate eye-hand coordination and arm-hand steadiness for manipulation of equipment, i.e. goniometers.
9. Possess tactile ability to differentiate changes in sensation as part of the patient assessment.
10. Possess auditory acuity to note slight changes in the patient’s condition, i.e. lung sounds, vital signs, etc.
11. Possess auditory acuity to hear patient’s calls for assistance without facing the patient.
12. Possess auditory acuity to interpret various equipment signals and alarms and use the telephone.
13. Possess visual acuity to read and distinguish colors, to read handwritten orders and other handwritten or printed patient
data, i.e. medical records, equipment instructions.
14. Possess visual acuity to clearly see and read electronic monitors and scales in order to correctly interpret data.
15. Concentrate on details with moderate amount of interruptions and background noises, such as patient requests, IV
pumps/alarms, etc.
16. Attend to tasks/functions for periods up to 60 minutes in length and to attend to tasks/functions for periods exceeding 60
m
inutes in length.
17. Possess sufficient emotional control to exercise independent judgment and discretion to ensure patient safety.
18. Understand and relate to specific ideas, concepts, and theories generated and simultaneously discussed.
19. Possess ability to read and understand written and spoken English for effective verbal and written communication with
patients, family members, and health care providers.
20. Remember tasks and assignments given to self and others over both short and long periods of time.
I
HAVE READ THESE STATEMENTS AND BELIEVE I MEET THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS.
P
rinted Name: ___________________________________________________ Student ID: _______________________
*Signature: ______________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________
*An electronic signature will be recognized ONLY IF this document is submitted directly from the students WCC email address.
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