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Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy
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Transitional DPT Program - Online Physical Therapy Degree | The College of St. Scholastica

The College of St. Scholastica is pleased to offer the transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree. This program is designed to help Bachelor level and Master level graduates of physical therapy programs achieve degree parity with entry level Doctor of Physical Therapy practitioners.

Mission:
Consistent with the mission of the College, the School of Health Sciences, Graduate and Extended Studies, and the Department of Physical Therapy, the mission of the transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT) Program is to offer a quality degree parity educational program to practicing physical therapists whose entry-level degree is not the doctor of physical therapy.

Purpose:
The CSS tDPT program is a distance learning education program designed for the working clinician that will advance knowledge in content area that has been added to today's entry-level DPT program but not addressed in bachelor's or master's degree curricula. The courses are designed for and delivered online with the ability to interact with faculty and other learners through on-line discussion board postings, email, and restricted chat rooms. Focus is on gaining theoretical knowledge to advance one's practice, profession, and interaction with other professionals.

Outcomes for the tDPT program:

Upon completion of the tDPT program, the learner will be able to: practice in a competent, ethical, and legal manner, demonstrate the abilities and skills required of autonomous practitioners; apply leadership skills in relation to the practice of physical therapy; demonstrate a commitment to professionalism including but not limited to life long learning and advocacy for the profession and health care consumer; integrate the process of critical inquiry for evidence based practice evaluate published studies related to physical therapy practice, research, and policy, and integrate the findings into clinical practice; integrate concepts of diagnostic imaging and pharmacology in the comprehensive management of patients and clients; synthesize patient/client signs and symptom for differential diagnosis; utilize The Guide to Physical Therapist

Program Structure:
The tDPT program is designed to offer at least two courses each semester. Enrollment will be capped at 24 learners per course because of the distance learning component. By limiting enrollment to 24, course faculty can maintain more personal, individualized contact with distant learners and camaraderie between learners can be promoted in a virtual classroom. By offering two courses per semester, learners will have an option of taking one or two courses. The courses will be offered on a rotating basis so that learners can enter the program at the beginning of any semester.

Of the six courses required in our program, PTH 6725 Differential Diagnosis (3 cr.) can only be taken after successful completion of both PTH 6710 Pharmacology for Physical Therapists (3 cr.) and PTH 6715 Diagnostic Imaging for Physical Therapists (2 cr.).

PTH 6730 Evidence Based Practice (3 cr.) is a good course to take first, as it sets the stage for graduate level writing and integration of evidence into your practice. In addition, several courses require you to investigate the current literature for assignments. PTH 6735 Health Policy (3 cr.) is also another course to take early in your tDPT education. It is a writing intensive course and can help hone your writing skills for subsequent courses.

PTH 6735 Clinical Experience (2 cr.) is considered our capstone course of the program. It integrates content from previous courses in a portfolio. It is also the course that solidifies the Benedictine values, which our program espouses, as integral values within the profession.

Program offerings:
The courses offered were designed to fill the gap between previous physical therapy education curriculum and the entry-level Doctoral level curriculum. The courses have also been designed to be delivered for the most part on-line to allow the working clinicians to participate. The program has 15 credits in six courses covering pharmacology, diagnostic imaging, health care policy, differential diagnosis, evidence based practice and clinical experience. EXCEPTION: graduates of the College of St Scholastica's program from December 2005 will not need to take PTH 6730, Evidence Based Practice, as that course was a part of their Master's work.

Course descriptions are:

PTH 6710 Pharmacology for Physical Therapists (3 credits) - Analysis of common classifications of pharmacological agents and their potential effects on a physical therapy assessment and plan of care. Basic principles of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and drug receptors will be covered. Anti-inflammatory agents, as well as medications use to treat cardiac, pulmonary, endocrine and neurological system dysfunction.

PTH 6715 - Diagnostic Imaging (2 credits) - Compares and contrasts benefits and limitations of various medical imaging techniques including X-Ray, CT Scan, MRI, MRA, PET, ultrasound. Criteria for imaging referral, imaging report interpretation and basic imaging assessment are covered.

PTH 6720 Health Policy (3 credits) - Analysis of legal issues surrounding health care in America and the promotion of advocacy for reform.

PTH 6725 - Differential Diagnosis (3 credits) - Focuses on diagnostic process and clinical reasoning skills in patient/client management. Emphasis is on the differential diagnosis process for physical therapy and indications for referral. Prerequisites are PTH 6710 - Pharmacology for Physical Therapists and PTH 6715 - Diagnostic Imaging.

PTH 6730 - Evidence Based Practice in Physical Therapy (3 credits) -Applies concepts of evidence-based practice to the clinic. Basic concepts of research, statistics, and critical analysis of literature are reviewed and then applied to a topic of interest to the learner.

PTH 6735 - Clinical Experience (2 credits) - Development of a portfolio to demonstrate physical therapy skills, knowledge, and behaviors/interactions with patient/clients, peers, and other professionals consistent with doctoral level practice.

Courses will be presented mainly in an online format to allow flexibility for the working clinician. The program will use the WEB CT 6/Blackboard platform with weekly schedules for assignments, discussions, and chats.

Tuition:
$585.00 per credit or a total of $9,360 for all 6 courses.

Minimum System Requirements:
The following are the minimum computer system requirements needed to utilize WEB CT6/Blackboard.

Operating Systems:
Windows 98 or above
Mac OS X 10.4.x
Linux/Unix

Compatible Web Browsers:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 with service pack 2
Netscape 7.2
Mozilla 1.7
Firefox 1.5.x
Safari 2.x

Browser Plug-in requirements:
Java Run Time 1.5.x

WebCT and Computer Assistance

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Preview two courses in the online format (WebCT)

Go to: https://courses.css.edu and click on Log In.

WebCT id is: edmuser (lower case)

The guest password is: edm2007 (lower case)

If you need technical help with WebCT or other computer issues, contact the College's Help Desk: phone - 218-723-5911; email - help_desk@css.edu ; Web site - Help Desk Web site

Program Director

Denise Wise, PhD, PT
Department Chair
Department of Physical Therapy
College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Avenue
Duluth, MN 55811

For general admission questions or information contact the Graduate Admissions Office, Tower 3101. Email Gradstudies@css.edu or call (218) 723-6285 or toll free at (866) 478 9277. For our online request form click on the online inquiry form.

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