AHS Home Page - The Department of Allied Helath Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill
Home
About AHS
Areas of Study
Prospective Students
Current Students
For Faculty and Staff
Alumni and Friends
Clinical Education
Clinical Services
Research
News and Events

 

Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy

DPT Course Descriptions

Preparatory Courses for BS graduates

PHYT 798 Generalist Practice Review: This course is designed to update student knowledge across all areas of practice, and to review topics from pharmacology, pathology and differential diagnosis (3) to be announced. Summer School I.*

PHYT 755 Evidence Based Practice in Review: This course is designed as a review of theoretical framework for evidence based practice and the skills necessary to put evidence based practice to work in the clinical environment (3) Sekerak. Summer School II.*

*This course is specifically designed for graduates of baccalaureate programs in physical therapy who are enrolled in the doctor of physical therapy program.

Clinical Foundation Core

PHYT 820 Advanced Patient Management I (4 credits)

Case based learning format incorporating didactic knowledge, standardized assessment tools, and clinical decision making skills. Includes content augmentation beyond masters-level physical therapy preparation in basic sciences, pharmacology, radiology; differential diagnosis, standardized assessment information. Emphasis is on evidence-based decision making.

PHYT 822 Advanced Patient Management II (4 credits)

A continuation of case-based learning activities from PHYT 320 with increasing level of complexity. Case content will reflect comprehensive sampling of a variety of patient populations and practice environments especially focusing on the unique needs of rural and diverse populations.

PHYT 839 Advanced Practice Issues (2 credits)

Addresses the responsibilities of physical therapists as doctoral level professionals, leadership, public policy, advocacy, cultural competence, disparity in health services, ethics, and related topics.

PHYT 823 Chronic Disease and Disability (3 credits)

This course introduces students to the health care issues related to chronic disease and its sequela of disability. The course is designed in modules covering topics such as health promotion, Chronic Care Models, Measuremeant and self-management of chronic disease.

PHYT 824 Topics in Health and Wellness (3 credits)

Focus on the role of the physical therapist in promoting health and wellness for individual patients and community populations. Issues of health behavior, public policy, community access and efficacy of individual and group programs will be explored. Learners will evaluate health promotion intervention designs in terms of needs assessment strategies and process/outcome evaluation components.


Clinical Practice Core

PHYT 860 Advanced Clinical PracticeI (4 credits)

Knowledge and skills developed in the Clinical Foundation Core are integrated into practice through evidence based practice. The student will select a topic of interest based on their clinical practice and will write a clinical question. The student will then explore the evidence related to the topic. The course will culminate in a final product that includes a table of evidence and a summary about how to integrate the relevant findings into the student's clinical practice. Mentors may be used as necessary to provide additional content specific clinical expertise.

Clinical Specialty Core

PHYT 875 (cross listed w/ HMSC 293) Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Intervention (3 credits)
Discussion of mechanical properties and healing of musculoskeletal tissues throughout the life cycle. Laboratory and seminar units concerned with the examination and intervention for musculoskeletal pathology.

PHYT 880 (cross listed w/ HMSC 282) Child & Family Assessment and Intervention (3 credits)
Evidenced based rationale for examination, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention and outcomes. Cases will draw from both medical and community settings serving infants through young adults and will address system level issues, service coordination, service delivery models, federal regulations, insurance, and needs of families and caregivers.

PHYT 885 Advanced Neuromuscular Intervention (3 credits)
Content includes advanced material pertinent for doctoral level clinical practice in neurology across the lifespan and practice settings. Learners integrate rehabilitation models to explore impairments that influence motor control, motor learning and plasticity in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Learners explore issues of individual interest in depth with a focus on a select degenerative disease or traumatic injury, including methods of assessment and intervention evidence. Translation of evidence into clinical practice is examined by considering ways to improve effectiveness and ensure maintenance of long-term outcomes at program and individual levels.


PHYT 890 Advanced Geriatric Intervention (3 credits)
This course provides advanced material pertinent to doctoral level clinical practice in geriatrics across specialty areas and practice settings. Learners explore physiologic and pathologic changes in musculoskeletal, neurological, integumentary, cardiopulmonary and metabolic systems that occur with aging as a means to plan effective physical therapy intervention for older adults.


PHYT 854 Doctoral Project (4 credits)
The Doctoral Project, for which students will receive 4 credits, will involve an extensive case study, an educational project, or other project of significant depth reflective of doctoral level of study approved by the student's committee. Students will be encouraged to select projects that address critical and diverse population needs within their local community. Regardless of the format chosen, the project must include at least one component (e.g., an abstract or an educational module) that will be posted on the web. Each student will select a project review committee composed of a project advisor, who is a member of the faculty, and two clinicians from the community. At least one of the clinicians must be a licensed physical therapist.

Students may form the project review committee and begin working on their projects any time after they have completed the first course in the Advanced Patient Management series. With assistance from the project advisor, each student will develop a timeline for timely completion of the project.

Case Study

Students who choose to perform a case study will be required to: 1) identify a clinical problem, relating to either an individual or a community health issue; 2) develop a theoretical model, based on evidence from the scientific literature, that provides a framework for addressing this problem; 3) develop and implement a specific intervention plan; 4) measure and document the outcomes of the intervention; and 5) prepare a paper for professional dissemination of information about the project and its results.

Educational Program

Students who choose to develop an educational program will be required to: 1) identify a clinical problem as the topic of the presentation; 2) write behavioral objectives for the learners; 3) develop one or more tools for evaluating attainment of objectives by the learners; 4) develop multimedia teaching/learning module(s); 5) present the module(s) to a professional or community audience; and 6) write an assessment of the effectiveness of the module(s), including review of data collected from the learners and the student's self-assessment.

Other formats for the doctoral project, such as a well-defined clinical research project, may be used with approval of the student's committee. The doctoral project typically will be done on an individual basis, but a group of 2 or 3 students may, under special circumstances, work together to complete a project. In this case, all members of the group will receive the same grade for the project.

Academic Advisor

Each student will be assigned an academic advisor upon enrollment. The faculty advisor will assist the student in individual curriculum design, selection of clinical mentors and the project advisor. As the student progresses through the program the student will select clinical mentors to guide the process of developing clinical competencies and a project advisor and project review committee to oversee the doctoral project.

.