Interview
date: Friday, Feb 24, 2012
A select number of applicants will be invited for an interview
on this date.
Physical
Therapy: A Hands-On Profession
A
Physical Therapist (PT) is a health care professional who provides
direct patient care to persons who have disorders of movement,
mechanical, physiological and developmental impairments and functional
limitations, whether caused by injury or disease, to help them
achieve maximum physical function and mobility.
Physical Therapists use their minds and hands
to:
Diagnose
and manage movement dysfunction and enhance physical and functional
abilities.
Restore,
maintain, and promote optimal physical function and optimal
wellness and fitness and optimal quality of life as it relates
to movement and health.
Prevent
the onset, symptoms, and progression of impairments, functional
limitations, and disabilities that may result from diseases,
disorders, or injuries.
Physical Therapists have the necessary training
to meet the total range of patient care responsibilities involved
in preventing disabilities and promoting restoration of function
to the physically impaired, including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular,
cardiovascular / pulmonary and integumentary disorders that interfere
with physical function. Physical Therapists practice in hospitals
and medical centers, rehabilitation centers, private practice
clinics, home health settings, sports medicine facilities, colleges,
universities and in various other settings. The broad options
in Physical Therapy allow PTs to develop and pursue a focus of
care in any specific population from children and athletes to
senior citizens.Physical Therapists also work as educators,
researchers, consultants and administrators.
Physical Therapy is a sought-after career with
virtually unlimited opportunities. It is a profession that offers
a lifetime of satisfaction while directly helping people move
more efficientlyand function more effectively.
USA's
Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree
The Department of Physical Therapy has provided
quality physical therapy education for nearly 30-years with continuous
accreditation. A friendly faculty that is clinically and academically
strong teaches the curriculum leading to the Doctor of Physical
Therapy (DPT) degree.
As its Mission, The Department of
Physical Therapy is 1) dedicated to the education of physical
therapists who provide the highest levels of professional care to
diverse communities while maintaining a commitment to life-long
learning, and 2) committed to service and the advancement of
knowledge in the profession through research and scholarly activity.
The exciting and challenging DPT program is offered
in an 8-semester (32 continuous months) format, a new class entering
each Fall semester. The curriculum includes a variety of professional
training / educational experiences to prepare students to enter
PT practice. Students benefit from significant hands-on clinical
practical labs and formal lectures/discussions led by faculty with
experience in each clinical practice area, clinical problem solving
activities, clinical research plus 33 weeks of full-time clinical
internship supervised by licensed physical therapists. The clinical
internships are available in over 200 affiliated general hospitals,
rehabilitation centers and various specialty practices representing
a wide variety of educational opportunities for the student. While
clinical sites are spread across the United States, the majority
are within the Southeastern region.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the
University of South Alabama prepares graduates for professional practice
and is designed as an entry-level, first PT degree. Throughout the
program, students develop necessary communication skills in addition
to professional and manual skills and techniques. Strong emphasis
is placed on gaining clinical reasoning/ problem solving skills and
the ability to practice as an independent primary care provider in
any employment setting. Graduates will also have the capability of
assuming responsibilities in areas of administration, consultation
and research in physical therapy.
Accreditation and
Licensure:
The
entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of
South Alabama is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in
Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy
Association, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314;
telephone: 703-706-3245; email
accreditation@apta.org; website:
www.capteonline.org.
Graduates of the
program are eligible to sit for the National Physical Therapy
Examination (NPTE) to gain licensure. Applicants are hereby informed
that a history of felony conviction or moral crime, use of drugs or
intoxicating liquors which affects professional competence, or narcotic
law conviction will prevent physical therapy licensure. See Alabama
Board of Physical Therapy site:
http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeOfAlabama/1975/34-24-217.htm
Individuals wishing to file a complaint
regarding the department should follow these guidelines.
Two
Categories of Applicants are Considered for Admission:
It is highly recommended, and in most cases required, that applicants
complete a bachelor's degree prior to starting the PT program.
Regular Graduate Applicants:These applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in any field
from an accredited college or university and complete all prerequisites
for regular graduate admission as listed below with a GPA > 3.00
by the time they would start the PT program.
Advanced
Undergraduate Applicants:This special Advanced
early-entry option is reserved for the highly motivated
and academically strong student. Students
with at least 96 semester or 144 quarter hours of specific
college prerequisites listed below and an overall GPA of
> 3.50
may apply for entry to the program prior to completion
of the bachelor's degree. The student applying with
three years of prerequisites is then able to complete the
Doctor of Physical Therapy degree with just six years of
college. Applicants in this category should carefully review
Additional
Information for Advanced Undergraduates that follows the list
of prerequisites.
Admissions
rankings for
both groups are determined using the same criteria.Acceptance will be based on the student's
academic ability and aptitude for a career as a physical
therapist including
GPA
emphasizing Science prerequisites, GRE score, and interview
score.
Minimum
Requirements for All Applicants
The applicant must
declare one of the above categories on the application form
(deadline Dec. 15th) and meet all applicable requirements including
prerequisites.
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
must be officially reported to PTCAS by Dec. 15th with a minimum score of
1000. GRE
must have been taken within the last 5 years. Verbal, Quantitative
and Analytical Writing sections may be utilized.
THE GRE MUST BE TAKEN NO LATER THAN
NOVEMBER 28.
Regular Graduate applicants must
have a minimum 3.0 (A=4.0) overall grade point average (GPA);
Advanced Undergraduate applicants must have a minimum 3.5 overall
GPA.
All applicants must have a minimum grade of "C" in each
of the prerequisite courses.
Observation or work experience in Physical Therapy (50 hours minimum)
under the supervision of a licensed Physical Therapist must be
documented. A form is available for download from the website that
must be signed by the physical therapist with the license number
included.
International applicants must have a
TOEFL score > 600, TSE > 60 and TWE > 4.5
and must apply to the University's Office of International Services,
with certified translations of transcripts, by October 15 of
the previous year.This
DPT program is not designed for students who already have a physiotherapy
degree.
Prerequisites
Required For All Applicants
English
Composition (2 courses) Social
Science (3 courses — at least two of which must be Psychology) Precalculus
Algebra / Trigonometry or Higher Mathematics (1 course)
Statistics
(1 course) College
Physics -with labs (2 semester or 3 quarter sequence) General
Chemistry for science majors -with labs (2 semester or 3 quarter
sequence) General
or Cell Biology for science majors -with lab* (2 semester or 3
quarter sequence) Human physiology, mammalian physiology OR a course sequence in Anatomy and Physiology (minimum 6 credits). Human physiology is the preferred sequence.
Additional
Prerequisites for Advanced Undergraduate Applicants
Fine
Arts (History or Appreciation) (1 course)
Literature
I & II (World Lit, American Lit, or British Lit) Oral
Communication (Speech) (1 course) History
of Civilization or U.S. History (1 course)
Computer
Science (1 course) Microbiology
or Infectious Disease (1 course)
Electives
(21 Semester hours)**
NOTE:For all prerequisite courses, credit older than ten years from
the application deadline must be repeated or validated by examination
or other appropriate mechanism.
For Advanced Undergraduate applicants, prerequisites
must total at least 96 semester hours.
*Botany
may not be used to satisfy this prerequisite. **Electives
should be concentrated in a back-up major of the student's choice.
Recommended
Courses
A number of courses are determined to be good preparation for certain
components of the PT graduate program and therefore are recommended
if they fit into the applicants preparation: Microbiology or Infectious Disease (one is required
for Advanced Undergraduate applicants),
Medical Terminology, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Basic Motor
Learning, upper level Anatomy, Neuroscience, Pathophysiology, Abnormal
Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Developmental Psychology.
Additional
Information for Advanced Undergraduate Applicants
Students who have completed 96 semester or 144
quarter hours of prescribed and elective course work and who meet
all admission criteria and the terms specified below are eligible
for application to the program. Thus, these students may be able
to complete the DPT degree in 6 years from entry into college.
Students planning to pursue this category of admission must be
working toward a back-up major in a discipline of their choice
by the Junior undergraduate year. This will insure that students
who are not admitted to the graduate program or who elect not to
apply will be able to complete a degree within a normal time period.
Also, students who go on to complete a bachelors degree and who
meet all admission criteria (GPA > 3.0) will be eligible
to apply later as Regular Graduate applicants.
In addition to
the minimum admission requirements listed above, advanced undergraduate
applicants also must acknowledge an understanding of the following:
That,
according to University policy, no more than 64 semester hours
of transfer credit from two-year colleges will be accepted.
That
they will be officially classified as an undergraduate for
the first 2 semesters of the program but will be taking graduate
courses of the DPT program.
That
in the first 2 semesters of the program, while classified as
undergraduate students, any financial aid is restricted to
the types and amounts for which undergraduate students are
eligible.
That
upon satisfactory completion (minimum GPA of 3.0 in all course
work) of the first 2 semesters of the program, they will be
awarded the Bachelor of Science in Pre-professional Health
Science degree. These students must then complete application
for reclassification and admission to the Graduate School.
Upon satisfactory completion of the next 6 semesters of the
DPT program, students will be awarded the Doctor of Physical
Therapy (DPT) degree.
That
tuition will be assessed at the graduate level for the entire
eight semesters of the professional program.
That
the academic program for students in both categories is identical
in its entirety.
That
for the entire eight semesters of the program they will be
held to the same standards and policies as students enrolled
in the graduate school (see the policies of the Graduate School).
Top
Ten Reasons our
students say they would choose the USA PT program again:
#10 Variety of clinical
facilities #9Location - close
to home #8Small
class size #7Location - close
to the beach! #6Friendly
atmosphere
#5Comfortable
informative interview #4Saved
money #3Early
entry option #2Program
reputation and space #1 Personable
and knowledgeable faculty
This
schedule represents the admissions timeline in a typical
year.In any given year, the schedule may have
to be adjusted.
Dec. 15thapplication
deadline
Feb admissions
committee meets
mid February
interviews (30
minute individual interviews with two interviewers) Aprilinitial
acceptance letters and alternate letters mailed Maydeadline
to respond to offer and reserve your place late Auguststudents
begin first semester of DPT program
Interview
date: Friday, Feb 24, 2012
