Nov 23, 2024

2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Physical Therapy, D.P.T. (121 hrs)

Location(s): Hattiesburg Campus

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Program Overview

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program consists of two programs: an on-site parent program and a hybrid PTA to DPT Bridge program. The curriculum can best be described as a hybrid curriculum, with foundational sciences and basic physical therapy skills taught in the first year in integrated fashion. The focus is on patient management in each of four physical therapy practice areas: musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary. Four trimesters of the program contain a clinical decision making course, which is a case based small group course designed for advanced mentoring in clinical decision making algorithms. Thirty-six weeks of full-time clinical practice are included in the curriculum, as well as a professional development track containing concepts in legal/ethical issues, practice management, and professionalism issues. Evidence-based practice courses are strategically placed in the curriculum to allow small groups of learners to develop research questions, collect data, and draw conclusions from the evidence regarding physical therapy principles under the mentorship of faculty.

Clinical Education

Thirty-six weeks of full-time clinical practice are included in the curriculum, as well as a professional development track containing concepts in legal/ethical issues, practice management, and professionalism issues. Clinical education is an essential and exciting part of physical therapist education. Students will be representing William Carey University in diverse and exciting clinical settings, and the faculty expects great things as students demonstrate clinical practice excellence and Christian compassion.

William Carey has a mission of providing health care professionals to areas that are medically underserved. In accordance with this mission, at least one of each student’s clinical experiences will occur in a low-resource, rural area. The physical therapy program requires mentored practice in a variety of practice settings occurring along the continuum of care typically provided by physical therapists. Meeting the requirements for low-resource area, variety of practice settings, and continuum of care are the primary decision-makers for student assignment to clinical education sites.

Each student participating in clinical education will be assigned to clinical experiences in four practice settings: acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient, and one elective area. Students may request a general location for clinical experiences, but assignments are made based on meeting the requirements of the program. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for travel, lodging, healthcare, and any additional expenses related to clinical education. Students are expected to travel out of state, and may be eligible for international clinical experiences.

We are very excited about clinical education at William Carey. Our emphasis on low resource areas and medically underserved populations in Mississippi, the United States, and internationally distinguishes Carey clinical education from typical physical therapy programs. We invite students and physical therapy clinicians to join us as we “Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God” through our clinical education program.

This is a lock-step, cohort educational program. Each student must pass the previous trimester at a satisfactory level to proceed to the next level.

Program Admission Requirements

Admission to the D.P.T. program is competitive in nature, and students with strong academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Approximately 30 students per year will be admitted to the on-site program and 25 students will be admitted to the PTA to DPT Bridge program. Admission is based on GRE scores and GPAs. The application deadline is November 1 for the on-site program and June 1 for the PTA to DPT Bridge program. All applications must be made through the Physical Therapy Common Application System (PTCAS) at www.PTCAS.com. In addition to the general requirements for admission to graduate school, each applicant must:

Have earned a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university in the major of their choice.
Have completed two undergraduate courses in each of the following areas: biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and physics; and one course of statistics. Science courses must be for science majors, and the statistics course should be from psychology, math, or education departments. Coursework in psychology or sociology is highly recommended.
Have a cumulative GPA > 3.0 or on the last 60 hours of undergraduate/graduate coursework.
Have a GPA > 3.0 on the prerequisite requirements listed above.
Complete 20 total hours of observation at two distinctly different practice settings for a total of 40 hours.
Submit GRE scores (minimum 290) including analytical writing.
Comply with all admissions deadlines.

Admission Status

Due to the competitive nature of admissions, an applicant for the doctor of physical therapy program is admitted to regular graduate status only, as described below. Regular graduate status is granted to those students who meet all requirements for admission to the program and are actively pursuing a degree.

Health Status Requirements

All students entering DPT courses are required to have completed the health examination form. All students must submit documentation of receiving the hepatitis B immunization series or positive titer; two varicella immunizations, or positive titer; a DTaP immunization; and the results of appropriate screening for TB annually. Failure to comply with all health requirements will result in the inability to attend the clinical portion of a course and failure of the course.

All students must complete (re)certification of CPR for the Health Professional either annually or every two years, depending on the clinical facility requirements. Students are responsible for submitting evidence of current certification to the physical therapy office. Failure to do so will result in inability to attend the clinical portion of the program and failure of the course.

Technical Standards

To acquire requisite knowledge and skills to practice as a physical therapist, graduate students must be able to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and provide a wide spectrum of patient care. Students must possess certain skills and abilities to successfully complete both the didactic and clinical components of the curriculum with or without reasonable accommodations, regardless of disability status. All graduates must be able to perform tasks such as: taking a case history, performing examination tests and measures, completing an evaluation, and performing manual interventions. They must also be able to synthesize these findings into a physical therapy diagnosis and plan of treatment.

These skills and abilities are divided into five areas: communication, motor, intellectual-cognitive, sensory observational and behavioral-social. Students must be able to undertake all academic (clinical and didactic) requirements to the satisfaction of faculty to become competent and reliable practitioners. To this end, the faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy has established criteria (Technical Standards) that students must possess in order to enroll in, and to continue in academic courses and clinical placements required for the DPT degree.

General Guidelines

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree is typically a three-year program that requires the acquisition of professional attitudes, skills and behavior as well as the accumulation of scientific knowledge. The DPT degree certifies that the student has acquired the broad base of knowledge and skills required for the practice of physical therapy and is eligible to take the professional licensing examination. These standards are rigorous and exacting so admission can be offered only to those individuals best-qualified to meet the performance standards of the profession.

Acceptance to the DPT program is offered to those who present the highest qualifications for the study and practice of physical therapy. Graduates of the program must have the knowledge and skills to function in a variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. Candidates for the DPT degree must have somatic sensation and the functional use of the necessary senses. Skills will be lessened if the student does not have functional use of the sense of balance and sufficient motor function to permit them to carry out the activities described in the sections that follow. They must be able to consistently, quickly and accurately integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) are employed, and they must have the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data. Candidates for the DPT degree must have abilities and skills in the five areas outlined below.

Communication. A student must possess adequate communication skills to:

Communicate effectively and proficiently in oral and written English o English language skills must be at a level that can be easily understood by clients and colleagues for general interactions, for administration of tests and implementation of treatment as judged by a panel of PT faculty;
Read and write to meet didactic and clinical demands;
Demonstrate and perceive non-verbal communication with patients that is appropriate for culture and context;
Communicate with patients, families, peers, and colleagues at an appropriate and professional level;
Clearly record examination results, treatment observations, and treatment plans in a reasonable amount of time;
Accurately convey information with relevance and cultural sensitivity;
Effectively receive and send verbal communication in emergency situations;
Recognize and promptly respond to the patient’s emotional communications such as sadness, worry, agitation, pain, and lack of comprehension of therapist communication.

Motor. A student must possess adequate motor skills to:

Sustain the necessary physical activity level required in classroom and clinical activities;
Respond quickly in the event of an emergency situation to provide patients a safe environment;
Access transportation to clinical and didactic placement sites;
Assume and maintain a variety of body postures (e.g., sitting, standing, walking, bending, squatting, kneeling, stair climbing, reaching forward, reaching overhead, turning and movement of the trunk and neck in all directions) so as to sufficiently perform patient examination and intervention procedures;
Demonstrate appropriate psychomotor skills for performing tests and measures for patient examination;
Execute appropriate psychomotor movements required for manual handling and manipulation of various object/person sizes and weights including lifting and transferring patients, guarding patients during gait training on level surfaces/uneven surfaces/ramps/stairs, pushing and pulling to provide resistance and to assist in maneuvering patients. Students may be required to:
- Safely lift up to 50 lbs. independently
- Safely lift up to 200 lbs. with assistance
- Safely push and pull up to 200 lbs.
Balance self and provide support and balance to patients on a variety of surfaces including level and uneven ground, ramps, curbs, and stairs;
Have sufficient endurance to effectively manage patient care;
Access technology for clinical and didactic requirements;
Complete an episode of care within a reasonable time frame to effectively manage the patient.

Sensory/Observational. A student must possess adequate sensory skills to:

Effectively observe and function (in visual and auditory modalities) in both clinical and didactic settings;
Record and evaluate physical status as well as verbal and non-verbal responses to sensory stimuli;
Visually assess treatment equipment, goniometric measures, normal/abnormal color changes and integrity of the skin, pupillary changes, postures, and normal/abnormal movement patterns;
Perform effective auscultation/auditory evaluation inclusive of but not limited to lungs, heart, apical pulse, blood pressure, joint noises, and prostheses;
Listen for environmental cues inclusive of but not limited to phones, overhead paging systems, alarms, verbal communication in a setting with competing ambient noise;
Provide appropriate tactile feedback related to safe application of gradient pressures during examination and intervention (including but not limited to palpation, manual muscle testing, joint mobility, percussion, massage).

Intellectual/Cognitive. A student must possess adequate intellectual and cognitive skills to:

Comprehend, retain, assimilate, analyze, synthesize, integrate concepts and problem solve;
Formulate written and verbal assessments and therapeutic judgments to meet didactic and clinical demands in a reasonable time frame;
Identify and communicate the limits of their own knowledge and skills;
Utilize resources to increase their own base of knowledge and skills;
Comprehend three-dimensional relationships, the spatial and functional relationships of structures, and analyze and apply this information for problem solving and decision-making;
Comprehend text, numbers, and graphs;
Gather, appraise, and evaluate patient information collected during past history, examinations, and throughout patient/client management to formulate hypotheses and make clinical decisions (diagnoses, prognoses, and plans of care).

Behavioral/Social. A student must possess:

Appropriate interpersonal skills and the demeanor and rapport necessary for quality patient care;
The capacity to maintain composure and continue to function well during periods of high stress;
The perseverance, diligence and commitment to complete professional program requirements;
The flexibility and the ability to adjust to the changing situations and uncertainty inherent in clinical situations;
The ability to critically evaluate his or her own performance and identify tactics to improve performance, both with and independent of faculty assistance;
Compassion, integrity, and empathy for others;
The ability to reason morally and practice physical therapy in an ethical manner;
The ability to demonstrate appropriate assertiveness, delegate responsibilities, and function as part of a physical therapy team;
The ability to show respect for individuals with disabilities and those of differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds, races, religions, and/or sexual orientations.

Immunization. The student must be able to comply with requirements for immunizations of all hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare (JCAHO)/Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP).

Candidates for graduate degrees in the Department of Physical Therapy are required to meet the above technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, regardless of disability. Disability self- identification is voluntary and confidential. William Carey University offers reasonable accommodation for qualified, eligible students with disabilities. Please contact our Student Assistance Department (601-318-6211) for information regarding documentation guidelines.

Criminal Background Check

All students enrolled in physical therapy must have clearance of criminal background checks prior to participating in physical therapy experiential learning courses. This is a mandatory requirement as part of the Mississippi state law, Section 43-13-11 of Mississippi Code of 1972.

After initial enrollment, any subsequent disciplinary action, arrest, charge, addiction, or impairment shall also be reported immediately to the program director. Failure to report any and all subsequent disciplinary actions, arrests, or impairment will constitute falsification of records and may result in dismissal from the program. Failure to pass the required background check may impact student’s abilities to take the physical therapy licensing exam.

Drug Testing

All students are required to have drug screens upon admission or provide proof of a clear drug screen within the last year. Students will be responsible for all sample collection, drug screening, and shipping fees.

Random drug screening may be performed at the discretion of the physical therapy program. Refusal by a student to submit to testing will result in denial of admission for new students and immediate dismissal from the program for continuing students. Any admitted student who tests positive for illegal drugs must withdraw from clinical education courses. The student may reapply for admission in six months and may be admitted based on admission criteria as any new student making application.

All costs associated with drug testing and criminal background checks are the responsibility of the student.

Malpractice Insurance

The student is required to have malpractice insurance, which is covered by William Carey University.

Computer Requirements

Technology is an essential and integral aspect of web-enhanced (hybrid) courses. The student must have access to a computer and stable connection to the internet on a regular basis. A high-speed internet connection, such as a cable modem or DSL line, is preferred.

The student will need access to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel software programs, for example: Microsoft Office 365. Students will also need access to audio through speakers and the capability to record through a microphone for selected web-enhanced assignments. Students’ personal computers must support ExamSoft, the program’s testing platform.

Program Progression and Graduation Requirements

A cumulative GPA > 3.0 on graduate courses taken at WCU is required for graduation.
Only two grades lower than a ‘B’ are allowed. Upon receiving a second grade lower than a ‘B’, a student is advised to repeat one of the first two grades lower than a B before continuing in the program. A student making a third grade lower than a ‘B’ will be dismissed from the program. Students must pass all coursework in the program.
Earning a grade of ‘F’ will result in further academic disciplinary action which may include:
- Dismissal - The usual form of academic discipline.
- Reclassification - In extenuating circumstances, a student may appeal to the program director to be reclassified. In this instance, the student may be permitted to withdraw from matriculation and offered remediation by retaking one or more courses recommended by the faculty. The usual recommendation is to repeat an entire year of study as all courses are offered in sequence and only once each academic year. Such a student is required to indicate in writing the intention to reinstate. Students should also be aware that repeating course work already passed may have financial aid/student loan implications. Reclassified students must meet the graduate school GPA and individual course grades requirements.

Curriculum Model

The program uses a hybrid model with components of systems based, case based, lifespan based, and modified problem-based curricula. An emphasis is placed on learning science, with active learning, critical reflection, team-based learning, flipped classrooms, and faculty mentoring with partnerships in the community and around the globe. The curriculum supports deep learning and clinical reasoning by integrating foundational science courses with clinical courses. Courses are sequenced to progress content from simple to complex, and to integrate foundational science with clinical skill across the lifespan and across patient care settings.

Program of Study (121 hrs)