LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY Prospective Student Information

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1 LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE Program Mission The mission of the Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy at Lebanon Valley College is to bring highly motivated and compassionate students together with engaged, knowledgeable, and dedicated faculty within an environment that promotes collaborative efforts directed towards actualization of all individuals professional goals. We seek to cultivate critically thinking, self-directed physical therapists who provide highquality patient care, who advance the cause of public awareness on issues related to physical therapy and the broader realm of health care, and who participate in public service in ways that strengthen the communities in which they live. Through our teaching, scholarship, and service endeavors we strive to strengthen and enrich the College, surrounding communities, and the physical therapy profession as a whole. Program Philosophy The Physical Therapy Program at Lebanon Valley College strongly endorses the view that the primary role of the physical therapy professional is to provide patient-centered care. This approach is exemplified through conduct that addresses each client as an individual whose dignity and value as a human being represents the inviolable ethical center of our professional work. We embrace the core mission of the college by affirming the interrelatedness of liberal learning with the profession of physical therapy by encouraging within our students acquisition of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary to live and work in a dynamic, culturally diverse, and fragile world. We value the tenets of an evidence-based approach for clinical decisionmaking, which necessitates that we encourage within our students a passion for life-long learning. As our foundation, the program utilizes the documents A Normative Model of Physical Therapy Education, Version 2004, including the Core Values, and the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice as the authoritative sources describing the nomenclature and taxonomy of physical therapy education, professional behavior, and practice. Admission Processes Students are admitted into the pre-physical therapy program of study as freshmen, after completion of high school. Admission to Lebanon Valley College is a prerequisite to competing for a position in the pre-physical therapy class. Prospective students are encouraged to attend Lebanon Valley College s Day at the Valley, Open House, or related programs before applying for admission, to explore their interests in pursuing a physical therapy education at Lebanon Valley College. Students may apply for an early admission decision by submitting Lebanon Valley College application materials and the required Physical Therapy Program application information (see below) by November 1 st for a December 1 st decision. Early admission does not obligate the student to commit to enrollment but rather reserves a place in a class. The remainder of class seats will be determined during regular admission with application to the College and submission of all required Physical Therapy Program application information by February 1 st for a March 1 st decision. Documentation of Clinical Hours: Students must complete 0 hours of observation of a physical therapist in two different practice settings (at least 15 hours in each setting) at the time of application. Students must use the Documentation of Clinical Hours form available at to verify observation hours. Suggested sites include: * acute care hospital * hospital outpatient or private practice therapy setting * extended care or inpatient rehabilitation* pediatric rehabilitation setting facility * home-health care Observations or work experience in the following areas will NOT be accepted: Revised 6/07 1

2 LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE * athletic training * personal trainer or fitness facility * personal or other family experience with physical therapy Early decision candidates must submit documentation of observation hours by November 1 st and regular admission candidates by February 1 st. Materials should be returned to: Lebanon Valley College Admission Office ATTN: Physical Therapy Liaison 101 North College Ave. Annville, PA Scholarships and Financial Aid Undergraduate financial assistance at Lebanon Valley College covers a maximum of eight semesters. Such assistance, including scholarships, does not apply during summer sessions, or during graduate study. Financial aid is available in the form of grants and loans at the graduate level. The American Physical Therapy Association, Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association, Foundation for Physical Therapy, and related entities, among other foundations and organizations are possible sources for graduate financial assistance and should be investigated by the individual student. Information regarding financial aid, institutional scholarships, and estimated program costs are available through LVC s Office of Financial Aid and at Academic Progression Students must maintain a minimum.0/4.0 cumulative grade point average in the pre-professional phase of study, and a minimum natural science GPA of 2.5, with no individual science grade lower than 2.0. While completing the pre-professional phase of study in years 1-, students must complete a minimum of 0 hours of observation per year in a physical therapy practice setting, e.g. hospital, outpatient clinic, school, sub-acute care, etc. Students may not repeat an observation in the same or similar settings except by permission of their faculty advisor or the Director of Clinical Education (DCE). Students must complete and submit the Documentation of Clinical Hours Form to the Physical Therapy Department at the conclusion of each experience. Professional-phase students must maintain at least a.0/4.0 GPA, with no grade lower than 2.0. Any student whose professional-phase GPA falls below.0 is placed on academic probation. Students with deficient GPA s have two academic semesters to remediate their GPA to.0, and must retain the.0 GPA through the remainder of the professional program, or be subject to dismissal from the program. Students who receive a grade lower than 2.0 or a failing grade for any clinical experience are unable to progress in the program. Remediation plans to allow students to re-enter the program in the following academic year will be developed on an individual basis. Students may not remediate more than two courses in the professional phase of the program. Candidates for the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (professional years 5 and 6) must maintain a grade point average of.00 with a maximum of two C grades. Failure to meet the.0 GPA requirement prior to the final clinical education experience will result in dismissal from the program. Student Advising Students are assigned a Physical Therapy Faculty advisor throughout their pre- and professional phase of study. Students will periodically meet with their advisors to review academic progress, course registration, and professional development. Students are responsible for assuring that they have successfully met all program requirements and pre-requisites for progression to the professional phase, and the College s General Education requirements for graduation. Revised 6/07 2

3 LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE Pre-Professional Phase of Study The Physical Therapy program prerequisites are as follows: Biology 111, 112, 11, 114, and 222 Chemistry 111, 112, 11, 114 Physics 10, 104 English 111 or FYS 100, 112 Math 170 or 270, or Psych 10 Sociology 110 or 120 Psychology 111 or 112 Physical Therapy 11 In addition, pre-physical therapy students must complete a cognate (18-credit concentration) in any subject area of interest or a minor of their choice. The cognate area may include prerequisite and general education courses, but must include at least two at a 00 or 400-level. Examples of cognates include, but are not limited to, a foreign language, psychology, sociology, American studies, or mathematics. Students complete approximately 95 credit hours of physical therapy prerequisites, general education (including foreign studies, foreign language, and writing process courses), cognate, and elective courses before the start of the professional phase of study. Students are encouraged to take Spanish to fulfill their foreign language requirement, but may pursue French, German, or Italian as well. Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a semester abroad to expand their worldview, and to learn about different health care delivery models. In addition to general education and elective courses offered while abroad, PT 202, Comparative Health Care Professions and Systems is offered as an elective. This course is open to any Lebanon Valley College student studying abroad. Suggested templates for the pre-professional phase of study, including a semester abroad, are attached. Health Requirements Students are required to complete a health assessment at the time of admission to Lebanon Valley College. A health assessment is also required prior to the start of the professional phase of study and annually thereafter. Additional immunizations or health requirements may be necessary prior to the start of Clinical Education and Practice courses as per specific clinical facility standards. Proof of personal health insurance coverage and CPR certification will also be required prior to the start of the professional phase and clinical education placement. Clinical Education and Practice Each student will complete a total of 8 weeks of Clinical Education and Practice during the professional phase of study. Affiliations will begin in the second semester of the fourth year with a four-week affiliation and progress to the final 16-week affiliation prior to graduation. Attempts will be made to accommodate individual needs and desires for placement. Students should expect to travel and assume housing costs for clinical affiliations. Clinical affiliations occurring in the summer will require additional tuition costs. Clinical sites are available regionally as well as nationally and internationally. The Director of Clinical Education makes the final decision for placement based on clinic availability, applicability, and the student s academic needs. Clinical affiliation sites may require criminal background checks, finger printing, and/or drug testing prior to student placement. Clinical sites may also require supplemental professional liability insurance in addition to the College s policy. If a student selects a clinical site that imposes any of these or other requirements, the student bears the cost and responsibility to submit the necessary materials in a timely manner to comply with the clinical site s requirements. Revised 6/07

4 LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE Suggested of Study The Pre-Professional Schedule of s is a suggested educational plan that can be individualized to meet student needs, including Study Abroad. (See pages 6 and 7) The program intentionally reduces the credit load for the first semester to allow students the opportunity to adjust to college life and academics. Thereafter, each semester includes a fifth course. Students who wish to study abroad should plan for the experience during their sophomore year and adjust their education plan to include physics, anatomy and physiology in the junior year, and concentrate on general education and cognate/minor courses in the sophomore year. Accreditation The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Lebanon Valley College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Persons wishing to contact the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education directly for additional information are encouraged to do so at the following address: American Physical Therapy Association Attention: Accreditation Department 1111 North Fairfax Street Alexandria, VA (70) accreditation@apta.org

5 LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE YEAR ONE YEAR TWO YEAR THREE FALL FALL FALL Credit s General College Physics I BIO 111 General Biology I PHY 10 4 General Education (includes laboratory) General General Biology I BIO 11 1 SOC 110 Introduction to Sociology Education/Writing Laboratory Process/A. Social Diversity CHM 111 Principles of Chemistry I General Education Disciplinary Perspectives CHM 11 Principles of Chemistry I Introductory Lab I 1 General Education Cognate/minor ENG 111 English Communications General Education MAS 170 Elementary Statistics I Writing Process Language CHM SPRING SPRING SPRING General College Physics II BIO 112 General Biology II PHY BIO 222 (includes laboratory) General Biology LAB II BIO Cognate/minor PHT 11 Human Physiology (with lab) Fundamentals of Anatomy CHM 112 Principles of Chemistry II General Education Cognate/minor Principles of Chemistry II Introductory Lab II PSY 112 General Psychology II ENG 112 English Communications II Language 1 Foreign Studies General Education General Education Writing Process Cognate/minor Revised 6/07 Three-year preprofessional credits = 95

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