CSI Physical Therapy Assistant Program Gains Accreditation

TWIN FALLS, Id. ( KMVT/KSVT ) The physical therapy assistant program at the College of Southern Idaho came close to not being accredited, nearly leaving ten students without a degree after two years of school.

Now, the program has accreditation. Whenever a school tries to implement a new program, accreditation cannot happen until there are students and teachers in the program.  Accreditation is based on the outcome of students taking classes for a degree that has not been approved for accreditation.

"It's kind of a catch 22,” said Doug Maughan, public information officer at CSI. “You need the accreditation. but you can't get it until you start teaching, and so everybody has to take that on faith at the outset and have that faith through the program that the accreditation will be there."

The program was withheld, and an emergency accreditation meeting was conducted. Now the program is under probationary accreditation for the next three years, which was the best possible outcome.