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DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
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A DPT student guides the performance of core strengthening exercises in the Physical Therapy Clinic at the William H. Pitt Center | The Physical Therapy Program is a professional educational program leading to a clinical doctorate (Doctor of Physical Therapy or DPT) as the entry-level degree for professional practice. The program is three years in length, including 8-10 weeks of full-time clinical work in each of the summers between the first and second years.
Program Mission
The Program in Physical Therapy prepares graduates for professional practice in physical therapy as general practitioners who demonstrate self-directed, ongoing learning, an understanding of self in the context of professional role, competency in clinical practice, a commitment to the application of professional skills, knowledge of self in service to others, and a commitment to effect positive change within the greater community.
Program Philosophy
The program and its faculty believe that the Program Mission can best be accomplished through a professional curriculum based upon a strong liberal arts foundation. Further, we believe that the curriculum of the professional program should place at its center the process of clinical problem-solving as a construct for: (1) the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, and skills; and (2) for the process of clinical decision-making in professional practice. The application of the clinical problem solving process is dependent not only upon knowledge of one's patient, but also on the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the profession's body of knowledge through effective use of the professional literature and current information technologies. We believe that the problem-based model of learning provides the optimal tools for developing graduates who value self-directed learning, who are prepared for the clinical decision-making demanded in professional practice, and who anticipate and respond to changes in the health care delivery system.
We believe that role models who are professionally competent and personally committed to serving the greater community are best able to model the behaviors of a socially responsible professional. We believe that in order to be effective, graduates must be sensitive to the diversity of individuals with whom they interact, and to regional differences in the practice of physical therapy.
Physical Therapy Program Accreditation
Sacred Heart University's physical therapy program is fully accredited at both the state (Connecticut Department of Higher Education) and national (Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education) levels. As a result, students are prepared to sit for physical therapist licensing examinations throughout the United States.
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