Degree Programs

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Curriculum

Summer Session

  • PTRS:5101 (101:140) Introduction to Physical Therapy Practice I
    • Lectures, case presentations, and group activities using the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice; elements of the patient/client management model, concepts of the disablement model, preferred practice patterns as applied in clinical problems; importance of professionalism, professional socialization; introduction to evidence-based practice; competence in medical terminology.
  • PTRS:5102 (101:141) Principles of Physical Therapy I
    • Patient management skills: interviewing, medical history taking, vital signs, positioning, draping, transfers, body mechanics, assisted gait, wheelchairs, and negotiation of architectural barriers.
  • PTRS:5205 (101:205) Health Promotion & Wellness
    • Overview of health promotion, fitness and wellness strategies, including information on levels of health promotion, risk assessment, applied physiology (skeletal muscle, energy metabolism, and physiological responses to exercise), exercise testing and training guidelines, body composition assessment, and development of individual weight management and exercise training programs; classroom and laboratory experiences.
  • PCP:3198 (414:198) UIHC Compliance Training
    • This course is taken as students sign-up for required training modules as part of their internship at UIHC.

Fall Semester

  • ACB:5108 (060:108) Human Anatomy
    • Regional dissection, lectures, demonstrations; areas important to physical therapists, particularly the upper and lower extremities.
  • PATH:8133 (069:133) Introduction to Human Pathology
    • Human disease; basic disease processes, organ-related and multisystem diseases; case analysis.
  • PTRS:5100 (101:120) Professional Issues & Ethics
    • Evolution of physical therapy and rehabilitation science as a profession; contemporary issues in education and practice; ethical theory and approaches to analyzing and acting on ethical problems; professional and peer relationships.
  • PTRS:5103 (101:142) Principles of Physical Therapy II
    • Continuation of PTRS:5102 (101:141); expansion of existing skills and provides new learning experiences in documentation, assessment of joint range of motion/goniometry, manual muscle testing, preambulatory intervention strategies, gait analysis; musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and integumentary systems review.
  • PTRS:5790 (101:189) Clinical Education I
    • Integrated clinical experiences in area physical therapy clinics; overview of the diverse nature of practice through half- or full-day experience; basic skills in examination, intervention, and documentation.
  • PTRS:5209 (101:209) Surface Anatomy
    • Laboratory teaching activities that parallel the human anatomy course and with the goal of developing observation, palpation, and problem solving skills.  Upper- and lower-limb, head and neck, thorax, and abdomen are areas studied.
  • PTRS:5210 (101:210) Kinesiology & Pathomechanics
    • Normal and pathological movement based on understanding of muscle mechanics, segment and joint mechanics, muscle function; instructor- and student-centered learning experiences; EMG laboratories.
  • PTRS:5235 (101:235) Case Based Learning I
    • Small-group case study seminars and simulated patient-instructor learning experiences; clinical problems coordinated with concurrent courses; student-centered, problem-based learning format with emphasis on evidence-based practice objectives. First in a two-course sequence.

Spring Semester

  • ACB:8114 (060:234) Medical Neuroscience
    • Basic principles of neurophysiology, neuroanatomy; emphasis on human central nervous system; laboratory emphasis on anatomical study of spinal cord, brain.
  • PTRS:5131 (101:131) Therapeutic Physical Agents
    • Theoretical and practical applications for safe, effective use of physical agents (superficial and deep heat, cold, hydrotherapy), electrotherapeutic modalities (biofeedback, NMES, TENS, iontophoresis); massage and soft tissue mobilization; emphasis is on problem solving and clinical decision making.
  • PTRS:5201 (101:185) Musculoskeletal Therapeutics I
    • Musculoskeletal techniques and biomechanical principles applied to assessment and evaluation of common orthopedic problems of the spine; problem solving, case-study approach to clinical methods, skill acquisition.
  • PTRS:5791 (101:190) Clinical Education II
    • Continuation of PTRS:5790 (101:189); integrated half-day clinical experiences.
  • PTRS:5214 (101:201) Applied Clinical Medicine
    • Pathological disorders frequently encountered by physical therapists in clinical practice, addressed by physicians and health professionals who are not physical therapists; physical therapy management.
  • PTRS:5206 (101:206) Cardiopulmonary Therapeutics
    • Cardiorespiratory anatomy, physiology, and application of basic concepts, techniques in management of patients with acute and chronic cardiac, pulmonary disorders; laboratories.
  • PTRS:5236 (101:236) Case Based Learning II
    • Small-group case study seminars and simulated patient-instructor learning experiences; clinical problems coordinated with concurrent courses taken in curriculum; student centered, problem-based learning format; emphasis on evidence-based practice objectives. Second in a two-part series of integrated courses.
  • xxx:xxx Elective (optional)

Summer Session

  • PTRS:6120 (101:119) Physical Therapy Management & Administration I
    • The changing U.S. health care system; access to physical therapy services, reimbursement to health care providers, mechanisms for controlling costs while providing quality care; clinical vignettes, small group problem solving.
  • PTRS:6143 (101:143) Selected Topics in Physical Therapy Practice
    • Specialty topics in physical therapy; geriatrics, wheelchair seating/positioning, women's health, home health, industrial physical therapy; alternative or new treatments; guest lectures, lab component.
  • PTRS:6176 (101:176) Pharmacology for Physical Therapists
    • Contemporary pharmacology; overview of basic pharmokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles; relation of drug therapy to therapeutic interventions provided by physical therapists; small group clinical case presentations.
  • PTRS:6794 (101:194) Clinical Internship
    • Full-time clinical education divided among varied settings; development of competence in independent examination, evaluation and treatment of patients under supervision of clinical faculty.

Fall Semester

  • PTRS:6122 (101:122) Psychosocial Aspects of Patient Care
    • Emotional reactions to disability, psychosocial aspects of disability as they relate to patient-physical therapist interaction; specific problems of the angry, non-compliant, or chronic pain patient; complementary roles of other health professionals; cultural competence applied to one’s own professional behavior and in patient treatment; importance of holistic health care.
  • PTRS:6134 (101:134) Physical Therapy Management of Integumentary System
    • Overview of physical therapy examination and management of the integumentary system; wound pathology, diagnosis associated with the integumentary system, inflammation and repair, examination and re-examination techniques, documentation, clinical decision making, lecture and laboratory formats; interventions, including patient/client information, physical agents, electrotherapy, wound dressing.
  • PTRS:6170 (101:170) Prosthetics & Orthotics
    • Physical therapy management and assessment of patients in need of prosthetic and orthotic devices; principles and components of prosthetic and orthotic design and use.
  • PTRS:6200 (101:200) Pediatric Physical Therapy
    • Preparation for physical therapy practice in pediatric settings using interdisciplinary family-centered practice; normal and abnormal development, standardized assessment, service-delivery settings, interventions, management strategies specific to pediatrics.
  • PTRS:6202 (101:202) Musculoskeletal Therapeutics II
    • Pathology, assessment, management of orthopedic disorders of the upper quarter; problem-solving approach to evaluation and management of patients with musculoskeletal conditions.
  • PTRS:6224 (101:224) Movement Control Systems in Health & Dis
    • Examination of neural, muscular, and skeletal plasticity to increased and decreased use in normal and pathological states (chronic inactivity, obesity, metabolic syndromes, orthopedic and neurological injuries); principles of genetic regulation with physical activity including underlying mechanisms contributing to acute and chronic adaptations of muscle, spinal circuitry, and supra-spinal centers; integration of movement control concepts through contemporary papers evaluating short and long latency reflexes, posture and balance control, spasticity, and motor learning in individuals with acute and chronic perturbations to the nervous system.
  • PTRS:6237 (101:237) Service Learning I
    • Service-learning work experience with community partners; students develop individual learning goals for these experiences; classroom reflection on service activities, experiences with elderly and/or disabled, and social responsibility, advocacy, and professionalism in physical therapy; written reflection assignments. First in a two-course sequence.
  • PTRS:6250 (101:248) Research in Physical Therapy
    • Topics relevant to evidence-based practice and research design; identification of appropriate questions for research and clinical applications, location and evaluation of available evidence, identification of issues that affect validity of research designs, interpretation of basic statistical analyses.
  • xxx:xxx Elective

Spring Semester

  • PTRS:6121 (101:121) Physical Therapy Management & Administration II
    • Principles of management in physical therapy practice; historical perspective, current health care environment; business principles; marketing; managing risk, medical/legal concerns, preparing for the future.
  • PTRS:6133 (101:133) Pain Mechanisms & Treatment
    • Introduction to basic science mechanisms, assessment, and management of pain; basic science mechanism involved in transmission and perception of painful stimuli after tissue injury, assessment and physical therapy management of pain; emphasis on scientific principles and published literature to support treatment techniques.
  • PTRS:6204 (101:151) Progressive Functional Exercise
    • Therapeutic exercise options (e.g., isometrics, isotonics, isokinetics, plyometrics, endurance exercises, stretching exercises) and training principles; application to functional activities, including those of daily living, work, recreation, and sport; laboratory component.
  • PTRS:6172 (101:172) Radiology/Imaging for Physical Therapists
    • Basic principles and procedures for acquisition and interpretation of radiology and imaging in clinical practice and research; plain film radiographs, CT, MRI, other common imaging modalities; case-based, multidisciplinary approach.
  • PTRS:6173 (101:173) Differential Diagnosis in Physical Therapy
    • Use of physical therapy examination and evaluation skills to diagnose physical therapy problems; focus on use of good clinical decision-making skills when analyzing a patient’s history and administering physical therapy tests and measures to confirm or rule out differential diagnoses; components of the medical examination; importance of collaboration between therapists and other health professionals; interactive case studies presented by clinical experts.
  • PTRS:6792 (101:191) Clinical Education III
    • Two-week, full-time clinical experience in physical therapy clinics in Iowa, under the guidance of physical therapists; theory and practice of physical therapy procedures, competence building in basic skills.
  • PTRS:6203 (101:203) Musculoskeletal Therapeutics III
    • Pathology, assessment, management of orthopedic disorders of the lower quarter; problem-solving approach to evaluation and management of patients with musculoskeletal conditions.
  • PTRS:6225 (101:225) Neuromuscular Therapeutics
    • Application of clinical neuroscience knowledge and motor control and motor learning concepts to the practice of neurological physical therapy; emphasis on diagnosis and therapeutic intervention for persons with central nervous system dysfunction of adult onset.
  • PTRS:6238 (101:238) Service Learning II
    • Service-learning work experience with community partners; students develop individual learning goals for these experiences; classroom reflection on service activities, experiences with elderly and/or disabled, and social responsibility, advocacy, and professionalism in physical therapy; written reflection assignments. Second in a two-course series.
  • PTRS:6251 (101:251) Critical Inquiry in Physical Therapy I
    • Experience conducting group research projects under faculty supervision; data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, oral defense of research findings during a formal poster presentation.
  • xxx:xxx Elective

Summer Session

  • PTRS:6794 (101:194) Clinical Internship
    • Full-time clinical education divided among varied settings; development of competence in independent examination, evaluation and treatment of patients under supervision of clinical faculty.

Fall Session

  • PTRS:6794 (101:194) Clinical Internship
    • Full-time clinical education divided among varied settings; development of competence in independent examination, evaluation and treatment of patients under supervision of clinical faculty.
  • PTRS:6252 (101:252) Critical Inquiry in Physical Therapy II
    • Principles and procedures learned in PTRS:6250 (101:248) and PTRS:6251 (101:251) applied to clinical setting; students write and present a case report with an evidence-based practice focus, using a clinical case from their final internships.

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