PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM

Chair: Giovanni De Domenico (434-3575)
Professors: De Domenico, Wall
Assistant Professors: Fell, Gray, Jefferson, Martin
Instructor: Harrison

Physical Therapists are primarily concerned with providing direct patient care to persons who have disorders of movement whether caused by injury or disease to achieve maximum rehabilitation. 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. Physical Therapists practice in rehabilitation centers, in private practices, in hospital based and out-patient based centers, in sports medicine centers, in colleges, and in universities.
The Master of Physical Therapy Program is an entry level Physical Therapy practitioner program which consists of 6 semesters of full-time didactic and clinical study. Ninety-three (93) semester hours of course work as listed below are required for the Master of Physical Therapy Degree. The goals and objectives of the program are guided by the criteria and guidelines set forth by the Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Preparation of Physical Therapists (American Physical Therapy Association).

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
All requirements are stated in semester credits.
Semester Hour
Courses (First Professional Year) Credits

Summer 
PT 500 	Human Gross Anatomy I 				 5 
PT 502 	Human Development Across the Life Span 		 1 
PT 510 	Scientific Inquiry in Rehabilitation 		 2 
PT 520 	Clinical Foundations 				 4 
PT 580 	PT in Contemporary Health Care Systems 		 2 
							14 

Fall 
PT 503 	Clinical Neuroscience in Rehabilitation 	 2 
PT 504 	Pathophysiology 				 4 
PT 511 	Research Proposal Development 			 1 
PT 521 	Kinesiology and Therapeutic Exercise 		 3 
PT 522 	Electrophysical Agents in Physical Therapy 	 4 
PT 530 	PT in Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System I  4 
							18 

Spring 
PT 501 	Human Gross Anatomy II 				 2 
PT 512 	Research Project 				 2 
PT 531 	PT in Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System II 4 
PT 540 	PT in Disorders of the Nervous System I 	 5 
PT 550 	PT in Disorders of the Skin and Vascular System  2 
PT 560 	PT in Disorders of the Cardiopulmonary System 	 2 
							17 

						Semester Hour 
Courses (Second Professional Year) 		   Credits 

Summer 
PT 505 	Human Learning and Patient Education 		 1 
PT 506 	Pharmacology in Rehabilitation 			 1 
PT 532 	PT in Disorders of the Musculoskeltal System III 3 
PT 541 	PT in Disorders of the Nervous System II 	 5 
PT 570 	PT in Specialized Areas of Practice 		 2 
PT 581 	Clinical Education 				 2 
							14 

Fall 
PT 582 	Clinical Practicum I* 				12 
PT 513 	Clinical Research - Case Studies 		 2 
							14 

*Begins in Early August 

Spring 
PT 514 	Research Symposium 				 2 
PT 583 	Clinical Practicum II 				 8 
PT 584 	Clinical Reasoning 				 3 
PT 585 	Organizational Management in Physical Therapy 	 2 
PT 594 	Directed Independent Study* 			 1 
PT 595 	Directed Research* 				 1 
							16 

*Students are required to take only one of these courses.

The program begins each year on June 1. Application deadline for June entry is January 15th.

Two categories of students are considered for admission:

Baccalaureate Degree Holders
The student must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university including prerequisites for students who hold the baccalaureate degree given on the following page, and must meet the minimum requirements for admission given on the following page.
or
Advanced Undergraduates
The student must have completed a minimum of 96 semester (144 quarter) hours of prerequisite work as stated below for Advanced Undergraduate students*, and must meet the minimum requirements for admission given on the following page.

* Applicants interested in this category of admission should also study the additional information for Advanced Undergraduate Applicants given on the following page:

Additional Information for: Advanced Undergraduate Applicants Applicants
who complete 96 semester or 144 quarter hours of prescribed and elective course work for Advanced Undergraduate Applicants and who meet all admission criteria and the terms specified below are eligible for consideration for admission. Thus, these students will be able to complete the Master's Degree in 5 years from the time he or she entered college. Students planning to pursue this category of admission must be working toward a major in a discipline of their choice. This will ensure that students who fail to gain admission to the PT program or who elect not to apply will be able to complete an undergraduate degree within a normal time period. Students planning to pursue Advanced Undergraduate admission must comply with the following:

1. must have completed prerequisites for Advanced Undergraduate applicants listed in the following information including a minimum of 20 semester hours in a major of their choice. Courses must be major course work rather than prerequisites for a major.
   
2. must submit scores of the GRE exam (verbal and quantitative components)
   
3. must acknowledge an understanding of the following: - that they will be officially classified as an undergraduate for the first 12 months of the program but will be taking graduate courses of the program and will be held to the same standards of performance as Baccalaureate Degree Students enrolled in the program. - that upon satisfactory completion (minimum GPA of 3.0) in all course work during the first 12 months of the program, the student will be awarded a Bachelor of Pre-Professional Health Science Degree. The student will then complete all necessary paperwork for reclassification as a graduate student and will continue on through the last 12 months of the program. Upon satisfactory completion of the entire program, the student will receive a Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree. - that tuition will be assessed at the graduate level for the entire 6 semesters of the professional program. - that the academic program for Baccalaureate Degree holders and Advanced Undergraduate students is identical in its entirety.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
The applicant must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university including prerequisites given below for Category I or must have completed a minimum of 96 semester (144 quarter) hours of prerequisite course work as stated below for Category II applicants. Acceptance will be based on the student's academic ability and aptitude for a career as a physical therapist. Places will be offered to students after both academic and interview scores are taken into consideration. First preference will be given to Alabama residents. "Residency" is defined as those students who qualify for in-state tuition. The candidate is expected to satisfy the following requirements for consideration:

(1) a minimum GRE score of 1,000 (minimum 500 verbal and minimum 500 quantitative; GRE must have been taken within last 5 years),

(2) completion of all prerequisite course work with a minimum 3.0 (A=4.0) overall grade-point average,

(3) minimum academic average performance of 3.0 in biological sciences, 3.0 in physics, 3.0 in 6 semester hours of English composition, and at least a C in each of the other prerequisite courses,*

(4) documented observation or work experience in Physical Therapy under the supervision of a licensed PT: 50 hours minimum,

(5) a personal interview with the Department of Physical Therapy faculty, and

(6) if accepted, completion of Health form and physical to include required immunizations.

* Extra credit for science and mathematics courses is awarded for completion of any of the following courses with a grade of B or higher: Organic Chemistry, Anatomy (BMD 310 or higher), Histology (Microanatomy), Medical Microbiology, Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Immunology, Biochemistry, Pathophysiology, and Biomedical Sciences Honors Research Thesis.

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES^a
Prerequisites^a for Applicants Who Hold the Baccalaureate Degree
(Applicants Holding the Baccalaureate Degree at the time of program entry)

Prerequisites for Advanced Undergraduate Applicants
(Advanced Undergraduate Applicants Holding 96 Semester or 144 Quarter Hours at the time of program entry)

^a For all prerequisite courses, credit older than ten years from the application deadline must be repeated or validated by examination or other appropriate mechanism.

^b Consult with the College of Allied Health Professions Academic Advisor concerning credit equivalency for course work taken at the University of South Alabama that was based on a 4 quarter credit hour system rather than a 5 quarter credit hour system. However, a total of 144 quarter hours (96 semester hours) is required.

^cStudents must complete a 6 semester hour sequence in either history or literature but they must complete at least 3 semester hours in each. Students who elect to take the sequence in history rather than literature must also complete an additional 3 semester hours in humanities in order to satisfy a minimum of 12 semester hours in humanities. Courses in literature and history must be broad in scope rather than specific and should emphasize a global perspective, e.g. History of Civilization and World Literature.

^d Must be at a level acceptable for Science majors.

^e Must be at a 300 level or above.

^f Electives should be concentrated in a major of the student's choice. In selecting a major, students should be aware that for admission purposes, extra credit is awarded for completion of any of the following courses with a grade of B or higher: Organic Chemistry, Anatomy (BMD 310 or higher), Histology, Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Immunology, Biochemistry, Pathophysiology, Medical Microbiology, and Biomedical Sciences Honors Research Thesis.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Core Performance Standards, which are fundamental tasks that must be performed to successfully complete the program, have been outlined and are available upon request from the program.

EXPENSES
Students should be prepared for extra expenses associated with professional studies including books, local travel to and from clinical facilities and for out-of-town travel and living expenses during the 28 weeks of clinical internship during the second year. Special lab fees are assessed for the following courses:

DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT) COURSES BEGIN ON PAGE 298.

College of Allied Health Professions