Physical Therapy

A seminar based non-credit course to introduce pre-professional students to the curriculum and profession of Physical Therapy.

An eight week full-time basic physical therapy skills affiliation scheduled in the summer following the first professional year. Designed to provide the learner with competency in the beginning clinical skills of client-therapist interactions, case history development, simple musculoskeletal and functional assessments, application of simple treatment techniques and modalities, participation in the planning and design of treatment program, and basic to intermediate skills in the orthopedic management of peripheral joint dysfunction.

A comprehensive study of human movement with an emphasis on biomechanical and kinesiological concepts of normal and pathological movement of each body region. The course will include lecture and laboratory components that will integrate fundamental mechanical and kinesiological principles in the analysis of joint motion throughout the body. The course builds on anatomical knowledge to give students an in-depth appreciation of how normal and abnormal structure of the body influence movement.

This course is designed to introduce students to the assessment and treatment techniques integral to the practice of physical therapy. This course is the first of a three-part series designed to teach the appropriate selection and use of devices and techniques that all physical therapists should be capable of using. The aim of this course is for the student to safely apply the skills learned in this course to patients during the first clinical education placement at the end of year four. This course is divided into two parts. Part One is devoted to learning proper body mechanics, safety procedures, patient approach, and therapeutic massage techniques. Part Two is devoted to goniometry, manual muscle testing, quadrant scanning, and therapeutic exercise of the trunk and extremities.

This course is designed to introduce the students to the scientific and clinical principles involved in the use of physical agents (modalities) in patient assessment and treatment. The course focuses on thermal, light, sound, electrophysiological, and mechanical agents used by physical therapists to treat patients, and explores the physics, physiology, and clinical aspects of commonly used modalities. The lab part of the course is designed to introduce the students to the use of therapeutic modalities in patient treatment and to allow them to practice application of modalities introduced in lecture. The aim of this course is for the student to understand the indications and contraindications of thermal, sound, and mechanical modalities and to acquire the skills to be able to safely apply them to patients during the first clinical placement.

This course, the first in a two-course sequence, presents the relationship of structure and function to the development of movement skills across the entire life span. Normal physical development and normal movement of an individual is described from the time of conception through old age with emphasis on children under five years and adults over sixty-five years. Students will be introduced to movement disorders that are characteristic of specific age stages. This course is taught from a life span perspective in which social, psychological, and physical factors all interact to influence function.

The purpose of this three-credit experiential course is to guide the student in the attainment of attitudes, behaviors, and values appropriate to a healthcare practitioner. Through an examination of physical therapy as a profession, students will identify the changing and emerging roles of the physical therapist in the current healthcare environment. Students will be introduced to professional ethics, practice expectations, laws and regulations that define and limit the scope of physical therapy practice. Effective verbal and written communication skills will be emphasized, using issues relevant to physical therapy as vehicles for the practice of communication skills.

This course will give students a basic understanding of the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates underlying human perception, movement, cognition and language. The course will pay particular attention to the sensory and motor systems that contribute to the control of posture and movement. Both normal and pathological functioning of the nervous system will be discussed. Common dysfunctions of the neuromuscular system will be addressed through lectures, student literature reviews, and classroom discussion. Students will be required to review recent neuroscience research investigating commonly encountered neural pathologies. Clinical illustrations will be discussed throughout the course. This discussion will include etiology, pathology and therapeutic and pharmacological treatment options where applicable. The course will enable students to apply neuroanatomical knowledge in analyzing a collection of patient signs and symptoms to determine the location and type of CNS lesion.

This course provides students with an overview of the examination and treatment of the adult client with a neurological lesion. It presents the philosophies underlying the major treatment approaches, and discusses strengths as well as limitations of these philosophies. The course focuses on the patient who has had a cerebrovascular accident, however the principles presented in this course can be applied to patients with a variety of neurological lesions. A hypothesis-based approach to development of an intervention strategy will be presented and emphasized. Laboratory sessions focus on hands-on management techniques for the patients with neurological deficits. Students will be required to read and critically analyze primary literature related to neurological rehabilitation.

This course, the second in a two-course sequence, explores the impact of chronic disorders on growth, development, movement and aging. Students will use information describing the typically-development and typically aging individual to determine the changes in structure, function and movement expected from a specific pathology. This course is taught from a life-span perspective in which social, psychological, and physical factors all interact to impact function.