College of Health and Human Services Information 1998-99

School of Physical Therapy

Convocation Center

Averell Overby, Director

The School of Physical Therapy offers an entry-level master's program in physical therapy leading to a Master of Physical Therapy (M.P.T.) degree. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The 3+3 curriculum means that you can complete three years of undergraduate study and three years of professional or graduate study. The professional program begins in June and extends over a three-calendar-year period.

The problem-solving curriculum is designed to prepare competent health care professionals who will be able to employ critical decision-making skills for optimal patient care and to use critical inquiry for self- assessment, health care and professional issues, evaluation, research, and practice analysis.

Clinical experience is integrated with the didactic and laboratory components throughout the program of study. Part- time clinical practica are arranged in local clinics (community hospitals, home health agencies, extended care facilities, developmental disabilities centers, and private practices) supervised by faculty and staff from Ohio University Therapy Associates, the schoolÕs faculty practice, and local clinicians. Full-time clinical practica are arranged in clinical facilities located outside the Athens area. The School of Physical Therapy has agreements with a large variety of medical centers, general acute hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and specialty clinics in Ohio as well as Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

If accepted into the program, you will be responsible for your own transportation to and from clinical sites and for housing and other living expenses during all of your affiliations. You also will be required to:

Obtain CPR certification prior to participation in full-time practica.
Have a physical examination, including evidence of results of a recent TB skin test.
Provide documentation of current immunization for hepatitis B (or a waiver form).

Some sites may require proof of immunization for other selected diseases. In addition, you must purchase malpractice insurance to be eligible for participation in the clinical practica. Membership in the American Physical Therapy Association and attendance at state conferences are encouraged.

Eligibility to Apply

The School of Physical Therapy accepts students in two categories: those who already possess a baccalaureate degree and those who are eligible to receive a baccalaureate degree by the completion of the first year of professional study.

You must meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for June admission to the School of Physical Therapy's graduate program:

Earned a minimum overall grade-point average (g.p.a.) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Completed at least 8 of the 13 Life and Physical Sciences prerequisite courses by the end of the fall quarter in which you apply. You must complete the remainder of the math, behavioral, and life/physical science prerequisites during the winter and spring quarters following submission of your application and before beginning study in the program.
Completion of (or the ability to complete by the end of the first year of the program) a baccalaureate degree.

Minimum Prerequisite Course Requirements (*)

General

PHIL 101  Fundamentals of Philosophy         5 or
PHIL 120  Principles of Reasoning            4
PHIL 130  Intro to Ethics                    4

Mathematics

MATH 163A ,B   Calculus                       4

Behavioral Science

PSY  101  General Psychology                 5
PSY  273  Child and Adolescent Psychology    4
PSY  332  Abnormal Psychology                4
ANTH 101  Intro to Cultural Anthropology     5
SOC  101  Intro to Sociology                 5
PSY  221  Statistics for the Behavioral
          Sciences                           5

Life and Physical Sciences (**)

BIOS 301,
302       Human Anatomy                      6
BIOS 170, 
          Intro to Zoology                   5
BIOS 352  Biomechanics                       4 or
BIOS 420  Animal Locomotion                  4
PESS 302  Biomechanics                       4
CHEM 121,
122,123   Principles of Chemistry           12 or
CHEM 151,
152,153   Fundamentals of Chemistry         15
BIOS 445,
446       Exercise Physiology                7
PESS 414,
415       Exercise Physiology                7
PHYS 201,
202       Intro to Physics                  10
BIOS 345,
346    Physiology                            7

Total 94-98 quarter hours

* Recommended routes at Ohio University for completing prerequisite coursework, a baccalaureate degree, or a degree in absentia are through the College of Arts and Sciences Biological Sciences Pre-Physical Therapy Program or Psychology Pre-Physical Therapy Program; or the College of Health and Human Services, School of Recreation and Sport Sciences, Sport Sciences-Exercise Physiology program, which offers a slightly less direct route. Contact your advisor for additional information or questions about the in absentia degree. If you are in the Sport Sciences-Exercise Physiology option and have questions about the in absentia degree, contact the school director, Grover Center 5.

** All life and physical science courses except for Biomechanics/Animal Locomotion must include a laboratory component. You must have a total of 20 quarter hours (14 semester hours) at or above the junior (300) level in the anatomy, physiology, and exercise physiology lecture and lab courses.

Application Procedures

Materials are available each September for application to the following year's class (which begins in June). The application deadline is the third Wednesday in November. Complete the following procedures to apply:

Obtain a Physical Therapy Graduate Program Admission Packet from the School of Physical Therapy, Ohio University, 172 Convocation Center, Athens OH 45701. (Note: all application materials will be included in the packet. Do not use application or recommendation forms found in the Graduate Catalog.)
Submit completed application packets to the School of Physical Therapy at the address shown in item 1 above. There is a nonrefundable fee for application to a graduate program at Ohio University. The following must be included with the packet:
a. Evidence of either an earned baccalaureate degree or plan for degree completion:
If you have a baccalaureate degree at the time of application, submit transcripts with verification of the degree(s) awarded.
If you do not have a baccalaureate degree at the time of application but will have a baccalaureate degree awarded before beginning the professional program in June, submit a plan for completing the degree signed by your advisor.
Verification of the completion of degree requirements must be provided before you begin the professional program. An official transcript indicating the awarding of the degree must be received by Graduate Student Services by the start of the fall quarter.
If you will not have a baccalaureate degree before you begin the professional program in June and you are pursuing an in absentia degree, you must submit a plan for completing the in absentia degree that has been signed by the dean of your college or your advisor. (If you are admitted to the program and you do not complete a degree by the end of the first year, you will not be allowed to progress into the second year which begins the next June.)
b. Two official transcripts, with course descriptions, from each postsecondary institution attended. (You do not need to submit transcripts for coursework completed at Ohio University.)
c. Nonrefundable application fee.

Selection Procedures

The admissions committee of the School of Physical Therapy considers the following in ranking and selecting eligible applicants:

Overall g.p.a.
Prerequisite life and physical sciences g.p.a.
Interview
Essay
References

Typically 36 students will be admitted yearly. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by mid-April.

Program of Study

The following is a listing of the courses required in the first year of the three-calendar-year graduate professional education program in physical therapy. Courses are dual-listed at the undergraduate (400 numbers) and graduate level (500 numbers). Depending upon your admittance status, you enroll in either the undergraduate or graduate level of the course during your first year. The remaining two years of the program are at the graduate level and are described in the Ohio University Graduate Catalog.

First Year Coursework

PT   400/500    Human Anatomy and Dissection  7
PT   401/501    Functional Anatomy            3
PT   402/502    Clinical Kinesiology          3
PT   403/503    Pathophysiologic Proc.
                in Physical Therapy           2
PT   404/504    Intro to the Profession       2
PT   405/505    Intro to Clinical Education   2
PT   412/512    Professional Role Issues      2
PT   425A/525A  Evaluation: Case Studies      2
PT   440/540    Clinical Decision Making      3
PT   448A/548A  Clinical Modalities           3
PT   450A/550A  Intro to Clinical
                Orthopedics                   3
PT   467/567    General Medical Surgical      3
PT   480A/580A  Research Design               3
BIOS 402/502    Neuroscience                  4

Eligibility Requirements to Begin Physical Therapy Coursework

If admitted, you must meet the following requirements before beginning physical therapy coursework in June:

Completion of all prerequisite coursework.
An earned baccalaureate degree or an approved plan for baccalaureate degree completion by the end of the first year of the physical therapy program. If you do not complete a degree by the end of the first year, you will not be allowed to progress into the second year (which begins the next June).

University Publications and Computer Services revised this file (https://www.ohio.edu/catalog/98-99/colleges/pt.htm) August 4, 1999.

Please e-mail comments or suggestions to "ucat@www.ohiou.edu."