Learners are required to display their UCSF or SFSU ID badges at all times while on the UCSF and SFSU campuses, all UCSF-affiliated sites (including the Zuckerberg-San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and San Francisco Veterans Association Medical Center), and all sites where students complete their clinical experiences.
The UCSF Office of the Registrar provides instructions to new students to activate a UCSF email account. Students are required to activate and use their UCSF account during the program. Timely response to all email communications from faculty, staff and both universities is required. Faculty and staff will not respond to any other email address.
Access to the LMS and Lab/Education Spaces
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
You will have access to learning management systems (LMS) at both universities. UCSF utilizes Moodle and calls its system the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE), and SFSU utilizes Canvas. Separate pages for each of your courses are made available prior to the start of each term, and you will have access to all pages until you graduate from the program. Recordings, photos, and videos may only be used with the course director’s express permission.
Participation in Lab Practice
You will participate in laboratory classes throughout the program and are expected to observe standards of safety and wear appropriate clothing to enable assessment, evaluation, and treatment of the trunk, head, and extremities. Learners will practice clinical exam and treatment techniques on each other and may sometimes be asked to serve as mock patients for demonstration purposes. All efforts must be made to provide for modesty and safe conditions. Please promptly report any malfunctioning equipment to staff and faculty as soon as a problem is detected.
If a student is uncomfortable with any draping, manner of touch, or treatment, the student should first talk to their classmate(s) about the concern. If a student senses that the issue has not been resolved by this action, the student should speak to the course instructor. It is the responsibility of each learner to notify the course director of any allergies, asthmatic conditions, or neurological or musculoskeletal dysfunction prior to practice or demonstration of techniques. Any other requested modifications based on religious beliefs, personal preferences and/or physical needs should be communicated with the course director who will provide reasonable accommodations.
As a student enrolled in this program, each student must agree to follow the APTA Code of Ethics in the laboratory, as well as in the clinic. This includes addressing the patient professionally, asking permission to place their hands on the patient, protecting the patient, and protecting the modesty and safety of all patients treated. In addition, students are expected to practice considerate and respectful non-verbal and verbal communication during all classroom and laboratory activities.
Education Spaces and Equipment
Food and beverages are permitted before class and during breaks. All learners are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and order of classrooms and labs.
You may be granted access to educational laboratory space outside of regularly scheduled class time to practice skills and study for exams with the following expectations: demonstrate professional behaviors at all times including wearing your UCSF or SFSU ID badge, use the spaces for their intended purpose, and return the spaces to their original condition upon leaving. Equipment may not be taken from the premises for any reason at any time. If you would like to borrow a piece of equipment, please see the "Use and Maintenance of Equipment" section below.
Guidelines for each lab space:
- UCSF Anatomy Learning Center (ALC): 24-hour access when not in use by academic classes; badge access with UCSF ID. Dissection kits, safety glasses, face masks, and nitrile gloves are available. No eating, drinking, smoking, or food or drink containers are allowed in the facility. Be respectful of the donated cadavers at all times. No photographs or video may be taken, and cadaveric materials are not permitted to leave the ALC. Students may host guests in the facility only with the permission of the ALC Director. Additional specific rules will be provided during the first anatomy class.
- UCSF Clinical Skills Center (CSC): 24-hour access when not in use by academic classes; badge access with UCSF ID.
- UCSF Outpatient Physical Therapy Faculty Practice: access after clinic hours is granted by the UCSF Associate Program Director and the Practice Supervisor; must be accompanied by a faculty member or staff person to enter the facility between 7pm and 7am and on weekends.
- UCSF PhysFit Health and Wellness Center: available when not in use by clients or academic classes; contact the UCSF Associate Program Director to request access; must be accompanied by a faculty member or staff person.
- UCSF DPT Lounge: room S140 in the Medical Sciences Building at Parnassus; for learners, faculty, and staff to use for work and meetings.
- SFSU Teaching Labs: rooms HSS 114/127 and Gym 119; 24-hour access when not in use by academic classes (as long as campus is open); use door code given to all students on first day of class; have SFSU ID badge at all times.
All other laboratory spaces used by the program, such as the UCSF Kanbar Simulation Center and the SFSU Nursing Skills Center, are only available during regular class times.
Lab equipment not in use by academic classes may occasionally be borrowed with permission from the Course Director or Associate Program Director. Once permission is granted, the student must sign out the equipment from the program office, and sign back in once equipment is returned. Equipment used for treatment purposes must be authorized and supervised by a physical therapist licensed to practice in California. Broken or faulty equipment will be identified by an “out of order” and/or “do not use” sign. Please report any malfunctioning equipment to the Course Director or Program Directors so it can be stored securely until it is repaired or replaced.
Human Subjects in Demonstrations & Practice for Educational Purposes
Human subjects volunteer to participate in laboratory exercises and classroom demonstrations throughout the program. They participate willingly and without coercion or penalty for not participating. Learners are expected to behave in a professional manner towards these individuals, and adhere to HIPAA guidelines in the same manner as for subjects in clinical settings. The rights and dignity of human subjects must always be maintained, and subjects retain the right to withdraw participation at any time without penalty. Subjects are informed of these rights prior to participation, and any violations of this policy must immediately be reported to the Program Directors.
Use of Images or Material about Individuals
We strive to ensure the privacy, dignity, and safety of all individuals associated with the program, including students, faculty, staff, and patients/clients. Any individual who will be photographed, audiotaped, or videotaped is required to sign a consent form. Faculty, staff, or students who wish to photograph, audiotape or videotape individuals must discuss the content of the consent form with the individual and secure a dated signature from the subject. The form is then stored in the program’s files.