Timeline for a Physical Therapy Assistant by Hayden Petroskey

Major in Kinesiology

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:18:36 UTC

I chose to major in kinesiology at Miami University. I have wanted to be a Physical therapist assistant since I started sports in middle school. This is a great first step to becoming a physical therapy assistant.

Join clubs or organizations to learn and engage more in the major at your university

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:23:59 UTC

At Miami University there are many clubs you can join when majoring in kinesiology. Some of these clubs are the anatomy and physiology club, the exercise is medicine club, the pre-physical and occupational therapy club, and the pre-physician assistant club.

Join professional organizations outside of your university

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:30:02 UTC

There are many professional organizations that you can join to gain knowledge about the career such as the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Kinesiology Association, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. These can be beneficial for networking and career development.

Use career counseling for figuring out the career path you want to be on

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:33:17 UTC

Miami University's department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health offers counseling for kinesiology majors to decide and look for career paths.

Finding internships to gain experience

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:36:31 UTC

For kinesiology majors, you can find internships within hospitals, fitness centers, sports organizations, and research labs near you.

You will need to graduate with the right degree

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:38:42 UTC

I plan to graduate with a bachelors degree in kinesiology.

Getting listened as a PTA

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:42:53 UTC

After obtaining a degree in kinesiology, to become a PTA you will need to take the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) and receive a 600 or higher to get your license to practice.

Getting listened in the State you want to practice in

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:45:55 UTC

After receiving your license from the NPTE, you then must obtain a license for the particular state you want to work in to be able to practice in that state.

Entry level jobs

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:51:56 UTC

You then will try to find an entry level job which can be working in a out-patient clinic, depending on what side of PTA you want to work in.

Gain credit hours

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 14:58:25 UTC

While majoring in Kinesiology, you need to obtain the correct amount of credit hours and looking into internships or ways to gain experience will help a lot when applying for entry level jobs by having more experience.

Decide what field you would like to go into after college

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 15:04:08 UTC

I would like to become a PTA and can talk about what I can specialize in within that career with a counselor on campus.

Career

petrosh1 — 2025-05-01 15:06:46 UTC

Once gaining more experience with an entry level job, look into more jobs that offer more opportunities to gain a better salary and become more focused in the side of PTA you would want to work in.