Requirements
Program Overview
In concert with the William Carey University mission statement, the mission of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree program is to create a challenging and caring academic community, preparing students to become autonomous and competent entry level physical therapy practitioners who value lifelong learning, responsible leadership, service in diverse low-resource settings, and engagement in local and global health and wellness issues.
Physical therapy is dedicated to promoting wellness, preventing disability, and supporting participation in activities that impact quality of life. The physical therapy program at William Carey is committed to prepare students for these professional responsibilities by providing high quality academic and clinical educational experiences based on adult learning principles. Students are self-directed and assume responsibility for their learning, with the faculty guiding the education process by providing rich, diverse, interactive learning experiences that foster clinical reasoning and the integration of subject material. Core to the professional educational program at William Carey will be engagement in experiences that foster:
- effective and cost-efficient patient care,
- inter-professional collaboration,
- community and global cultural competence,
- research application and evidence based practice, and
- advocacy for populations served.
Student Outcomes
Students in the D.P.T. program will:
- Be prepared as generalist practitioners to assume an entry level practice role in any practice setting as evidenced by pass rates on the licensing exam, employment rate, and diversity of practice settings.
- Practice professionalism by demonstrating the core values of the profession of physical therapy—accountability, altruism, compassion/caring, excellence, integrity, professional duty, and social responsibility.
- Strive for excellence in practice by participating in professional development activities, integrating current evidence into practice, and using tools to promote quality of care.
- Advocate for under-served populations in local, state, national, and international communities.
Graduate Outcomes
Graduations of the D.P.T. program will
- Practice in diverse clinical settings
- Utilize evidence-based decision making in planning patient care
- Work in medically under-served areas
- Demonstrate professionalism
Admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
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 program in the fall trimester of each year, based on their GRE scores and GPAs. Application deadline is November 1. 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 the 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 an overall grade point average of 3.0 or above on course credit taken, and a grade point average of 3.0 or above on the prerequisite requirements listed above.
- Complete 20 total hours of observation at two distinctly different practice settings.
- 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—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 doctor of physical therapy 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:
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Safely lift up to 50 lbs independently
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Safely lift up to 200 lbs with assistance
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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, 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 to 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 will be 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.
Progression and Graduation Requirements
An overall 3.0 GPA on graduate courses taken at WCU is required for graduation. A student whose overall GPA drops below a 3.0 in any trimester is placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation must raise their overall GPA to a 3.0 by the end of the next trimester of enrollment.
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 also pass all course work in the program.
Earning a grade of “F” or failing to be removed from probation 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.
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