A.T. Still University of Health Sciences

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is the healthcare training which concentrates on easing of motion malfunctions because of physical incapacity, body organs not functioning well, ache from an injury, sickness and other situations. The Doctor of Physical Therapy degree gives the holder the opportunity to put their knowledge to work in a number of different ways: offering clinical services through referral or direct access, administering and managing practice settings, research participation, and consultation and educational work, to name a few.

At the Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) in ATSU, students may pursue an entry-level doctoral program that lasts for 3 years. The small class sizes make it easy for the professors and staff to work hand in hand with the students to assist them in building the proficient behaviors and abilities needed to resolve clinical questions and for giving the best care to the patient. In order to graduate successfully from the Physical Therapy Residential Program, students will need to have completed their didactic and clinical coursework, as well as their terminal project. After graduating students get a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree. Most of time students taking courses in physical therapy will hold basic classes as well as attend clinical training in the campus located in Phoenix's greater metropolitan area. This clinical training is completed in healthcare facilities throughout different parts of Arizona and selected sites outside Arizona.

Healthcare professionals enabling patients to regain independent movement and other bodily functions through direct intervention, consultation and management of human exercises are called physical therapists. Physical therapy deals with the honing of human skills in the field of treating and examination of the human body so that the skilled professional can manage, assist, comfort and correct physical disability, movement dysfunction and the corresponding pain caused by traumatic injury or disease, as well as other physical and mental malfunctions.

For those who do not have a degree in physical therapy, the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program is an ideal choice. This three-year program is offered in Mesa, Arizona, and is a full-time attendance education which also includes supervised clinical internships. Both academics and clinical practice are emphasized in our courses. No more than 54 to 60 students are permitted to enroll in each class. The small class size allows students to get maximum supervision and guidance from faculty and staff in order that the students can imbibe the proper values and problem-solving skills needed in providing the best patient care.

Physician Assistant

With the supervision of a physician, it is possible for Physician assistants to work as licensed health care professionals to practice medicine. Physician assistants provide common services which enable them to collect medical histories and perform physical examinations, counseling of patients, placing of orders, proper interpretation of laboratory tests and surgery assistance. As a result of their close professional relationships with physicians, Physician Assistants must be educated according to the medical model designed to supplement and parallel physician training. Physician assistants become certified after graduation by taking a national examination administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants in conjunction with the National Board of Medical Examiners. Completing 100 hours of continuing medical education courses every two years and passing a re-certification test every six years are two key requirements to maintain one's national certification as a physician assistant. State licensure requires graduation from an accredited Physician Assistant program, as well as NCCPA Certification.

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Physician Assistant Studies at the ATSU's Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) is a program designed to be entry-level and lasting for two years and two months. Another track available through ASHS is a Native American physician's assistant (PA) program. This program is demanding, requiring both full-time attendance and participation in supervised clinical rotations. Stress is placed on a powerful theoretical basis as well as actual observation/exercise when the program of instruction is conceived. The faculty to student ratio permits faculty and staff to work closely with students, therefore aiding them to develop professional attitudes and clinical problem-solving skills that are essential for the best patient care. In order to successfully graduate from the Physician Assistant program, students must successfully complete their didactic and clinical coursework, as well as complete a master's-level project.

The Physician Assistant Program is an 26 month entry course of study that earns the student a Master of Science degree upon successful graduation from the program. Students build a solid academic foundation that will serve them when they eventually work in clinical practice during the first 14 months of the program. The staff and faculty will work side by side with the students and help them develop their skills and attributes that will allow them to provide optimal patient care.

Students are required to attend clinical rotations during the period of clinical part of the program in several different fields of medicine. Students have the privilege of being supervised by clinical preceptors, and will be able to advance their academic clinical knowledge through hands-on treatment of patients, as well as exposure to the expertise of a wide variety of health care professionals.

In order to graduate from ASHS PA program, you have to formulate a project that is your crowning achievement, in cooperation with the professors. The project design enables students to express their keen discernment, mindful independence and logical thinking The Native American Physician Assistant (NAPA) Track is designed to open up a career as a physician assistant to more students of American Indian/Alaskan Native/ Native Hawaiian origin.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy involves the application of occupation-purposeful activities or interventions in order to ensure continued health and increase high-functioning outcomes. To restore functionality in a patient means to enable her or him to improve or regain a high degree of independence even as she or he is limited by the result of traumatic injury, brain impairment, psychological or mental disease, a congenital learning disability or challenging environmental condition. Occupational Therapists will be required to function in a cooperative environment alongside other health care professionals as part of a team.

Arizona School of Health Sciences' Occupational Therapy Entry Level Program is designed around a 28-month curriculum. Successful program graduates will have the opportunity to take the national certification tests for occupational therapists under the supervision of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Once this exam has been successfully completed, the student will officially be an Occupational Therapist or Registered (OTR). Additionally, most states and provinces require licensure to allow you to practice; such state licenses are normally based upon placement on the NBCOT Certification Examination.

A holistic philosophy under grids the Occupational Therapy Program: it considers the entire human system -- body, mind and spirit -- in its healthcare training. The Occupational Therapy Program's mission is to get the future clinicians ready to meet the changing healthcare delivery settings. Through base classes in a set of courses, learners in the Occupational Therapy Program gain the opportunity to lean about other callings and cooperate with students from the Arizona School of Health Sciences' Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Audiology, and Athletics Training programs.

The convergence of healthcare science professions attests to the interdisciplinary quality of education offered on campus and is also an acknowledgment of its importance in the success of the health care delivery systems even in vastly different contexts. The Occupational Therapy program gives a tough basis of crucial study dedicated to the pursuit, teaching and direction of healthcare. The Occupational Therapy Program remains committed to the integration of technological, institutional processes with conventional occupational therapy treatment.