General Program Description

Mission The mission of the division of physical therapy is to advance the profession of physical therapy through education, scholarship, leadership, and service. Vision Our vision is that the Physical Division at The Ohio State University will be among the truly great physical therapy programs. Description The DPT program at OSU is the oldest program in Ohio. We opened in 1955 and have been accredited ever since. The curriculum begins with introductory coursework in anatomy, neuroscience, professionalism, and bsic procedures. From there, it moves into an integrated, case-based program formatted around practice patterns and clinical presentations. The order of progression is musculoskeletal, pediatrics, neurology, geriatrics, and special patient populations. Students enroll and pay fees for 9 consecutive semesters. Fall and Autumn Semesters are 15 weeks each plus 1 week of exams; there is a 4-week may-mester, and summer term is 7-8 weeks. The program is a 4 + 3 format, with students entering after completion of a baccalaureate degree in a field of their choice. The professional curriculum begins in June and concludes with graduation in May 3 years later. All students complete 40 weeks of clinical experiences, which includes two 6-week clinical affiliations (40 hours/week each) embedded in the first two years of the didactic program; two 10-week clinical affiliations (40 hours/week) at the end of the second year, and one 8-week (40 hours/week) specialized clinical at the end of the third year. Students average 20-25 hours per week in class during the didcactic quarters with classes scheduled Monday – Thursday, and a lighter schedule on Fridays. Additional details, including prerequisites and the curriculum, are available on the OSU web page: http://amp.osu.edu/pt/. Opportunity exists for select individuals to pursue a combined DPT/PhD program with the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences PhD, which requires additional coursework and research experience. For more information about the PhD program see http://medicine.osu.edu/hrs/

Clinical Experiences
Students participate in patient demonstrations and observations in each quarter of the curriculum. In the second half of the musculoskeletal curriculum, there is an 8-week integrated clinical experience, 3 hours/wk. After the basic musculoskeletal content is completed, there is a 6-week full-time clinical focused on this content area. During the next stage of didactic learning for pediatrics, neurology, and geriatrics, integrated clinical experiences are provided in the form of service learning. A second intermediate clinical experience of 6-weeks allows development of those clinical skills. After another short didactic experience to complete the basic preparation for practice, there are two 10-week full time clinical experiences. Students are expected to be prepared for entry level practice by the end of this phase of the education. There is then a final portion of the didactic curriculum devoted to advanced practice skills and electives, followed by a final 8-week specialized clinical with a focus on research, specialization, or independent practice to complete the program. Part-time tuition is paid during the full-time clinical experiences. Students are responsible for all costs associated with clinical education experiences. As the oldest program in Ohio with a history of relatively medium to large graduating class sizes, we have an extensive network of alumni, which translates into a large selection of clinical sites. In 2014, there were over 900 sites contracted with OSU. Our sites are concentrated in Ohio, but we also have sites throughout the nation. For the specialized clinical practicum, we have even utilized international sites. Each student travels beyond the Columbus area for at least one clinical. Ohio locations include Cincinnati and Cleveland. Popular areas outside of Ohio include Arizona, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. If a student would like to travel to a particular area, requests can be made to the director of clinical education. Our academic faculty work closely with the clinical instructors for each student to assure a high quality clinical experience that meets our standards for excellence.

Faculty
Our faculty are internationally recognized for excellence in teaching, research, clinical practice, and professional service. We are proud to have a blend of faculty serving these roles in various ways. Among our core group, we have APTA-certified clinical specialists, NIH funded researchers, and award winners for excellence in teaching at the University and beyond. Several are engaged in current clinical practice, and most have a PhD. We also serve in a variety of leadership roles in the APTA and for other national and international societies. Present grant funding among faculty exceeds $10 million, and most of these funds are from the National Institutes of Health. In addition to these faculty, we have a large cadre of special contributors to the program who bring expertise for topics such as women’s health, prosthetics and orthotics, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and various other aspects of PT practice. Supplementing the regular instruction in the clinical skills laboratories, we have contingent of 12 PTs who are in one of our five residency programs. These leading young therapists have a 75% appointment in the clinic. With their remaining time, they serve as teaching assistants in our professional practice labs and study their area of specialization. We also have hundreds of clinical instructors in clinics in Columbus, around Ohio, and throughout the nation. With this blend of clinical experts, scientific leaders, and national renowned faculty recognized for service to the profession, we strive for a balance to meet the broad needs for a well rounded entry level education in the doctorate of physical therapy.

Enrollment
The university accepts 60,000 students of diverse backgrounds, ages, cultures and gender. The physical therapy program admits up to 48 students each year from a pool of approximately 450 applicants.

Admission
Prerequisites for admission to the Physical Therapy Division include a two-course sequence in biology, chemistry, and physics and one course in statistics or research design, physiology, exercise physiology, anatomy, general psychology, human growth and development, and medical terminology. All sciences should be those for science majors. Applicants must complete 40 volunteer hours with a physical therapist prior to their application. The grade point average of previous classes has been approximately 3.8. Application instructions are on the program’s webpage at http://medicine.osu.edu/hrs/pt/future-students/applying/pages/index.aspx. We use the PTCAS system. Admission decisions are made in December and January, with a waiting list completed by March. Students begin the program in June. Approximately 10% of qualified applicants are admitted to the program.

Outcomes
Ninety-five percent of admitted students graduate from the program. The overall pass rate for graduates who have elected to take the licensure exam is 100% over the past three years, and this has represented a 95% first time pass rate.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition for the 2014-2015 academic year is approximately $20,041 per year for residents and $44,761 per year for nonresidents. Additional program-related expenses such as books and professional dues come to about $1,500 per year. Room and board should be approximately $7,000 per year. Health insurance and parking fees are additional. Approximately 50% of the students receive some type of financial aid. Information is available from the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Student life
The University is located in Columbus, population of approximately 600,000 in the city and 1.5 million in Franklin County, is approximately 1.5 miles from downtown. An airport and multiple major medical and educational facilities are within a 30-minute drive of the campus. The University offers on- and off-campus housing. Public transportation is accessible and limited automobile access and parking are permitted. Major intercollegiate athletics, extensive intramural athletics and music, theater, and other fine arts activities are available to students.