DPT Clinical Education Overview
Clinical education is a vital component of the DPT curriculum. Our experiences offer students the opportunity to treat patients/clients with diseases and conditions representative of those seen in practice across the lifespan and the continum of care, and a chance to experience team care and an interdisciplinary approach to health services. Students can integrate and apply didactic knowledge, develop professional attitudes, and practice their clinical skills.
Are you at a clinic interested in working with our students?
Contact our Director of Clinical Education today!
Johanna Bergh, PT, DPT
Interim Director of Clinical Education (DCE)
Voice: (415) 514-6773
Email: [email protected]
Our clinical education team also includes
- Sarah Pawlowsky, PT, DPT: Assistant Director of Clinical Education
- Stephen Baxter, PT, MPT, DPT, EdD(c): PT 410 Course Director
- Christian Mendoza: DPT Clinical Education & Program Coordinator
Philosophy & Structure
Clinical education is a vital component of the DPT curriculum, as are the basic, medical, and applied sciences. As the goal of the DPT program is to graduate competent generalist practitioners, the goal of the clinical experience is to provide learners with broad exposure to multiple aspects and settings of physical therapy practice, including team care and an interdisciplinary approach to health services. Within the clinical environment, learners apply didactic knowledge and laboratory instruction, and develop professional attitudes and practice skills. This aspect of the educational experience is essential, as these opportunities are difficult to duplicate in the classroom. Although well-designed simulations of patient management and laboratory experiences provide much needed preparation for the roles and responsibilities of physical therapists, it is only within the clinical setting that higher levels of integration and application of skills and behaviors may occur. This includes critical observation, examination, evaluation, and intervention to treat patients across a broad spectrum of ages, pathologies, injuries, and functional levels in a variety of settings.
The DPT program consists of one part-time integrated clinical experience (ICE) and three full-time clinical experiences (total of 34 weeks) spaced throughout the curriculum.
Clinical Experience Courses
Students are required to complete a variety of clinical experiences in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Integrated clinical experiences are at local clinics and the full-time experiences take place at a variety of clinics and health care facilities throughout California and partnering states. For a more detailed view of how the clinical education program fits into the curriculum, please see our curriculum graphic.
| Clinical Experience | Occurence |
|---|---|
| PT 410 Integrated Clinical Experience | Four full days in first year |
| PT 801 First Clinical Experience | Summer of second year (full-time, 10 weeks) |
| PT 802 Intermediate Clinical Experience | Winter of second year (full-time, 12 weeks) |
| PT 418 Terminal Clincal Experience | Spring of third year (full-time, 12 weeks) |
Integrated Clinical Experiences introduce students to the clinical environment and help develop clinical and professional skills. Goals: 1) relate academic materials to patient care; 2) apply didactic information in the clinical setting and develop clinical reasoning through observing, examining, and treating patients under the supervision of a clinical instructor; 3) develop interpersonal skills with patients, staff, and other members of the health care team; 4) integrate academic information through working with individual patients.
Full-Time Clinical Experiences must be completed in at least one inpatient and one outpatient setting, and learners must achieve a passing grade in all three to meet program graduation requirements. Learners submit weekly planning forms, goals and reflections, participate in group forums, present in-services, and work under the supervision of a licensed PT.
Clinical Settings & Patient Populations
Settings
- Inpatient clinical settings: Acute Care/Inpatient Hospital Facility/Acute Rehabilitation Facility (ARU); Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)/Sub-Acute Rehabilitation Facility (ECF/Nursing Home)
- Outpatient clinical settings: Industrial/Occupational Health Facility; Outpatient Hospital; Outpatient Private Practice; Pediatric Clinics
Patients
Patient populations cover the lifespan (pediatric, adult, geriatric), and patients/clients with a variety of diagnoses spanning the neuromuscular, cardiovascular/pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and integumentary systems.
Additional Expenses for Clinical Experiences
Students are responsible for all additional expenses related to their full-time clinical experiences, including transportation (some clinical sites may not be accessible by public transportation) and living arrangements. Some facilities are able to provide assistance in terms of housing, meals, parking, or stipends, and this information can be found in Exxat or by contacting the site’s SCCE. Other facilities may have additional costs for site-specific onboarding requirements or being added to their documentation systems.
You are also responsible for supplying your own “tools of the trade”, which may include:
- Goniometer
- Watch
- Guarding belt
- Reflex hammer
- Tape measure
- Stethoscope
- Pocket-sized notebook (suggested for keeping patient notes)
- Lab jacket (if required by the site)
Patient/Client Right to Refuse Care
Patients/clients have the right to refuse physical therapy services provided by a student, and these requests must be honored by the student and the CI. This right includes refusal to allow a student to observe treatment.