Advisors:
Dr. Matthew Wilson PT, DPT
Program Director
mawilson@collegeofthedesert.edu
Accreditation:
Effective April 25, 2023, College of the Desert's Physical Therapist Assistant Program
has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation
in Physical Therapy Education (3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia
22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org). If needing to contact
the program/institution directly, please call 760-773-2578 or email PTAAdmissions@collegeofthedesert.edu.
Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.
Student Information
Welcome to your future in the Physical Therapy Profession. Below you will find information necessary to complete your provisional admission status. Please check this page frequently for updated information and dates. Once you have started your first physical therapist assistant course, you will no longer need to visit this page.
Completing these items will help you prepare for starting the PTA program. The PTA program is unlike any other courses you have taken. It is extremely rigorous and demanding. We believe that good quality preparation sets you up for success.
Provisional Admission Checklist
Please use the information below to guide you in the requirements for a successful start to the Physical Therapist Assistant program. This information is also listed below. Please note that no late submissions will be accepted. Any submissions not completed on time may result in forfeiture of your seat.
Confirmation of the student's desire to accept a seat in the Physical Therapist Assistant program is required. By emailing Dr. Wilson at mawilson@collegeofthedesert.edu
Activate and check your mycod email daily. This will be the only means of official communication from the department during the program. For those students without COD email, once you have obtained a "mycod" email account, please notify PTAAdmissions@collegeofthedesert.edu so we can update your records. It is imperative that we have the updated email address as soon as it is available.
The PTA program uses Evalue, onboarding software, to house required facility documents for clearance to begin clinicals. You will be required to attend one of the following trainings:
| Program | Date 1 | Date 2 |
| PTA Program |
Please use this form to order your Background Screening and/or drug screen. Please see the due dates below. The completion of these items must be within the dates given, not before, not after. Failure to complete them in the timeframe listed will result in forfeiture of your seat.
| Program | Background Check & Drug Screen |
| PTA Program | 09/05/22-09/09/2022 |
All students are required to upload the following documents into Evalue:
Please make an appointment to meet with them prior to the start of the semester. Call 760-776-7415.
Required uniforms for the program take approximately two-three months from order date to arrival. Students will come to campus to try on and order their uniforms. This must be done on either Tuesday 8/16 or Wednesday 8/17 from 8am-1pm in the Barker Nursing Complex (BNC) room 37.
All provisionally accepted students are required to attend all New Student Orientation (NSO). These have been planned to introduce students to the program, requirements, orientation to the department, and familiarity with policies and procedures. At NSO you will meet your instructors, fellow students, and get set up for success.
Dates: August 9, 10, 11
Times: 9am-2pm
Location: Pollock Theater, College of the Desert
Click here for a campus map.
Frequently Asked Questions when completing Onboarding documentation:
- What is "onboarding"? The process of being cleared by the hospitals and facilities in order to do clinical rotations as a part of your class. The process requires several lab tests, vaccinations, paperwork, background/drug screen, etc.
- Where will I submit all of this paperwork? Through Evalue, for information on evalue training, see above.
- Who do I contact if I have questions? Ms. Yamaguchi.
- What is a titer? Titers are labs that show whether or not you have immunity or antibodies to specific diseases. Titers will require you to have a lab order from your doctor and then get blood drawn.
- What if my titer results come back indicating I am not immune? If you are not fully immune to the diseases on the list, you will need a "booster" shot.
- Will proof of my vaccines from when I was a child work for onboarding? No. The only way you can prove clearance or immunity to a disease is through titers.
- When do I register for my classes? The PTA program will register you for all program courses.
- How do I make an appointment with the counselor? Call 760-776-7415 to make an appointment with the nursing counselor, or stop by the front desk in the Barker Nursing Complex.
Whether students require financial aid or not, please complete the FAFSA. Consideration for some scholarships will require FAFSA on record.
Start saving your money. The first semester will cost you approximately $2582. The remainder of the program will cost approximately $2287 over the remaining 2 semesters.
Our programs are very rigorous. You will want to get your personal and home life organizaed for maximum efficiency.
We highly recommend that you request a reduction of work hours once the program starts. We recommend, based on success statistics, you work no more than 12 hours per week. Additionally, night shifts are not permitted prior to any days of clinical.
