Physical Therapy, D.P.T.

The College of Health and Human Services   professional doctoral degree in Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) is designed for the student who has completed a bachelor’s degree in any major and specific prerequisite course work. The curriculum employs a systems approach, with emphasis on the musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary systems. The specific responsibilities of patient screening, examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, plan of care, interventions, and outcomes assessment in physical therapy practice are related to the whole person. The curriculum integrates educational experiences in the classroom, laboratory, community, and clinical settings. 

The purpose of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program is to prepare students to be entry-level physical therapists practitioners who base decisions on scientific and clinical evidence for their roles as clinicians, leaders, advocates, and teachers. Within the broadening scope and increasing autonomy of physical therapy practice, graduates of the program will be prepared to become leaders in the community, profession, and healthcare who will advocate for patients and influence health policy. 

Program Objectives 

At the conclusion of the DPT program, the student will be able to: 

• Provide quality patient-centered health care grounded in legal and professional standards and ethical principles. 

• Incorporate sound clinical reasoning and problem solving to deliver safe, high-quality patient/client management consistent with current best practice to a diverse population across the lifespan in a variety of settings. 

• Practice with cultural humility and social responsibility consistent with the professional core values of the American Physical Therapy Association  (APTA). 

• Maximize delivery of care through competent decision making within inter and intra professional collaboration, consultation, and referral to others to optimize patient outcomes. 

• Pursue life-long learning for professional development. 

In professional interactions: 

• exhibit moral, ethical, and legal behavior; 

• display sensitivity to individual differences and values; 

• communicate appropriately; 

• apply effective leadership skills; 

• implement effective administrative and consultative behaviors; and 

• effectively use contemporary technology. 

• use effective teaching skills that are culturally appropriate and meet the needs of the learner. 

Accreditation 

The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in January of 2006. The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities approved the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in January of 2007. The Physical Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, telephone 703.706.3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. 

Licensure 

After graduation from an accredited program, a student must pass a national examination and meet licensure requirements of the state in which they wish to practice. Additional information regarding licensure is found in the Professional Licensure or Certification page of this catalog. 

Special Admissions Requirements 

Applications for admission are due by October 15. Application to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curriculum is made through a centralized application service of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). To apply to our program, you should access the physical therapy centralized application service (PTCAS) at www.ptcas.org where you will find the information on applying to our DPT curriculum. 

If applications are verified by PTCAS by August 1st, applicants may be eligible for early admission decision by August 31st.   

Additionally, if accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, you will have to have official transcripts from all schools you have attended mailed directly to us from those schools you have attended. 

In addition to meeting university admission criteria, applicants must: 

1. have a bachelor’s degree, any major, with a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale; 

2. achieve a minimum of 1,000 points combined on the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or 300 on the GRE revised General Test; 

3. have appropriate prerequisite course work with a minimum prerequisite G.P.A. of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The GSU equivalent course is given in parenthesis. The following courses (in semester credit-hours) or their equivalents are minimum prerequisites for entry into the D.P.T. program: 

• 1 General biology with lab (4) (BIOL 1500, 1501, 1510, 1511) 

• 2 General chemistry with lab (8) (CHEM 1141, 1142, 1143, 1144) 

• Anatomy with lab (8); two semester sequence of 1000-level Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (8) (BIOL 2200, 2201, 2210, 2211) OR one semester of 2000-level or higher with lab (4) such as Comparative Anatomy (BIOL 3360/3361) and one semester of Physiology (3) such as Human Physiology (BIOL 4444/4445) 

• 2 General Physics with lab (8) (PHYS 2141/2142 and PHYS 2143/2144) 

• Statistics (3) (STAT 4219) 

• 3 courses in Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology (1 needs to be psychology) (9) 

• Recommended courses:  

• Orientation to Physical Therapy (2) (PHYT 2320) 

• Medical Terminology (1) (HLSC 2400) or Computer Application: Medical Terminology for the Health Professional (OCCT 2400) 

4. participate in personal interviews conducted by the Physical Therapy Department admissions committee, if selected. 

Technical Standards for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program 

To perform the essential functions of a physical therapist in an independent manner, accepted applicants and candidates for graduation from the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health and Human Services are required to certify that they understand and meet the technical standards of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (full text available from the department office or the department website). Applicants or students who are unable to independently meet any of the technical standards must be able to direct others in the safe and effective execution of any task. Applicants or students who may not meet the technical standards should contact the Department Chair to identify what reasonable accommodations, if any, the Department of Physical Therapy could make to enable the accepted applicant or candidate to meet the standards. 

Admission to Candidacy

After an approved study plan is on file in the Department of Physical Therapy Office, each student must apply for admission to candidacy. Application forms are available in the department office. Application for candidacy must be made at the beginning of the third semester in which the student is enrolled and before participation in Clinical Practicum (PHYT-7751). Students must have completed 39 credit-hours with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 to be accepted into candidacy and progress to the first clinical education experiences.

Technical Standards for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

To perform the essential functions of a physical therapist in an independent manner, accepted applicants and candidates for graduation from the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health and Human Services are required to certify that they understand and meet the technical standards of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (full text available from the department office or the department website). Applicants or students who are unable to independently meet any of the technical standards must be able to direct others in the safe and effective execution of any task. Applicants or students who may not meet the technical standards should contact the Department Chair to identify what reasonable accommodations, if any, the Department of Physical Therapy could make to enable the accepted applicant or candidate to meet the standards.

Admission to Candidacy

After an approved study plan is on file in the Department of Physical Therapy Office, each student must apply for admission to candidacy. Application forms are available in the department office. Application for candidacy must be made at the beginning of the third semester in which the student is enrolled and before participation in Clinical Practicum (PHYT-7729 ). Students must have completed 38 credit-hours with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 to be accepted into candidacy and progress to the first clinical education experiences.