Welcome to the Ohio University School of Physical Therapy Web site. We hope you enjoy browsing through the information that we have displayed for you and that you are able to find easily the information you are seeking. We are very proud of our program, our faculty, students, alumni, facilities, clinics and our curriculum.
We are now officially a DPT (doctor of physical therapy) program. In 2004, we graduated our first 13 DPT students. These 13 students represent approximately 50 percent of the Class of 2004 who elected to transition to the entry-level doctorate from their original MPT program. The entire class of 2005 elected to transfer to the DPT. We graduated our first class on the new DPT curriculum in 2006 and they set the bar high for all other classess since they had a first time pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) of 100%. The class of 2007 and the class of 2008 had first time pass rates of 95.45% and 100% respectively.
Considering the changes that have occurred in the program, I feel it important to talk a little about our history. We have now a 25 year history of excellence in physical therapy education. Ohio University has the distinction of being the first entry-level master’s degree curriculum in a public institution in the state of Ohio and now we are the first to have succeeded in offering the DPT. We are accredited by the Commission of Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (DPT). We also started the first transitional DPT program in a public institution in Ohio. We have been leaders in the state in physical therapy education since the inception of the program. We have 10 full time faculty members, several of whom are doctorally prepared. We also have several clinical specialists on our faculty and staff; we have a Geriatric Clinical Specialist and an Neurology Clinical Specialist. Our clinical staff in Ohio University Therapy Associates have also completed certifications in Vestibular Rehabilitation, and Orthopedics.
Our clinical facilities at the University include our contracts with O'Bleness Memorial Hospital and Castrop Outpatient Center at which we offer acute care, a balance clinic, pediatric clinic, and women's health. Therefore, students learn from their part-time clinical experiences in our clinical facilities and our clinicians are intimately involved with our teaching program. Our other part-time experiences are located within one hour of our campus, but our full time experiences (there are 4 full time experiences in the program) are throughout the country in one of our 300 plus facilities. We are proud of the fact that our program is supported by an excellent clinical teaching faculty and that we have many opportunities for students in almost any field in which PTs practice. We work hard with students to make sure that their interest and needs are met with their clinical sites and to make sure that we graduate a generalist who can practice in any setting.
We are also proud of the research that goes on in our various labs. In the Motor Control Lab, Dr. James Thomas was awarded a 1.5 million dollar NIH research grant for his study of motor control and low back pain. Dr. David Russ studies the properties of muscle, particularly related to fatigue. Dr Betty Sindelar studies the TMJ through bench and clinical studies. These are examples of the types of research that faculty participate in, but we invite you to view the faculty pages to see what all of their interests are. Students are required to be involved in research while in the program and they work with faculty in one of our research labs to accomplish this goal.
Our curriculum is 3 years in length and is organized to progress from simple to complex. There is an emphasis on communication skills as well as problem solving, critical thinking, evidence-based practice, and lifelong learning.
So, my final word (I promise!) is about the job market. Right now, there is a critical need for physical therapists. Many facilities are offering such things as sign-on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, etc. for joining their staff. Of course, that’s great news for graduates.
Our application guidelines and electronic application are on this site if you are interested in applying to the program. We start the program in the middle of June each year. You are welcome to visit the School of Physical Therapy to meet with faculty and students. Please call for an appointment (740-593-1224) and please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you have questions.
Sincerely,
Averell S. Overby, Dr. P.H., P.T.
Director