Curriculum

Summer Session - Year 1

PTRS:5101 Introduction to Physical Therapy Practice I

  • Professional development of physical therapists; evolution of the profession; analysis of current role in health care and public health with respect to societal health challenges; patient management terminology including medical terminology and language utilized in the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice; concepts of enablement models and disablement models, including World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health model in the biopsychosocial model of health; introduction to evidence-based practice principles.

PTRS:5102 Principles of Physical Therapy I

  • Patient management skills: fostering therapeutic alliance, history taking, systems review, positioning, draping, transfers, body mechanics, assisted gait, wheelchairs, and negotiation of architectural barriers. 

PTRS:5205 Health Promotion & Wellness

  • Overview of health promotion, fitness and wellness strategies, including information on levels of health promotion, risk assessment, applied physiology (skeletal muscle, energy metabolism ,and physiological responses to exercise), exercise testing and training guidelines, body composition assessment, and development of individual weight management and exercise training programs; classroom and laboratory experiences.

Fall Semester - Year 1

ACB:5108 Human Anatomy

  • Regional dissection, lectures, demonstrations, with emphasis on areas important to physical therapists.

PTRS:5100 Professional Issues & Ethics

  • Contemporary issues in clinical practice and professional dvelopment; legal and ethical perspectives on human rights, ethical theory and principles for analyzing and acting on ethical problems; professional and peer relationships. 

PTRS:5103 Principles of Physical Therapy II

  • Continuation of PTRS:5102 (Principles of Physical Therapy I); expansion of existing skills and provides new learning experiences in documentation, assessment of joint range of motion/goniometry, manual muscle testing, pre-ambulatory intervention strategies, gait analysis; musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and integumentary systems review.

PTRS:5209 Surface Anatomy

  • Laboratory teaching activities designated to parallel the human anatomy course; observation, palpation, and problem solving skills; upper- and lower-limb, head and neck, thorax, and abdomen.

PTRS:5210 Kinesiology & Pathomechanics

  • Normal and pathological movement based on understanding of muscle mechanics, segment and joint mechanics, muscle function; instructor- and student-centered learning experiences; integrative human movement systems laboratories.

PTRS:5212 Human Pathology for the Physical Therapist

  • Human disease; basic disease processes, organ-related and multisystem diseases; case analysis.

PTRS:5235 Case-Based Learning I

  • Small group case study seminars and simulated patient-instructor learning experiences; clinical problems coordinated with concurrent courses; student-centered, problem-based learning format with emphasis on evidence-based practice objectives. First in a two-course sequence.

 PTRS:5790 Integrated Clinical Education in Physical Therapy I

  • Integrated clinical experiences in area physical therapy clinics; overview of diverse nature of practice through half-day experiences; basic skills in examination, intervention, and documentation.

Spring Semester - Year 1

PTRS:6253 (ACB:6252) Functional Neuroanatomy

  • Basic principles of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology; emphasis on human central nervous system; laboratory emphasis on anatomical study of spinal cord and brain.

PTRS:5131 Therapeutic Physical Agents

  • Theoretical and practical applications for safe, effective use of physical agents (superficial and deep heat, cold, hydrotherapy), electrotherapeutic modalities (biofeedback, NMES, TENS, iontophoresis); massage and soft tissue mobilization; emphaiss on prlbem solving, clinical decision making.

PTRS:5144 Interprofessional Education I: Team-Based Approach to Health Care

  • Groups of interprofessional students (physical therapy, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, health administration, public health, speech and language pathology, athletic training) interact over 3 semesters to learn the foundations of interprofessional, team-based health care practice. Online learning experiences in the first semester provide an orientation to interprofessionalism and to population health. In the second and third semesters, interprofessional teams meet virtually and/or in-person to learn about peer professions and to process a simulated patient case.  Electronic assignments provide opportunities for reflection on professional roles and interprofessional teamwork.

PTRS:5201 Musculoskeletal Therapeutics I

  • Musculoskeletal techniques and biomechanical principles applied to assessment and evaluation of common orthopedic problems of the spine; problem solving, case-study approach to clinical methods, skill acquisition.

PTRS:5791 Integrated Clinical Education in Physical Therapy II

  • Integrated clinical experiences in area physical therapy clnics; overview of diverse nature of practice through half-day experiences; basic skills in examination, intervention, and documentation.

PTRS:5215 Applied Clinical Medicine

  • Pathological disorders frequently encountered by physical therapists in clinical practice, addressed by physicians and health professionals who are not physical therapists; physical therapy management.

PTRS:5206 Cardiopulmonary Therapeutics

  • Cardiorespiratory anatomy, physiology, and application of basic concepts, techniques in management of patients with acute and chronic cardiac, pulmonary disorders; laboratories.

PTRS:5236 Case Based Learning II

  • Small-group case study seminars and simulated patient-instructor learning experiences; clinical problems coordinated with concurrent courses taken in curriculum; student-center, problem-based learning format; emphasis on evidence-based practice objectives. Second in a two-part series of integrated courses.

Summer Session - Year 2

PTRS:6120 Physical Therapy Management & Administration I

  • The changing U.S. health care system; physical therapy services across the continuum of care, reimbursement to health care providers, mechanisms for controlling costs while providing quality care; clinical vignettes, small group problem solving.

PTRS:6143 Selected Topics in Physical Therapy Practice

  • Specialty area of practice including wheelchair seating and prescription, pelvic health, home assessment, durable medical equipement (DME) recommendations, and geriatrics; topics dictated by changing needs of health care and the profession; emphasis on clinical decision making, synthesis and evaluation of information with respect to first-year physical therapy curriculum.

PTRS:6176 Pharmacology for Physical Therapists

  • Contemporary pharmacology; overview of basic pharmokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles; relation of drug therapy to therapeutic interventions provided by physical therapists; small group clinical case presentations.

PTRS:6793 Integrated Clinical Education in Physical Therapy III 

  • Six-week full-time clinical education experience in a rural health enviornment. 

Fall Semester - Year 2

PTRS:6122 Psychosocial Aspects of Patient Care

  • Emotional reactions to illness/trauma; social determinants of health; recognition of mental illness in physical therapy examination and intervention; psychosocial aspects of disability as they relate to patient-physical therapist interaction; effective communication strategies; cultural competence in professional behavior and patient care. 

PTRS:6134 Physical Therapy Management of Integumentary System

  • Overview of physical therapy examination and management of the integumentary system; wound pathology, diagnosis associated with the integumentary system, inflammation and repair, examination and reexamination techniques, documentation, clinical decision making, lecture and laboratory formats; interventions, including patient/client information, physical agents, electrotherapy, wound dressing. 

PTRS:6145 Inter-professional Education II: Teaching Neural & Musculoskeletal Evaluation Principles

  • This course provides 2nd-year DPT students with a foundation of practical skills for effective communication, teaching, and learning in contemporary interprofessional practice.   Learning experiences include workshop-based training in teaching, culminating in opportunities to teach functional anatomy to 1st-year medical students.  By interacting with patient guests, learners hone therapeutic communication skills, including patient education, and work as teams to select and administer appropriate neuromusculoskeletal examination techniques.  Through interactions with clinicians from peer professions, learners explore fundamentals of co-treatment and effective interprofessional communication.

PTRS:6170 Management of People with Prosthetics and Orthotic Needs

  • Physical therapy management and assessment of patients in need of prosthetic and orthotic devices; principles and components of prosthetic and orthotic design and use.

PTRS:6200 Pediatric Physical Therapy

  • Preparation for physical therapy practice in pediatric settings using interdisciplinary family-centered practice; normal and abnormal development, standardized assessment, service-delivery settings, interventions, management strategies specific to pediatrics.

PTRS:6202 Musculoskeletal Therapeutics II

  • Pathology, assessment, management of orthopedic disorders of the upper quarter; problem-solving approach to evaluation and management of patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

PTRS:6224 Activity-Based Neural and Musculoskeletal Plasticity in Health Care

  • Examination of neural, muscular, and skeletal plasticity to increased and decreased use in normal and pathological states (chronic inactivity, obesity, metabolic syndromes, orthopedic and neurologic injuries); principles of genetic regulation with physical activity including underlying mechanism contributing to acute and chronic adaptations of muscle, spinal circuitry, and supra-spinal centers; integration of movement control concepts through contemporary papers evaluating short and long latency reflexes, posture and balance control, spasticity, and motor learning in individuals with acute and chronic perturbations to the nervous system.  

PTRS:6237 Community Outreach and Engagement I

  • Outreach and engagement activities with individuals and organizations in the community; students select from current community partners, or may suggest their own idea, and develop their individual learning goals for these experiences; discussion and written assignments focus on reflection about the student experiences with persons who are different than themselves, and on social responsibility, advocacy, and professionalism in the field of physical therapy; second in a two-course series. 

PTRS:6250 Critical Inquiry I: Evidence-based Practice

  • Topics relevant to evidence-based practice and research design; identification of appropriate questions for research and clinical applications, location and evaluation of available evidence, identification of issues that affect validity of research designs, interpretation of basic statistical analyses.

PTRS:XXXX Critical Thinking in...(XXXX = Neuro-Mechanical Systems, Pain, Biomechanics and Human Performance Assessment, Activity-Based Plasticity, Neural Plasticity, Movement Science, or Cardiovascular Physiology: dependent on student research advisor)

  • Problem solving experience in XXXX, commensurate with student interest, ability.

Spring Semester - Year 2

PTRS:6121 Physical Therapy Management & Administration II

  • Principles of management in physical therapy practice; historical perspective, current health care environment; business principles; marketing, managing risk, medical/legal concerns, professional and personal growth and development.

PTRS:6133 Pain Mechanisms & Treatment

  • Introduction to basic science mechanisms, assessment, and management of pain; basic science mechanism involved in transmission and perception of painful stimuli after tissue injury, assessment and physical therapy management of pain; emphasis on scientific principles and published literature to support treatment techniques. 

PTRS:6204 Progressive Functional Exercise

  • Therapeutic exercise options (e.g., isometrics, isotonics, isokinetics, plyometrics, endurance exercises, stretching exercises) and training principles; application to functional activities, including those of daily living, work, recreation, and sport; laboratory component.

PTRS:6172 Radiology/Imaging for Physical Therapists

  • Basic principles and procedures for acquisition and interpretation of  radiology and imaging in clinical practice and research; plain film radiographs, CT, MRI, other common imaging modalities; case-based, multidisciplinary approach.   

PTRS:6173 Differential Diagnosis in Physical Therapy

  • Use of physical therapy examination and evaluation skills to diagnose physical therapy problems; focus on use of good clinical decision-making skills when analyzing a patient’s history and administering physical therapy tests and measures to confirm or rule out differential diagnoses; components of the medical examination; importance of collaboration between therapists and other health professionals; interactive case studies presented by clinical experts.

PTRS:6792 Integrated Clinical Education in Physical Therapy IV

  • Two-week, full-time clinical experience in physical therapy clinics under the guidance of physical therapists; theory and practice of physical therapy procedures, competence building in basic skills.

PTRS:6203 Musculoskeletal Therapeutics III

  • Pathology, assessment, management of orthopedic disorders of the lower quarter; problem-solving approach to evaluation and management of patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

PTRS:6225 Neuromuscular Therapeutics

  • Evidence-based application of clinical neuroscience, motor control, and learning principles to practice of neurological physical therapy; approaches to evaluation and therapeutic intervention for clients with adult-onset neurological conditions, with emphasis on examination, developing a diagnosis, clinical decision making, and prescribing interventions that help clients accomplish goals. 

PTRS:6238 Community Outreach and Engagement II

  • Outreach and engagement activities with individuals and organizations in the community; students select from current community partners, or may suggest their own idea, and develop their individual learning goals for these experiences; discussion and written assignments focus on reflection about student experiences with persons who are different than themselves, and on social responsibility, advocacy and professionalism in the field of physical therapy; second in a two-course series. 

PTRS:6251 Critical Inquiry II: Rehabilitation Research

  • Experience conducting group research projects under faculty supervision; data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, oral defense of research findings during a formal poster presentation.

Summer Session - Year 3

PTRS:6794 Terminal Clinical Education in Physical Therapy I

  • Nine-week, full-time clinical education experience divided among various settings; development of competence in independent examination, evaluation, and treatment of patients under supervision of clinical faculty.

Fall Session - Year 3

PTRS:6795 Terminal Clinical Education in Physical Therapy II

  • Nine-week, full-time clinical education experience divided among various settings; development of competence in independent examination, evaluation, and treatment of patients under supervision of clinical faculty. 

PTRS:6796 Terminal Clinical Education in Physical Therapy III

  • Nine-weekl, full-time clinical education experiencedivided among various settings; development of competence in independent examination, evaluation, and treatment of patients under supervision of clinical faculty.

PTRS:6252 Critical Inquiry III: Clinical Application

  • Principles and procedures learning in PTRS:6250 and PTRS:6251 applied to a clinical setting; students write and present a case report with an evidence-based practice focus, using a clinical case from their final internships. 

 

Education