Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy
The Entry-Level Doctoral Program is a full-time professional preparation program in physical therapy. Graduates of this program receive a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree and are eligible to apply for licensure as physical therapists throughout the United States. All entering students except 3+3 students must hold a bachelor's degree. Early admission programs are available for high school seniors and college freshman, sophomores and juniors.
The Program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 121 graduate credit hours and spans nine semesters (including summers) for a total of three years.
The first year begins in the summer, and the program of study includes three years of both classroom instruction and clinical work, which may include day, evening and weekend classes. Forty weeks of clinical education is interspersed throughout the program, including a 24 week clinical experience in the final semester.
The mission of the Department of Physical Therapy Education is the education of students to become generalist physical therapist professionals who are competent, compassionate and autonomous, and who are prepared to meet the changing physical therapy needs of society.
The faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy Education foster the growth
of reflective practice, critical thinking, professional service and life long
learning in students through excellence in teaching, service and critical inquiry. Through
curricular experiences, students have opportunities to develop skills in self
assessment, clinical practice, professional core values and behaviors (accountability,
altruism, compassion/caring, excellence, integrity, professional duty, social
responsibility), evidence-based practice and cultural sensitivity.
By the completion of the program, students will be able to appropriately:
1) Practice
across a variety of physical therapy settings in a safe, legal,
ethical and culturally
sensitive manner.
2) Communicate
orally, in writing, and verbally with all communities of interest.
3) Screen
individuals and determine the need for physical therapy examination
or consultation,
or referral to another health care professional.
4) Select
and perform examination procedures.
5) Interpret
examination findings to establish a diagnosis and prognosis.
6) Design,
implement, modify and evaluate an appropriate plan of care using
principles of evidence based practice.
7) Provide
effective patient/client and family related instruction, education
and consultation.
8) Integrate
core values into their practice of physical therapy.
9) Plan
and implement strategies for ongoing self assessment and professional
development.
10) Respond
to the changing professional and societal expectations and the dynamic
nature of the roles and responsibilities of the physical therapist.
Class sizes are small, and students study under core faculty members who are the primary course instructors. There are ten full-time and four part-time faculty members. Nine faculty members hold or are completing post-professional doctoral degrees, five faculty members hold or are completing DPT degrees, five faculty members are APTA certified clinical specialists, and nine faculty members are engaged in clinical practice.
Faculty members receive grants, publish in peer-reviewed journals, hold offices at the state and national levels, teach and present research at national and international conferences, and participate on national task forces. The faculty provides a rich blend of professional and clinical expertise. The faculty to student ratio is 1:7.
Students who attend this program benefit from the connection to Upstate's medical school and teaching hospital as well as the Institute for Human Performance. In addition, nearby hospitals provide laboratory as well as clinical experiences for the program.
The entering class size is a maximum of 32 students, and students must attend the program full-time. All students participate in a White Coat Ceremony during their first year that welcomes them as they begin to make the transition to physical therapist practitioners.
View a list of courses
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Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy
The Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (T-DPT) is a entry-level degree program for post-professional physical therapists. It is designed to meet the needs of U.S. licensed physical therapists who are graduates of bachelor's and master's degree programs and who want to acquire new knowledge that was not part of their original professional entry-level education.
This program is learner-centered, is of variable length and varies in the number of credit hours (16-50 credit hours, depending on entry into the profession and portfolio review).
A Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree is awarded upon completion. The next program begins in Summer 2007. Classes are held approximately one three-day weekend every six weeks.
View a list of courses
View schedules for Summer 2008 class.
For more information about the Transitional DPT Program, contact:
Dale Avers, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Director
Transitional Physical Therapy Program
315-464-6918
aversd@upstate.edu
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