General Program Description

The Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum is a graduate professional degree program for entry into the profession of physical therapy. Upon successful completion of both didactic and clinical components of the curriculum, the student is awarded the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree by the Duke University School of Medicine. The three-year, full-time program, located in the Duke University Medical Center, provides a comprehensive foundation in the art and science of physical therapy, preparing graduates to serve as primary clinical care practitioners for patients with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction, throughout the continuum of care. The DPT program at the Duke University is accredited by the Commission on Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association. Duke University has offered an accredited program for physical therapists since the inception of professional physical therapy education at Duke in 1943.

Clinical Experiences
The DPT program’s clinical education component offers students the opportunity to practically apply their didactic education. This experience is a pivotal element of the DPT program. Designed to go hand-in-hand with the program’s didactic coursework, the clinical education program offers collaborative learning experiences that engage students, clinical instructors, patients, interdisciplinary practitioners, administrators and academic faculty. During the first two years, students participate in the Student Team Experience in Practice (STEPS) program, where they go to clinical sites in teams of four, working with carefully selected and trained clinical instructors. These clinical instructors spend half of the day in a patient care setting with the student, and the rest of the day participating in clinical problem solving and mentoring exercises. Students are in STEPS for one full week in fall and spring, and two weeks in the summer, returning to the same clinical setting and working with the same clinical instructor for the entire experience.In this environment, students gain experience in administration, education, research and community service. Clinical education internships ensure that students develop the skills and abilities needed to preserve patient safety, promote best practices and uphold fiscal responsibility.

With internship locations throughout the United States, sites are selected and approved by Duke’s Clinical Education Academic Directors based on each site’s mission and how they meet the specific requirements of the DPT division.

Hands-on clinical studies help distinguish the Duke DPT program from others throughout the country.

Three consecutive, 12-week internships during the third year take students to a broad variety of locations. While internships vary from year to year, clinical internships are available in:

203 clinical affiliating hospitals, rehabilitation centers and private practices and 22 states including Hawaii and the District of Columbia.

Faculty
The Duke DPT Division currently has 18 faculty with primary appointments. Seventeen of these faculty are doctorally trained and seven are certified specialists: one cardiovascular and pulmonary certified specialist, one neurologic certified specialist, three orthopedic certified specialists, one pediatric certified specialist and one sports certified specialist. All faculty instructing in clinical courses have an active clinical practice that enriches the student experiences in their respective courses. Faculty participate in a number of scholarly endeavors such as; basic science, clinical and educational research, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, obtaining peer-reviewed grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF) and various foundations. In addition to their scholarly contributions and active clinical practices, faculty provide service to the DPT Division, Department of Community and Family Medicine (CFM), Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University School of Medicine (SOM), Duke University Health System, local community, and the North Carolina Physical Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Faculty are active participants in the DPT Division Curriculum Committee, Research Committee, and Admissions Committee. Faculty also are members of the CFM Executive Council, CFM Education Committee, SOM Honor Committee, Interdisciplinary Education Task Force, SOM Admissions Committee, and Medical Center Library Committee.

Enrollment
Duke University enrolls over 6,800 undergraduate students and 3,000 graduate students from 41 states and 61 foreign countries. The Doctor of Physical Therapy Division has a current enrollment of 193 students with a long-term plan of enrolling 255 students, 85 students per class, by 2013. Students currently enrolled within the Doctor of Physical Therapy Division represent a cultural diversity from 37 states and 2 foreign countries.

Admission
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program includes a full-time, three-year curriculum. Only full-time students are accepted. State residence does not influence acceptance or tuition costs. The Duke University DPT programs receives over 500 applications each year for admission to the program. The average acceptance rate (the number of applicants offered admission to the program divided by the total number of applications) for the past 3 years is 21%. The average matriculation rate (the number of applicants that accept our offer of admission divided by the number of applicants offered admission) for the past 3 years is 54%.

Outcomes
The performance of graduates from the Duke DPT program has been assessed using various types of evaluative data from numerous respondents. This evaluative data has informed the faculty decisions regarding curriculum modifications and continued revisions. Evaluative data collected and analyzed includes: licensure board results, self-assessment of the DPT outcome objectives by graduates post graduation, and employer assessment of the outcome objectives of graduates.Licensure exam results were received from the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy on the Class of 2012. There were 69 graduates from August 2012 who were all “first-time test takers” and 2 graduates from December 2012 who will take the exam at a later date. Of the 69 students who took the exam for the first time, 64 (93%) were passing candidates. Five graduates retook the exam, of those, 3 passed. The total percentage of candidates in the graduation class of 2012 who took the NPTE and passed is 97.1%.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
For the DPT Class of 2015, the estimated tuition and fees are $36,227 for the first year, $35,227 for the second year, and $33,091 for the third year. The school has a limited amount of need-based, low-interest institutional loan funds and scholarships available for students. Contact the Office of Financial Aid, Duke University Medical Center at 919/684-6649.The Duke University Office of Financial Aid estimates that the cost of food and rent, including utilities, for a graduate student in Durham is approximately $21,000 for a 12-month period. The cost of living in central North Carolina is reasonable or even low compared to other schools that offer DPT programs.

The program also requires a $2,000 technology fee in years one and two, and a $1,000 laboratory fee in year one. These fees help cover the cost of encrypted laptops, preloaded with required software, on-site technical support, and the cadaver-based lab that is the foundation of the anatomy class.

Student life
Students enrolled in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Division are integrated in an environment rich in academic and medical resources and social opportunities. Students have access to grand rounds, seminars and other presentations given by nationally and internationally known clinicians and scholars. Students and faculty are involved in direct patient care providing excellent opportunities for the application of translational research. Students also experience interdisciplinary education through a four-day Disaster Training experience with medical, physician assistant and nursing students. Such experiences not create opportunities for curricular integration as well as providing social interaction which would otherwise not occur.In addition to academic pursuits, students are actively involved in many student organizations, intramurals and community activities. For the past two years DPT students have been elected officers in the Duke Graduate and Professional Student Council. All classes haves representatives on the School of Medicine Honor Council. Students participate in a wide variety of intramural sports, and cultural events such as concerts, art exhibits, panel discussions and debates. Students are involved in the surrounding community by volunteering to build a house with Habitat for Humanity, tutor urban children at the Emily K. Krzyzewski Community Center and participating in various faith-based community activities. DPT students organize an annual Cultural Diversity Recruitment Fair which focuses on providing information to students from underserved populations regarding what physical therapists do and how to become a physical therapist. Students also organize an annual DPT 5K Run/Walk which raises money for the Easter Seals Society.

Students have access to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), student health, and gym facilities, a natatorium, tennis courts, soccer, football and baseball fields and numerous trails and parks for relaxation.