School of Physical Therapy

This course explores foundational understanding of what it means to be a professional in health care. Students delve into social issues: forces impacting health care, the role of legislative and political bodies as they relate to health care, social determinants -- their impact on health care, and healthcare seeking behavior. Students examine the PT Code of Ethics, the role of professional organizations as they impact health professionals, and apply the cognitive and emotional skills essential to navigating healthcare complexity and uncertainty. Students explore their own development as professionals fostering collective perspective-taking, tolerance, and empathy through group discussion and written reflection.

This course is designed to provide the student with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform competent orthopedic musculoskeletal examinations, evaluations, and interventions for the upper extremity. There is coherent integration of this course with PT 638, PT 639, PT 641 and PT 643. Emphasis is placed on the development of declarative knowledge and clinical reasoning skills to perform an orthopedic examination and synthesize data to establish an evidence-informed physical therapy diagnosis, prognosis, and plan of care. Laboratory experience comprises a large portion of this course, allowing for the optimal development of procedural knowledge. The basics of diagnostic imaging are also covered within this course and integrated into the clinical reasoning process.

The integrated clinical experience gives students an opportunity to further apply their knowledge and skills in a realistic clinical setting. Students work closely with clinical instructors to provide physical therapy services to individuals from the community with impairments, functional limitations or changes in physical function resulting from a variety of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, students participate in health promotion and injury prevention programs, interdisciplinary collaboration, and begin to develop clinical teaching skills.

This course provides an overview of the etiology, incidence, pathology, and medical management of common cardiac and pulmonary conditions across the lifespan. Appropriate physical therapy examination and intervention strategies for individuals with either primary or secondary cardiac or pulmonary dysfunction are introduced both in the context of a specialized cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation setting as well as in general physical therapy practice.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the neurophysiologic mechanisms of medications as they apply to physical therapy practice. Particular attention will be addressed to medication interaction with physical therapy interventions including but not limited to exercise and joint mobilization or manipulation. Medication interactions with tissue healing and medication interaction with other medications or naturopathic remedies will also be studied. Typical medications for patient populations seen in each physical therapy practice setting will be addressed, as well as how medications may influence typical tests and measures. Physiologic and clinical presentation of medication effects in the development and implementation of appropriate physical therapy interventions are a cornerstone of the course.

This course addresses the issues in pediatrics that are relevant to physical therapists. Emphasis is on movement of infants and children. The course also applies information on normal development to infants and children, particularly to cerebral palsy, meningomyelocele, pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, and developmental delay. These four distinct diagnoses are used as models for the design of physical therapy programs for children with other pathologies. The assessment and treatment of premature infants is also addressed.