Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

William Carey University

Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

DPT 5970 – Experiential Learning I

Spring 2017

Course Description:

Clinical practice in an assigned clinical setting for part-time clinical education experience, practicing clinical skills learned to date in a patient care setting under direct supervision of clinical faculty and staff. Learners in good academic standing who have satisfactorily completed to-date professional coursework, who demonstrate acceptable professional behaviors as defined in the handbook, and who have passed all cumulative trimester exams may participate.

Prerequisite Course work:Anatomy I and II; Physiology I and II; Kinesiology I and II; PT Practice I, II and III; Foundations of Professionalism I. Students must have passed all coursework to date, as well as Integrated Trimester Practical Exams, in order to participate in Experiential Learning I. In addition, students must meet all criteria listed in the handbook under Eligibility for Experiential Learning.

Faculty Name:Prehn, DCE

Faculty Phone:(601) 318-6560

Faculty Email:

Office Hours:TBD

Credit Hours:1

Clock Hours Clinical:54 hours (6 hours per week)

Course Outcomes:

At completion of this clinical experience, the student will be able to:

DPT5970.1. Practice in a safe manner that minimizes the risk to patient, self, and others, under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist

DPT5970.2.Demonstrate professional behavior in all situations

DPT5970.3.Practice in a manner consistent with established legal and professional standards and ethical guidelines

DPT5970.4.Communicate in ways that are congruent with situational needs

DPT5970.5.Perform physical therapy interventions in a competent manner, under supervision of licensed physical therapist

DPT5970.6.Adapt delivery of physical therapy services with consideration for patients’ differences, values, preferences, and needs

DPT5970.7. Establish professional relationships with patients, families and all healthcare team members

DPT5970.8.Participate in self-assessment to improve clinical and professional performance

Grading:

Final grades for each clinical experience is the responsibility of the DCE and related faculty. Grades are based on clinical performance instrument (CPI), professional behavior self-assessment (Professional Behavior Assessment), communication from CI’s and CCCE’s, weekly planning sheets with self-reflection, and completion and quality of work assigned during the clinical experience.

In the event that a student is at risk for failing a clinical experience, the CI notifies the DCE and a student learning contract is developed with input from the CI, DCE and student. If progress is not sufficient with the learning contract, then a remediation plan is established with specific objectives, timelines and consequences developed to address areas of concern. Student compliance with the remediation plan is mandatory.

Should a student not be making sufficient progress to pass or if the remediation plan has not been completed, an extension of the clinical experience may be requested when logistically possible. If the student requires such an extension, the student will receive a grade of “incomplete” for that clinical experience until the extension is completed.

Should a student fail a clinical experience, the DCE will meet with the CI, the program director and related faculty to determine if the student will be allowed to continue with academic coursework with the opportunity of repeating the clinical experience.

Grade will be assigned by the DCE, based on the following:

Weekly Plans with self-reflection 25%

Mid-term self-assessment using CPI25%

Mid-term self-assessment using Professional Behaviors Assessment (must pass at Beginning Level)25%

Final CPI (student should meet criteria for Advanced Beginner)25%

Course Requirements:

Experiential Learning I occurs Year 1, spring trimester. This part-time experience allows students to participate in the daily management and care of physical therapy patients. Clinical performance, professional behaviors, and patient safety are emphasized. Students attend clinic two mornings per week for three hours each day. The student will practice clinical skills learned to date in a patient care setting under supervision of a licensed physical therapist.

During this clinical experience, students are expected to require close clinical supervision 100% of the time, managing patients with constant monitoring and feedback, even with patients with simple conditions. At this point in the professional education experience, students should be able to participate in patient management to include the following: manual muscle testing, range of motion measurement, patient positioning and draping, patient interview, chart review, patient transfers, basic documentation, and patient instruction in walker, crutch and cane use.

Participation: Students will fully participate in this part-time clinical experience, under the supervision of a physical therapist.

Self-reflection: At the beginning, mid-term and end of the clinical experience, students are required to self-assess and reflect on their performance of clinical skills and professional behavior. At these three times during each clinical experience, students will complete the CPI and the Professional Behaviors Self-Assessment and have them signed and dated by their clinical instructor or CCCE.

Documentation: Students will complete weekly planning forms to monitor and facilitate progress in meeting the objectives, and to track clinical experiences. Clinical instructors sign off on each planning form.

At the beginning of the clinical experience, students will complete Initial Clinic Contact Information and send to DCE via Canvas:

Correct spelling of your CI’s name

CI’s email address

Clinic site name

Physical address of clinic

Clinic hours

Clinic/ CI phone number

CI APTA Credentialed? Yes or no (CAPTE reporting requirement)

CI ABPTS certified? Yes or no

At the end of each clinical experience, students are required to complete the Student Clinical Site Evaluation and the Clinical Instruction Evaluation. These evaluations are essential in the process of maintaining quality clinical sites. Grades will not be awarded for these clinical experiences until these evaluations have been received by the DCE.

Appearance: Students are required to comply with the professional appearance policy as stated in the handbook.

Course content

Attendance Policy

Attendance for the entirety of each clinical experience is mandatory. In the event of illness or other family emergency, the student is responsible for immediately notifying the CI and the DCE. Absences greater than three days are to be made up as determined by the DCE and clinical faculty. Students are expected to be punctual with all clinic attendance. Failure to arrive on time is considered unprofessional behavior and can be sufficient to prompt remedial action. Guests and family members are not to visit the student at the clinical site during clinic hours.

Statement on Academic Integrity

William Carey University seeks to create an environment that encourages continued growth of moral and ethical values, which include personal honesty and mutual trust. The University places the highest value on academic integrity and regards any act of academic dishonesty as a serious offense. Academic dishonesty is considered unethical and in violation of WilliamCareyUniversity’s academic standards and Christian commitment. If such an incident occurs, students, faculty, and/or staff are obligated to initiate appropriate action. Depending upon the seriousness of the offense, sanctions could include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or dismissal from the University. Complete procedural guidelines for dealing with incidents of academic dishonesty are on file in the Office of Student Services, the Office of Academic Affairs, each academic dean’s office, and each campus dean’s office.

ADA Statement

Students with disabilities who are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and require special accommodations should contact Mrs. Valerie Bridgeforth at 601-318-6188. Mrs. Bridgeforth is located in the Student Services Office in Lawrence Hall.

Disaster Plan Statement

In the event of closure or cancellations due to natural disaster or other emergency causes, general information will be forwarded to local media, posted on the WCU website and sent via automated process to your WCU student e-mail address. Specific information regarding the continuation of coursework will be posted on the university’s course management system at For up-to-the-minute alerts regarding emergency situations, sign up to receive notifications through SaderWatch, the WCU emergency message service. Sign up instructions can be found at

Sexual Misconduct Statement

It is the policy of William Carey University to comply with all federal and state laws governing sexual misconduct. Further, William Carey University reaffirms its principle, as well as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, that all students have a right to be free from sexual discrimination in the form of sexual harassment and sexual violence. Students are referred to the Student Handbook, The Translation (The Red Book), for policy statements regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault and for procedures for reporting and responding to sexual offenses. The policies and procedures may also be found on the university’s website under Campus Life – Security.