Course Descriptions

AHPT 800

Human Anatomy: AHPT 800 anatomy integrates foundational concepts of vertebrate embryology, human development, and connective tissue histology. The course progresses to an in-depth regional study of the human body emphasizing musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and cardiopulmonary systems combined with methodical exploration of gross surface anatomy.

7

AHPT 810

Exercise Physiology: The exercise physiology course will examine and apply theories and principles, and it will evaluate the effects of physical effort on human performance. Emphasis will be placed on the metabolic/ energy transfer systems of the body and muscle structure on a histological level. The course will also assess the effects of physical activity (e.g., cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurological influences on human performance) across the lifespan. This course prepares students to participate in their initial clinical internship experience.

3

AHPT 812

Clinical Medicine I: Clinical Medicine I is the first in a series of courses designed to provide physical therapy students with a general knowledge and understanding of human pathology. The course introduces students to medical terminology, develops an understanding of disease processes, the integumentary system and facilitates students in the application and analysis of medical pathology in patient care. Course content includes an introduction to inflammation processes, integumentary conditions and underlying pathology, fundamental processes of wound healing, wound stages, debridement, wound prevention, natural and acquired immunity and immunodeficiency, hypersensitivity, and transplantation, the cardiopulmonary system and the endocrine system.

3

AHPT 814

Patient Management I: This course provides a foundation for examination skills relevant to orthopedics, neurological, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary pathologies. Primary areas of emphasis are examination procedures including history taking, systems review, and basic tests and measures including assessment of vital signs, reflexes, joint range of motion, and strength. Students will also learn documentation using SOAP note format.

4

AHPT 816

Theory and Practice I: Didactic and laboratory learning will occur in both laboratory and classroom environments. Students must demonstrate clinical skill based competencies and pass a clinical practical examination to successfully pass course requirements. Students will participate in small group and cooperative learning experiences. Students will participate in hands-on methods and techniques related to therapeutic activities, modalities, gait training, and patient handling techniques. Students will analyze patient case scenarios and develop appropriate intervention plans. Students will participate in didactic and laboratory oral/ participatory demonstrates of patient care situations.

4

AHPT 818

Neuroscience: The class is an integrated presentation of neuroscience with an emphasis on the sensory, motor and higher brain functions of the human nervous system as they relate to activities of daily living. Students are expected to learn functional anatomy of the human nervous system.  Common neurological problems encountered in physical therapy are introduced and linked to abnormalities of neural structure and function.

2

AHPT 820

Kinesiology/Biomechanics: This course will examine the interaction of bones, joints, muscles, and external forces that are responsible for movement. Students will study the major joint complexes of the human body. Learning objectives for each joint complex will include the basics of kinetics, biomechanics in association with muscles, and connective tissues and bones connected to that specific joint. The origins, insertions, actions of the muscles, and in some joint complexes, patterns of physical dysfunction will also be discussed as it relates to normal movement.

3

AHPT 824

Clinical Medicine II: Clinical Medicine II is the second in a series of courses designed to acquaint students with medical aspects of and pathology of diseases and disabilities.  This unit is orthopedically oriented and follows Patient Management I and Theory and Practice I to reinforce concepts and skills developed in the identified courses.  Included are special units on management of hand pathology, maternal adaptation to pregnancy, and abuse/neglect and domestic violence across the lifespan.  This course prepares students to participate in AHPT 830 Clinical Experience

3

AHPT 826

Patient Management II: This course continues the series on musculoskeletal evaluation, which culminates with Advance Orthopedics.  The course prepares students to perform the examination and subsequent evaluation of the adult population presenting with extremity and/or spinal dysfunctions.  The emphasis of the course is on evidence informed practice for the assessment and categorization of patients for treatment.  In addition, the manual therapy techniques of joint mobilization and manipulation are introduced within this course.  Students learn to utilize these concepts and techniques to develop comprehensive patient management programs.  Successful completion of the course requires the application and integration of materials from all current and previous coursework within the curriculum.

4

AHPT 828

Theory and Practice II: This course focuses on treatment intervention techniques such as therapeutic exercise, massage, extremity mobilization, spinal tractions, and prepares students to design, implement, and evaluate intervention programs. The course prepares students to perform patient interventions specifically in the outpatient setting, acute care, subacute, rehabilitation, and homecare environments. The course integrates learning content from anatomy, neuroanatomy, patient management courses, clinical medicine and kinesiology-biomechanics. Theory and Practice II prepares students to participate successfully in their first clinical experience.

4

AHPT 829

Research/Scientific Inquiry I: Successful completion of all prior coursework or with permission from the department.
The course will explore the concepts, problems, needs, and issues involved in conducting and evaluating research in physical therapy with an emphasis on the application and interpretation of statistical analyses.

AHPT 830

Clinical Experience I: Clinical Experience I is the first in a series of courses designed to provide physical therapy students with an opportunity to apply the first year of didactic learning through real world experience. This is the first of a series of three clinical experiences. It requires full time hours (typically 40 hours) per week over the course of 12 weeks. The learning outcomes of the clinical education process are based on the hierarchical pattern of coursework. This initial clinical experience emphasizes basic examination, evaluation, and treatment intervention skills primarily found in nursing homes.  Inpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient rehabilitation clinical sites. Each student will be assigned an on-site Licensed Physical Therapist referred to as a Clinical Instructor (Cl). The Cl will provide one-on-one supervision during the clinical experience. As the student becomes more competent, the student will assess problems, practice evaluation skills, formulate patient goals and apply treatment techniques.

9

AHPT 840

Management of Special Populations (Orthotics, Prosthetics, Advanced Specialty Topics): This course introduces students to the management of special populations, with a major emphasis on the physical therapy management of persons with prosthetic and orthotic needs, and a minor emphasis on the management of pelvic health.  Integral to the management of patients with prostheses and/or orthoses is the reinforcement of concepts related to kinesiology/biomechanics, normal gait, pathologic gait deviations, and integumentary management.  The course assists students with developing evaluation skills and plans of care for these special populations.  This course prepares students to participate in their second clinical experience.

3

AHPT 842

Professional Affairs: This course introduces students to elements of professional conduct, professional ethics, and standards of practice.  The course reviews and assesses the goals, priorities and mission of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).  The course will introduce students to the medical system, the professional environment of physical therapy and the patient/therapist relationship and its importance in patient outcomes.  The need for cultural sensitivity and strategies dealing with cultural diversity in clinical practice will be introduced and applied to clinical case studies.  The course will review, discuss, and apply elements of negligence/malpractice and ethical decision making in the provision of physical therapy.

2

AHPT 844

Neuromuscular Development and Control I: The course emphasizes the theoretical and clinical basis for the examination and treatment of patients with neurological impairments. This course focuses on physical therapy management of adult neurological disorders. Clinical implications and applications of treatment approaches will be discussed based on current best practices utilizing the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) model. The format for the course will be lecture/lab style, including patient demonstrations, case studies, movement analysis, standardized tests and outcome measures. This course prepares students to participate in their second and third clinical experiences.

4

AHPT 846

Differential Diagnosis/Imaging: The client management of patient care will serve as the framework to present patient examination methods that lead to diagnostic reasoning that physical therapists use in clinical decision making. The course will rely on case study examples to be used in the process of gathering relative clinical information to screen for pathology and physical impairments. Students will master the knowledge required for diagnostic imaging principles and techniques as they apply to physical therapy.

3

AHPT 848

Pharmacology: The course is the study of drugs with an emphasis on how drugs affect physical therapy. The course will cover pharmacotherapeutics about specific drugs that are used to prevent, treat, or diagnose disease; pharmacokinetics to understand how the body handles a drug including differences for different age groups and health circumstances; and pharmacodynamics for what a drug does to the body including side effects. Pharmacology is fundamental for disease management as well as appreciating medical health and wellness. This course prepares students for their second and third clinical experiences.

2

AHPT 850

Psychosocial Elements of Illness and Disability: Psychosocial Aspects of Disease and Disability introduces and examines the psychosocial concepts and factors affecting the patient, family, and the patient/therapist relationship when caring for individuals experiencing acute, chronic, and terminal illness. Students will reflect on their own biases and beliefs, as well as learn to incorporate caregiver and patient belief systems in order to establish culturally conscious plans of care. Students will practice developing appropriate psychosocial interviews and practice interviewing others of similar and different cultural backgrounds in order to demonstrate the ability to create comprehensive psychosocial patient histories.

2

AHPT 860

Advanced Orthopedics: This course integrates the foundational sciences and the principles of examination and interventions with an emphasis on application of physical therapy orthopedic clinical practice guidelines for spine and extremity conditions.  The course explores traditional physical therapy paradigms of practice including the pathoanatomical and symptom reproduction models in comparison to the biopsychosocial and functional cognitive behavioral theories as applies to neuromusculoskeletal conditions.  Emphasis is placed on critical reasoning during skill development for patients education and handling techniques including manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and therapeutic activities.

4

AHPT 862

Clinical Medicine III: Clinical Medicine III provides an overview of pathological conditions affecting the central and peripheral neurological systems. Emphasis is placed on knowledge of pathophysiology, recognition of clinical signs and symptoms and analysis of functional limitations and disability resulting from disease.  Students reflect on the neurological disorders presented in class and have discussions regarding implications on physical therapy interventions.  This course prepares students for their second and third clinical experiences.

3

AHPT 864

Health Policy and Administration: This course reviews the development of the current healthcare system and examines forces that impact healthcare delivery.  An emphasis is placed on leadership and management styles as related to the healthcare industry including communications, group dynamics, program development, ethical and legal issues.  Healthcare leadership and management issues are explored at both the individual and population health settings.  Teaching methods used will include lecture, in-class discussions, student article analysis, presentations, and individual assignments.

3

AHPT 866

Neuromuscular Development and Control II: The course is the second in a sequence of patient management of adult neurological disorders. The course builds on previous course content from Neuromuscular Development and Control I, Patient Management I & II and the Clinical Medicine sequence, by including additional neurological conditions. Clinical implications and applications of treatment approaches will be discussed based on current best practices utilizing the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) model. The format for this course will be lecture/lab style, including patient demonstration and case studies. This course prepares students to participate in their second and third clinical experiences.

4

AHPT 867

Principles of Teaching & Learning: The course examines the principles of learning across the lifespan. The integration and application of teaching strategies and methods selected and developed for a specific audience will be emphasized. This course explores issues regarding teaching peers, patients, caregivers, families, and the community. The course may develop teaching skills appropriate for different audiences across the lifespan and in different settings. Students may develop and integrate learning and instructional theories and methods with technological communication media essential to educate individuals and groups.

2

AHPT 868

Research/Scientific Inquiry II: The course addresses research designs and statistic analyses used in physical therapy and rehabilitation research. Students will learn to conduct, interpret, and analyze descriptive and inferential statistics, including group comparisons and regression, for ordinal data or in literature. Students will also be introduced to the importance of the use of evidence-based practice in the practice of physical therapy.

2

AHPT 870

Clinical Experience II: This is the second in a series of three clinical experiences. It requires a full time commitment each week over the course of the clinical experience.  The outcome of the clinical education process is based on the hierarchical pattern. Each clinical experience builds from previous didactic knowledge and clinical rotation experience by developing the student’s clinical knowledge, critical thinking skills, and practical application skills. The focus of this experience includes complex patient examination, evidence based care and treatment, use of critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills, professional behaviors and adult learning, as well as decision-making for medically complex patients. Students will have the opportunity to practice the skills they have learned in supervised clinical settings including any previous setting not yet experienced within nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and outpatient rehabilitation clinical sites as well as opportunity to participate in supervised practice in acute or home health settings.

10

AHPT 880

Cardiopulmonary Patient Care Management: The course prepares students to provide comprehensive interventions to individuals suffering from cardiopulmonary etiologies. The course provides students with non-invasive strategies to maximize patient outcomes. Emphasis will be place on the primary and secondary diagnoses of cardiopulmonary dysfunction, which limit an individual’s optimal level of functions. The course prepares students to participate in their third and final clinical experience.

4

AHPT 882

Comprehensive Patient Care: Comprehensive Patient Care integrates clinical and basic science knowledge with skills acquired throughout the curriculum by evaluating patients with complex case presentations. Students will develop clinical reasoning skills for the successful evaluation and management of multiple systems within variable contexts to become culturally sensitive autonomous physical therapy practitioners. This course will emphasize the development of clinical expertise through reflective practice to integrate personal values with the best available evidence, and the analysis of outcomes to plan for lifelong learning. The format of this course uses a variety of learning experiences including lecture, problem based learning, simulation, small and large group discussion.

Comprehensive Patient Care prepares students to participate in their third and final clinical experience.

3

AHPT 884

Pediatrics: The Pediatric course is based on the Guidelines Resource for Pediatric Curriculum Content in Professional Physical Therapist Education from the Pediatric Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (2008). Upon completion of the course students will have the specific body of knowledge needed for entry-level pediatric physical therapy practice. Didactic content will include; child development, pediatric disorders and illness, developmental testing, pediatric patient/family management, and service delivery issues in all settings. Students will explore evidence-based medicine for further investigation of the efficacy of physical therapy outcome measures in pediatrics. Major emphasis will be on the development of critical thinking and the ability to integrate knowledge from previous core curriculum content areas. The comprehensive group case study will provide students the ability to explore team roles, research disorders and integrate treatment strategies. Students will participate in examination, evaluation and intervention of a child with atypical development to encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills

4

AHPT 886

Preventative Health and Wellness: This course is a combination of four independent but interrelated topics important to the education of physical therapist: (1) Prevention, (2) Health Promotion, (3) Fitness, and (4) Wellness. These topics contribute to the ultimate goal of optimum health for individual/patients of all ages in the community. Components of health promotion and wellness programs are presented with the emphasis on intervention, prevention, and promotion of health, wellness, and fitness. The relationship among good behaviors, health education, and health promotion will be explored.

3

AHPT 888

Research/Scientific Inquiry III: This course is a continuation of Research/Scientific Inquiry II. Student will perform data collection and analysis in conducting and evaluating research in physical therapy. Data collection and analysis will provide students the foundation research results to be used in the completion of their Capstone research curriculum requirement necessary for graduation. Students will work in small groups in cooperation with and under the supervision of a research committee.

2

AHPT 890

Clinical Experience III: Clinical Experience III is the finale of clinical education coursework. It requires full time attendance over the course of the clinical experience. It includes potential placement in the following settings: outpatient; inpatient rehabilitation; skilled nursing facilities; home health; acute; or any not previously experienced. The focus of this experience is to assimilate didactic knowledge of professional behaviors and decision-making. Students have the opportunity to practice skills in clinical experiences located in the United States and abroad. At the conclusion of this course, students will be expected to demonstrate entry-level skills as practitioners of physical therapy based on the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI). This course emphasizes all aspects of care as indicated by the CPI. Students are to focus on personally identified areas in need of Improvement based on the CPI as reflected in the course objectives.

10

AHPT 892

Research/Scientific Inquiry IV: This is the final course in the Research Scientific Inquiry sequence. Students will complete their Capstone research project through the data analysis, results and conclusion phases of the project. Students will prepare a research product for presentation and publication. Each student is responsible for the scholarship work and adhering to work product deadlines as presented. It is expected that each research product presented will be suitable for publication. To demonstrate broad familiarity and expertise with the field of physical therapy, students are also required to pass a comprehensive examination.

2