Clinical Â鶹¹û¶³
Physical Therapy
- The DPT program immerses students in the clinic early in the program, allowing students to apply knowledge and skills in real-life environments.
- The clinical education philosophy of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program at Â鶹¹û¶³ is founded on the belief that clinical education allows the student the best opportunity to integrate didactic knowledge and skills necessary to practice as a competent physical therapist within diverse clinical environments.
As a requirement for graduation, students must successfully complete:
- Integrated clinical experiences in outpatient clinical settings during the Fall and Spring semesters of year one
- A 12 week full-time clinical experience with an emphasis on the rehabilitation of patients with musculoskeletal conditions across the lifespan after the completion of the 1st year of study
- Integrated clinical experiences in varied clinical settings during Fall semester of year two
- Two terminal full-time clinical experiences for a total of 24 weeks with an emphasis on the rehabilitation of patients with varied conditions across the lifespan after the completion of the 2nd year of study.
Clinical education experiences will serve to develop competent DPT students who:
- Apply behaviors consistent with the American Physical Therapy Association Code of Ethics and American Physical Therapy Association Core Values;
- Demonstrate effective communication during clinical and professional interactions and adapt communication styles based on individual differences;
- Practice in a safe manner that minimizes risk to patient/client, self, and all others;
- Demonstrate cultural competence and recognize psychosocial factors that may impact clinical and interprofessional interactions;
- Execute initiative; implement constructive feedback; contribute to a positive work environment, and utilize appropriate resources for problem-solving during clinical interactions;
- Apply evidence-based examination and evaluation techniques for patients including but not limited to history taking, systems review, differential diagnosis, and recognizing contraindications for further tests and measures;
- Determine appropriate diagnosis, prognosis, plans of care, and discharge criteria for patients with regular outcomes assessment;
- Apply and modify evidence-based intervention strategies and educational approaches based on patient response.