Skip to Content

Physical Therapy

Search UTC.edu:

Campus & People

Resources:

Clinical Education

 

Clinical Education is designed to provide the opportunity for the student to apply the knowledge he/she has acquired in a specifically related area of the academic program in the clinical setting, and to increase his/her level of expertise in examination, evaluation and intervention of patients.  Students participate in four full-time experiences for a total of 36 weeks of the curriculum.  At the completion of the first year of the program, students complete seven weeks in an outpatient orthopedic setting (Clinical Education I).  After completing the second year, students participate in experiences in acute care (six weeks-Clinical Education II) and neurorehabilitation (eight weeks-Clinical Education III).  The 15 week Clinical Internship occurs the last semester of the program and students choose the clinical emphases.

We have contracts with 300+ facilities across the United States, including predominantly the southern states and a few sites in other regions like Wyoming, Colorado, California, Arizona, Oregon, Texas, and the District of Columbia. We value all of our clinical educators and are always looking for additional quality clinical education sites for our entry-level DPT students.

If your facility is interested in partnering with UTC, or you have questions regarding clinical education, please contact Dr. Debbie Ingram, director of clinical education.

                                                      

Information for Clinical Sites/Clinical Instructors & Center Coordinators of Clinical Education

All physical therapy programs are encouraged to send annual clinical calendar requests to sites beginning March 1 of each year.  Once the responses are received, the UTC assignments are generally completed in early October. 

All students will be assessed using the APTA's Web Clinical Performance Instrument.  For more information, please refer to the APTA instructions for appropriate use of the tool. 

Students will provide the clinical site, center coordinator of clinical education and the clinical instructor with feedback using the APTA Physical Therapist Student Evaluation: Clinical Experience and Clinical Instruction Form.

The students need to review facility information prior to participating in the clinical education experience.  Clinical sites need to update the APTA Clinical Site Information Form annually and electronically return a copy to Dr. Debbie Ingram.

We strongly encourage our clinical instructors to complete the APTA Credential Clinical Instructor Program.  The department offers this course each January. 

The State of Tennessee requires on-site supervision of PT students to be provided by a licensed physical therapist with a minimum of one year of experience.  For reimbursement and student supervision related questions, please refer to the APTA web site:

 

Information for Students

Clinical education is an exciting and educational part of the curriculum.  The Director of Clinical Education will post a list of available sites for each clinical experience.  Students will submit preferences before assignments are completed.  Preparation for Clinic classes will occur the semester preceding each of the experiences. 

To participate in any clinical education experience, students must have personal health insurance, criminal background checks, liability insurance through the University, CPR certification, and completion of all immunization and health requirements.

The assessment tool utilized during all clinical education experiences is the APTA's Web Clinical Performance Instrument.  In addition to the clinical instructor's assessment, students will complete a self-assessment at mid-term and final. Completion of a 90 minute online training module is required before initial access to the instrument will be allowed.  For more information, please refer to the APTA instructions.

Students will provide the clinical site, center coordinator of clinical education and the clinical instructor with feedback using the APTA Physical Therapist Student Evaluation: Clinical Experience and Clinical Instruction Form. .