General Info

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program has relationships with more than 150 clinical facilities that serve as sites for clinical education experiences.  These sites span the scope of physical therapy practice settings across the lifespan from pediatrics through geriatrics.  In addition, students explore the entire continuum of care through their experiences including opportunities in the following: inpatient acute, subacute, skilled nursing, rehabilitation and extended care, outpatient hospital-based and private practices, school systems, as well as home health care.  Finally students are able to explore multiple specialty areas such as women’s health, integumentary/wound care, aquatics, vestibular/concussion, sports medicine and more.  

The locations of these sites range from the Greater Cleveland metropolitan area throughout Ohio and into several states across the US.  The numbers and percentages of affiliated clinical education sites in each of these areas is as follows (as of March 2015):

Location	# of Sites	% of Sites
Greater Cleveland (including Akron/Canton)	118	76%
Throughout Ohio (including Warren/Youngstown, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton & Cincinnati areas)	26	17%
Across United States	11	7%

Applied PT I -V are the formal clinical education/clinical practice courses in the professional curriculum.   Applied PT I-III are fully integrated within the didactic course work, whereas Applied PT IV & V are scheduled following completion of all academic courses.  In support of the CSU DPT Program mission, students are required to complete one “urban” clinical experience that may be scheduled during any of the Applied PT I-IV assignments.  

The clinical education program is designed to prepare graduates to practice in a variety of settings in order to promote optimum health across the lifespan.  In order to do this, students are required to complete clinical experiences in a variety of settings. 

Students are required to complete one acute care experience, and this can be completed during any of the Applied PT I-IV experiences.  In addition, students are required to complete one outpatient and one chronic experience during Applied PT II-IV.  Students are expected to achieve entry-level performance by the conclusion of Applied PT IV. 

Applied PT V is an elective practicum experience where students may explore an area of special interest in any one of a variety of specialized clinical practice, clinical research, and/or administration/practice management, etc. areas during the final seven weeks of the DPT curriculum prior to graduation. 

COURSE #	COURSE TITLE	SEMESTER	CLOCK HOURS	# WEEKS	# CREDITS
DPT 686	Applied PT I	Summer II	400	10	6
DPT 786	Applied PT II	Spring III	320	8	5
DPT 788	Applied PT III	Spring III	320	8	5
DPT 886	Applied PT IV	Fall III	320	8	5
DPT 888	Applied PT V	Fall III	280	7	5
Totals			1640	41	26