Transitional-Doctor of Physical Therapy Program



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Contact Information:
Physical Therapy Education Office
Education Building 855
(651)690-7825
Fax: (651)690-7876

Transitional-Doctor of Physical Therapy

We are excited to announce details of our transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (t-DPT) degree program at the College of St. Catherine! Below you will find the latest information regarding the next class start in Fall of 2007. In the fall of 2006, the College of St. Catherine and Fairview Health Systems jointly received a grant to support the development of a transitional DPT program for Fairview physical therapists. We are excited to collaborate with Fairview Health Systems on this educational venture. In addition to a Fall of 2007 program start, we anticipate additional cohorts of students entering in the fall of 2008 and 2009 if sufficient numbers of students enroll.

We are accepting a limited number of applicants from outside
the Fairview System to start in Fall 2007

RATIONALE FOR THE TRANSITIONAL DPT
The APTA’s Vision Statement states that, “by 2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical therapy, recognized by consumers and other health care professionals as practitioners of choice…” The purpose of the College of St. Catherine’s transitional DPT program is to augment a practicing physical therapist’s knowledge base and raise the cumulative education level to that of a clinical doctoral degree. Our mission statement is as follows:

Mission:

To serve graduates of the College of St. Catherine’s Physical Therapy Program, the profession of physical therapy, and the College of St. Catherine by better preparing physical therapists to lead and influence in preparation for autonomous physical therapy practice. These educational enhancements are desirable to meet the changing health care and wellness needs of our future clients.

APPLICATION DATES & ELIGIBILITY
Applications will be accepted starting immediately for classes beginning in the fall of 2007. We will accept a maximum of 30-35 physical therapists into the program. The application deadline is March 1st 2007. After March 1st, applications will be reviewed on a space-available basis. Contact the program director Laura Gilchrist (lsgilchrist@stkate.edu) about availability.

Eligibility Requirements:

Baccalaureate trained Physical Therapists:
- Proof of current licensure to practice physical therapy in the US
- 5 years of clinical experience
- Completion of seven credits of prerequisite coursework through the College of St Catherine
  - OSOT 630 Clinical Studies I (2 credits)
  - OSOT 640 Clinical Studies II (2 credits)
  - 3 of the 4 Topics Courses (determined in consultation with the program director) registered through the College of St. Catherine.
    - Topics in Neurorehabilitation
    - Topics in Orthopedics
    - Topics in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
    - Topis in Management
  - Waivers to the prerequisite course work will be considered by petition of the faculty on an individual basis. Please contact the program director for more information
Masters Trained Physical Therapists: (Fairview physical therapists and St. Kate's MPT alumni)
- Graduates of a MPT program prior to 2000 (graduated under previous CAPTE criteria):
  - Proof of current licensure to practice physical therapy in the US
  - 1 year of clinical experience
  - Transcripts and continuing education courses indicating coursework in Research Design, Contemporary practice in Neurorehabilitation, Cardiopulmonary systems, Orthopedics and Management
  - If your program did not contain these components, we will have you take a prerequisite course in the given area before beginning the tDPT program
- Graduates of a MPT program in 2000 or later:
  - Proof of current licensure to practice physical therapy in the US
  - 1 year of clinical experience
  - No prerequisite coursework will be required before entry into the program

CURRICULUM:
The curriculum for the transitional DPT program has been established by comparing the content of the College of St. Catherine’s Masters of Physical Therapy Degree with the APTA’s Preferred Curricular Model For The Transition Clinical Doctoral Program and Learner. Below is a list of the additional courses necessary to complete the transitional DPT Program (20 total credits):

Fall Year 1:

DPT 8010 Application of Evidence in Physical Therapy Practice I (2 credits)
DPT 8030 Diagnostic Imaging in Physical Therapy Practice I (2 credits)

Winter Year 1:

DPT 8020 Application of Evidence in Physical Therapy Practice II (2 credits)
DPT 8040 Diagnostic Imaging in Physical Therapy Practice II (2 credits)
DPT 8050 Medical Screening in Physical Therapy I (2 credits)

Fall Year 2:

DPT 8060 Medical Screening in Physical Therapy II (2 credits)
DPT 8070 Pharmacology in Physical Therapy Practice I (2 credits)
DPT 8090 Current Topics in Physical Therapy Practice I (2 credits)

Winter Year 2:

DPT 8080 Pharmacology in Physical Therapy Practice II (2 credits)
DPT 8100 Current Topics in Physical Therapy Practice II (2 credits)
APTA Clinical Instructor Credentialing (0 credits)

The tDPT curriculum will be covered over a two-year period, not including any prerequisite courses needed. The courses offered for the 2007-08 academic year will be Evidence Based Practice, Diagnostic Imaging, and the Medical Screening independent study. The remaining courses will be offered during the 2008-09 academic year. At the successful completion of this program, the College of St. Catherine will award the Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree.
Click here for Course Descriptions Course Objective information

Prerequisite Coursework:
Prerequisite coursework for baccalaureate and some masters trained therapists was determined based on changes to the accreditation standards for physical therapy educational programs. Therapists needing this coursework may be able to complete the prerequisite courses in the 2006-07 academic year to be ready to start the tDPT program in the fall of 2007. Students requiring the prerequisite courses will be admitted to the College of St. Catherine as non-degree seeking students, and will then apply for the tDPT program upon nearing the completion of the 7 credit.

OSOT 630 Clinical Studies I (2 credits)
OSOT 640 Clinical Studies II (2 credits)
3 of the 4 Topics Courses (determined in consultation with the program director) registered through the College of St. Catherine
- Topics in Neurorehabilitation
- Topics in Orthopedics
- Topics in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
- Topics in Management

SCHEDULE

tDPT Courses
We will deliver the tDPT content in four on-site sessions each year over the course of two years. The on-site classes will be held on the Minneapolis Campus at the College of St. Catherine on Fridays from 1:30 - 8:30 PM with a one-hour break for dinner. Between on-campus sessions, students will complete assignments and apply course material to real patients seen in clinical practice. We will use Blackboard, a Web-based program, to facilitate the use of online discussion and exhange of information and ideas.

The on-campus courses will meet the 2nd Friday of September, November, February, and May. There are two exceptions to the Friday schedule. First, the CI Credentialing course is a 15 credit hour continuing education course that will be offered at the College of St. Catherine 2007-08 (specific date to be announced). This course may also be taken at other times and locations; see http://www.apta.org/ for courses scheduled throughout the year. Second, the medical screening course content is covered as an independent study using a CD ROM format. The CD ROM features Bill Boissonnault, PT, DHSc, FAAOMPT from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Medical screening course assignments related to clinical practice will be submitted online. There are no on-site sessions for this program component.

Prerequisite Courses
The two research design courses will be offered in the College of St. Catherine Weekend format, meeting in the fall and winter semesters, generally meeting either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning or afternoon every other week during the term. The topics courses will be offered in a single weekend CE format in the winter and spring, with follow-up assessment.

Link for weekend College dates

TUITION
Tuition for the tDPT program for 2007-2008 will be a flat fee of $5,500. Tuition for '08-'09 has not yet been determined, however, typical tuition increases are 3-8% per year. This fee represents a savings from the normal per credit graduate tuition fee at St. Kate’s.

Prerequisite courses will be based on a per credit fee of $608 per credit in the 2006-07 academic year.

POLICY & PROCEDURES - Click here for manual

COURSE WAIVERS
Students who have taken some of this content previously may qualify to waive the classroom time or CD ROM content for a given component of the curriculum. To receive graduate credit, however, required assignments still need to be completed and submitted to show mastery of course content. Check the appropriate box on the application form to petition the faculty to waive a program component. Opting out of a course component will not alter the standard graduate fee for the program. Criteria to Waive Management Project

FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid is available for your graduate education. In addition to government loans and grants, your employer may provide some tuition remission for your graduate education. Please contact the Financial Aid Office at the College of St. Catherine (651)690.6540 for more information

Link for Financial Aid

QUESTIONS
If you have questions or comments, you may direct them to the following program staff:

tDPT Program Director:
Cort Cieminski, PT, PhD, ATC, CSCS
(651)690-7884
cjcieminski@stkate.edu

Graduate Admissions Office:
Kristen Chalberg
(651)690-6868

Link to Frequently Asked Questions

This page was created on 01/13/2005 and last updated on 02/11/2008.

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