California is home to over 10 physical therapy assistant schools spread out throughout the state.

With a focus on health and well-being through its "Move California" movement, many California cities and towns tend to be active communities.

With activity comes unfortunate, but inevitable injury and the need for physical therapy.

California PTA Schools to Consider

In the north section of the state, you will find Sacramento City College's PTA program, accredited by the CAPTE. The program tends to enroll around 30 students per year, and includes a curriculum of base PTA theory, knowledge of the human body, kinesiology, and data collection and analysis.

College of the Sequoas has a physical therapy assistant program that has an 80% pass rate on the national NPTE/PTA exam, and focuses on employment upon graduation.

Carrington College in Pleasant Hill, CA has a PTA program that has an outcome of an Associates of Applied Science, and also prepares students for the national exam as well as licensure in the state of CA.

As with most PTAs, be expected to work in a variety of different settings. Hospitals, private outpatient therapy practices, skilled nursing facilities, specialty settings, and in home health visitations are common.

PTA Licensing in California

    CA PT & PTA Licensing Requirements:

  • Minimum of 30 units in technical training
  • 15 units of general education courses
  • 36 months of work experience under the direct supervision of a physical therapist licensed by the Board. (18 months of the work experience must be in an acute care facility)

The state of California does require all physical therapy assistants to be licensed by the state (see licensing requirements to the right).

Thus, PTAs are required to have completed an accredited physical therapy assistant program in addition to passing the national physical therapy exam.

Most programs curriculum prepares you for the exam - make sure to do your homework and talk with as many programs as possible to make sure you will be prepared.

Below are listings of all the schools we could find that offer physical therapy assisting (or related) programs. Simply browse the listings and click on one of the buttons to get more information about the specific program to see if it's right for you. We recommend requesting info from 3-5 schools to weigh all of your options.

Salary Comparison for PTAs in California

Below is a comparison from CareerOneStop.org, US Department of Labor, comparing salaries at high, median, and lower salary levels of physical therapy assistants in California to the rest of the country.

Source: CareerOneStop.org, US Department of Labor