General Program Description

The mission of the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program is committed to the education of front-line physical therapy providers who are prepared to meet the diverse health care needs of society, including rural communities and underserved populations, through practice, education, and administration. Program graduates are committed to interprofessional collaboration and are recognized as leaders in the provision of evidence based practice that is compassionate, ethical, and legal. The College of St. Scholastica (CSS) doctor in physical therapy (DPT) is a post-baccalaureate, 3 year (33 continuous month) program requiring completion of 108 credits designed to provide learning opportunities that develop intellectual, affective, and psychomotor skills required in physical therapy practice. Five components forming the base of physical therapy are integrated into our entry-level curriculum: Foundational Sciences (basic science information); Tests & Measures (skills associated with examination and evaluation); Interventions (communication/coordination, documentation, education, and therapeutic procedures); Professional and social responsibility (professional socialization/professional behaviors, administration, ethics, teamwork); and, Patient/client management (integrative courses to hone clinical decision making and reasoning). The program is based on concept progression moving from simple to complex, from single-system to multi-system involvement, and from wellness to deviations from wellness. Philosophically, our DPT program is based on the confluence of the Benedictine values including love of learning, respect, community, hopstiality, and stewardship and the core values for physical therapy professionalism. In the first year of the DPT program students cultivate their knowledge of the profession and begin fundamental skill acquisition. During the second and third years of professional education students continue to acquire knowledge and clinical application skills along with proficiency in incorporating critical inquiry and evidence-based practice skills necessary for sound clinical decision-making.

Clinical Experiences
Students are required to complete four full-time internships (36 weeks total) in a variety of practice settings and geographic areas. Students must complete one internship in a rural setting with the remaining internships in varied settings such as sports medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, acute care, rehabilitation, and cardiac care. CSS has contracts with over 200 facilities across the country. While the majority of clinical sites are in the upper Midwest region, possible internship options exist from Maine to California and Alaska to Florida. During the academic year, first year students gain confidence in patient/client interactions during structured rotations; in the second year students expand their confidence and skills application through clinical rotations to local facilities and industries. Unique clinical rotations for second year students include treating patients in two student run clinics. One clinic is located at Lake Superior College (LSC) where our students work with physical therapist assistant (PTA) students to provide physical therapy services to underinsured and uninsured community residents and faculty/staff/students of LSC. At the LSC clinic, our students develop teamwork skills necessary for the direction and supervision of a PTA. The other unique rotation is our on-campus interprofessional clinic, which, in addition to working wtih PTA students, provides opportunities for developing collaboration and teamwork with occupational therapy students by providing therapy services to CSS faculty/staff/students and to Duluth-Superior community residents. In both settings, students provide all elements of the patient/client management model (examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention) and gain skill with electronic health records for documentation.

Faculty
There are 10 full-time faculty members and several adjunct faculty for didactic instruction. Of the full-time faculty, 50% hold post-professional doctoral degrees, four are ABPTS certified specialists (two in geriatrics, and two in orthopedics). Core and adjunct faculty are active in clinical practice in a variety of settings including home health care, rural, private practice, orthopedics, acute care hospital, rehabilitation, and sports medicine. Over the past 3 years, faculty have averaged two publications in peer-reviewed professional journals and have presented at state and national conferences. Faculty are active contributors to professional associations through membership, holding elected positions, serving as appointed members to boards and committees, serving as editors and consultants for journals and textbooks, and writing questions for the national licensure examination. Because community service is also valued, faculty serve as role models by serving as coaches, board members, and being involved in humanitarian efforts for local and global causes. The full-time faculty to student ratio averages 1:12 in the didactic portion of the program, primarily in lab based courses; during clinical rotations, the average ratio is 1:2-4.

Enrollment
Over 2,000 students are enrolled at The College of St. Scholastica (CSS), the only co-educational, independent college in northeastern Minnesota. The physical therapy program accepts up to 36 students each year. A mix of 6-12 transfer students and 24-30 CSS students are admitted to the PT program yearly.

Admission
Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) and prerequisite GPA of 3.0 to apply. Admission to the program is based on GPA, exposure to the profession through volunteer or work experiences, GRE scores, written essays, and letters of recommendations. Program prerequisites are: one course each in developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, statistics, and medical terminology; full year/full sequences in human or vertebrate anatomy/physiology, chemistry, and college physics, all of which require lab components. Deadline for application is October 1 each year with selection and notification for admission completed in December. Applications are made through PTCAS. Approximately 70% of qualified applicants are admitted to the program (3-year average). The DPT program begins in late June of each year and runs for 33 consecutive months.

Outcomes
98% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average). Of the graduates who take the licensure examination, 98% pass (3-year average), with 93% passing on the first attempt. Employment rate averages 100% for those seeking employment (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
For the 2013-2014 academic year, tuition for the physical therapy program is $775/credit. The first year DPT is 46 credits, second year DPT is 45 credits, and the third year is 17 credits. Estimated cost of fees and textbooks for the entire program is $3,000. In addition, students must allocate money for travel and lodging for clinical internships, which could range from $500-$1,500. On-campus student housing is available ranging from $4835-5320 per year; summer on-campus housing is approximately $925. Information regarding financial aid for DPT students can be obtained by contacting Trish Johnson, Graduate Financial Aid, The College of St. Scholastica, 1200 Kenwood Ave, Duluth MN 55811 218/723-7027.

Student life
The relatively small size of the College community and the spacious, wooded setting make CSS an excellent place for friendship and retreat, with many places to walk and relax. Options for housing, food service, and recreational facilities are located near academic buildings. Duluth’s city transit system connects CSS with shopping areas, movie theaters, and places to visit and explore. Students ride free on the bus with a valid CSS ID. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound on campus and in the surrounding area. Minneapolis/St. Paul is 150 miles south of Duluth and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is 100 miles north. Duluth is the regional medical referral center, which includes three large hospitals, adult and pediatric rehabilitation centers, and numerous physical therapy clinics.