ASHDOWN, ARKANSAS - The University of Arkansas Cossatot Physical Therapist Assistant Program requested reconsideration following a previous adverse decision.
The Reconsideration Hearing was held at APTA Headquarters on Thursday, April 26, 2018. The action taken was to reverse the previous decision and to GRANT CANDIDATE FOR ACCREDITATION, effective May 2, 2018.
It is the intention of the University of Arkansas Cossatot to immediately open the online application for the PTA Program. The deadline for applications is May 30, 2018. The program will be housed on the Ashdown campus.
UA Cossatot Chancellor Steve Cole said, “This has been a two-year process and we cannot thank UA Cossatot PTA program staff, Jennifer Sanderson and Heather Orr; Medical Education Division Chair Kim Dickerson; and Vice Chancellor of Academics Ashley Aylett enough for their tremendous amount of personal time and dedication to this project.”
Questions regarding the application process, criteria, and/or application materials may be made directly to program faculty. The program webpage at www.cccua.edu/programs-of-study/medical-education reflects the most up-to-date information regarding the program, prerequisites, admission criteria and process, and program faculty contact information.
Candidate for Accreditation Status
Effective May 2, 2018, UA Cossatot has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org). If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 870-584-1497 or email jsanderson@cccua.edu.
Candidate for Accreditation is a pre-accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program is progressing toward accreditation and may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Candidate for Accreditation is not an accreditation status nor does it assure eventual accreditation.
Implications of August Graduation
The developing physical therapist assistant program at UA Cossatot is planning for a charter class graduation in August 2019. Initial accreditation decisions are acted upon at the next regularly scheduled Fall Meeting of the Commission following the on-site visit, which must occur during the penultimate term when the charter class is enrolled. CAPTE will not make exceptions to its Rules to accommodate graduation dates that precede regularly scheduled CAPTE meeting dates, e.g. graduation in the summer. A summer graduation does not allow the initial accreditation decision to occur prior to the graduation date. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) sets the dates for licensing exams. The first sitting for which students with an August graduation would be in January. Therefore, the timing of the planned graduation date would be in increases the likelihood of a significant financial disadvantage for students due to an approximate six-month delay in possible employment as a physical therapist assistant.