Physical Therapy

This course is designed to present entry level information regarding management of the patient with an upper or lower extremity amputation. The course will be co-taught by the primary instructor and a local prosthetist, each bringing a different perspective and area of expertise to the class. Students will learn about pre-prosthetic management, prosthetic prescription, various prosthetic components, and about therapeutic skills to use when working with a patient who has had an amputation. A multi-disciplinary approach will be emphasized throughout the course.

This course will provide the PT clinical doctoral learner with the tools needed to interpret and apply specialized medical imaging information to the rehabilitation patient. Musculoskeletal imaging is emphasized. A basic introduction of imaging techniques for other physiological systems (CNS, Heart, lung, vascular tree) will also be incorporated (Doppler ultrasound, V/Q scan, echocardiography, radioisotope testing, etc.). This course strengthens physical therapist clinical expertise in comprehensive patient evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning, and physician interaction

This is a seminar course in which the management of variety of actual cases is discussed in small groups. Students will each present both a written and an oral case study, based on a real patient they treated during Clin Ed II. The overall management of the patient, from initial examination to discharge from PT services, as well as follow-up care will be discussed. Discussion will focus on the strengths of the patient management provided, as well as areas that could have been improved. Evidence-based practice, and reflective practice are emphasized.

This course builds on the knowledge base and the assessment and treatment skills that students developed during their first two years in the professional phase of the DPT. The course will allow students to investigate the role of exercise as a treatment strategy across various conditions and disease states, and across the lifespan. The focus of the course will be mastery of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities as set forth by the American College of Sports Medicine in their guidelines and position stands for exercise in various populations. These include, but are not limited to, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Children, Older Adults, Pregnancy, Obesity, and Diabetes. Students will participate in lectures as well as observational experiences in wellness and/or medical settings to further enhance the skills needed to assess and treat complex patients with multi-system involvement. Students will also be responsible for a semester project in which they will be challenged to defend patient interventions using evidence from current literature.

The Individualized Physical Therapy Remediation is a variably-credit course. In this course, an individual student and a designated faculty member, or members, study subject matter as part of an individualized remediation plan for learning content that was incompletely learned in prior PT courses. The Individualized Physical Therapy Remediation course is available to DPT professional-phase students only with the written recommendation of the Physical Therapy Academic Review Committee.

This is the final eight-week full-time clinical experience, scheduled during the spring semester of the final professional year. This course is designed to provide the student with competency in the entry level skills of managing patients with simple to complex musculoskeletal dysfunction, neurological dysfunction, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, integumentary problems, or complex medical conditions, as well as entry level skills in the administrative functions of the physical therapist.