General Program Description

Creighton University is meeting the challenges of contemporary practice by offering a broad range of educational experiences within the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree educational program. Our program provides the student with a strong foundation in the basic sciences and an understanding of the theoretical bases for practice via the applied and behavioral sciences. Students develop critical thinking abilities, integrate theory with practice and demonstrate excellence in the performance of clinical skills. Our purpose is to prepare a graduate who can be responsive to the increasing diversity of the population, needs of individuals and communities, and meet the challenges of caring for people in a dynamic health care system. Creighton University is a Jesuit educational institution where core values include commitment to community service, respect of every human being, and promoting social justice. The program begins in mid-August, continues for eight consecutive semesters over three years, and finishes in May. The first six semesters are primarily didactic with integrated clinical experiences. The final two semesters take place in the clinical education environment. Creighton physical therapy students can also experience collaborative practice and cultural immersion opportunities with American Indians living on two, rural Nebraska reservations, in the Dominican Republic and China. Opportunities are available in both programs for advanced exploration in clinical practice, education, research and administration. The Creighton University Biodynamics Laboratory is a state-of-the-art environment for motion analysis research. The Department has a strong relationship with the teaching hospital at Creighton University Medical Center. Physical therapy education and practice in the 21st century will critically depend on graduates who have mastery of information technology, so Creighton physical therapy students are issued a personal tablet computer upon enrollment. The School of Pharmacy and Health Professions’ integration of a variety of technologies into the classrooms and laboratories ensures our graduates are well prepared to capitalize on the rich opportunities that lie ahead in education, research and professional practice.

Clinical Experiences
A total of 46 weeks of clinical education is provided in the curriculum. Beginning after the third semester, students experience a 3 or 6-week clinical experience at the end of each subsequent didactic semester. During the final two semesters of the program, students experience a total of 34 weeks of supervised clinical education in a 18- and a 16-week block period. Clinical education sites are available in 40 states and five foreign countries. About 1/3 of the graduating class spend the final 4 weeks of their clinical education in the Dominican Republic with the Department’s ILAC program. Others opt to do an advanced directed practice that is tailored to individual goals and objectives. The department has established physical therapy residencies in orthopedics, pediatrics, geriatrics, and neurologic physical therapy.

Faculty
Creighton has 31 faculty members. 15 are core faculty and 16 serve in adjunct or associate roles. Seven faculty members are APTA recognized clinical specialists. Two faculty members have completed clinical residency/ fellowship programs. Faculty are known nationally and internationally for their leadership and scholarship. Two current faculty members are Fellows of the APTA and one gave the prestigious Mary McMillan address to the profession in 2011. Faculty members actively practice within the Alegent Creighton Health System, at the Creighton Pediatric Clinic, Athletics/Sports Medicine, or at one of two American Indian health care facilities. Faculty are productive scholars. Faculty typically publish 21 articles in peer-reviewed journals and are investigators for grants of $5,500,000 in annual external grant funding for research and training projects. They author textbooks and book chapters that are well know in physical therapy.

Enrollment
Creighton University has a total enrollment of 7,730 students in two undergraduate, five professional and one graduate schools. About 40% of the students are engaged in graduate and professional studies with the remainder of the students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs.

Admission
Applications are available in August and must be received by either the preferred deadline of November1st, or the final deadline of February 1st. All application materials must be submitted for consideration in the decision process. Prerequisite courses include six semester hours of English (including Composition) and eight semester hours each of biology, chemistry and physics (all courses must include laboratory and be accepted by the appropriate discipline as credit towards a major in that field), three semester hours of human or mammalian physiology, and three semester hours of Statistics. Applicants from Creighton must complete six semester hours of theology. The student must complete 16 of the required 27 prerequisite semester hours prior to the application deadline. Students are encouraged to contact an admissions counselor if they have questions about the course prerequisite requirements. A minimum of 90 semester hours (including prerequisite courses) must be completed prior to enrollment. Students applying without a baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of nine semester hours in upper-level (300 or above) courses in a declared major prior to matriculation. Three letters of recommendation (one from a physical therapist), completion of the GRE, and documentation of the successful completion of 60 observation hours in a physical therapy practice are also required. On-campus interviews are conducted with selected applicants November through March. Matriculation decisions are communicated to interviewed applicants in a rolling cycle once the interview process has started. The Department supports an active pre-physical therapy organization on campus. Interested students should contact the School’s Admission office for more information.

Outcomes
96% of admitted entry level students graduate from the program (3-year average). In the past 3 years, the first time pass rate on the NPTE has ranged from 91% to 98%. The ultimate 3-year NPTE pass rate is 100%. Graduates report that within 6 month of passing the NPTE, 100% of them have found full-time employment as a physical therapists or are enrolled in a physical therapy residency.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
For the 2012-13 year, tuition and fees total $15, 973 per semester. The University Office of Financial Aid budgets $20,378 annually for living expenses, transportation, books and supplies. Students are responsible for the costs associated with travel and housing during off-campus clinical rotations. A limited number of merit-based scholarships are available to students. Financial aid is offered and coordinated through the University Office of Financial Aid.

Student life
Students are invited to participate in campus-wide and community organizations, activities and events. Physical therapy students can become involved in the Creighton University Students of the American Physical Therapy Association (CUSAPTA), Physical Therapy Leadership Guild, Sports Physical Therapy club, Pediatric Physical Therapy Special Interest Group and the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions Student Government organizations. Creighton University has a diverse student body and high proportion of professional students in physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, nursing, medicine, dentistry and law. Creighton University is located in Omaha, Nebraska which is an economically strong, Midwestern, metropolitan area of around 700,000 persons. An eclectic restaurant life, symphony orchestra, ballet and opera companies, excellent community theaters, museums, college and professional sports and a world class zoo are among the amenities of living in Omaha. Its central location makes Omaha easy to reach from any area of the country and its cost of living is very competitive with any city of its size in the nation.