Document No. I-05-04
PROPOSAL TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE
TITLE:
SUBMITTED BY: Executive Committee of the Senate
DATE:
ACTION: Legislative
Background. The
full proposal has been reviewed and approved by the Congress of the
Proposal (The
Program Development Plan follows. The
full proposal is enclosed)
The Department of Health and
Sport Science (HSS) in the
a.
The DPT program fits well into the mission of the SOEAP,
especially its allied professions, which houses a very
robust and competitive pre-physical therapy undergraduate program as well as
other related programs such as dietetics and exercise science. Physical therapy DPT programs are very
competitive and attract students similar in achievement to engineering, pre-med
or biology majors. A DPT program at UD
would thus contribute to the objective articulated in the recently disseminated
UD Vision of Excellence and Focusing the Vision for 2015 documents, both of
which underscore the goal of attracting high caliber students.
b.
Andrews University (AU, main campus in Berrien Springs,
MI), having operated the Dayton-area’s only Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)
program for the past 10 years, has consolidated its PT program offerings to its
main campus and, therefore, will graduate its last Dayton class in October,
2005. This leaves the
c.
The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA, made
up of all the CEO’s of the 17
2.
Description
of the proposed curriculum
The DPT is a “lock-step”
post-bachelor’s 32-month program. All
DPT programs must be approved by the American Physical Therapy Association’s
(APTA) accrediting body, CAPTE, the Commission on Accreditation of Physical
Therapy Education.
The proposed DPT curriculum
includes both traditional and non-traditional methods of instructional
delivery. While the traditional are more
didactic and lab-based, the non-traditional methods are based on a
problem-based learning (PBL) philosophy.
Some traditional lecture components are replaced with small-group
tutorials (approximately 7-8 students) in which learning is student-focused and
driven by real-life clinical patient and client cases. Each tutorial group has a faculty member with
whom it meets regularly. This means that
three or four hours of lecture/week is replaced by up to five hours of tutorial
per week for each group. A class of 15
would be divided into two tutorial groups.
A class of 21 would be broken into three tutorial groups and so on. This approach makes the instructional phase
of the program more time intensive for instructors. This process has been used effectively
throughout the 10+ year history of the Andrews Dayton MPT program. In fact, the passage rate of the board exams
for Andrews’ MPT students is above the national average.
Within the DPT curriculum,
there are also 38 weeks of full-time supervised clinical practice that take
place during four specific clinical rotation experiences generally in the
Dayton area at GDAHA facilities. The Academic
Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE) is responsible for recruiting and
managing, from the academic perspective, each of the clinical sites.
The research project is the
capstone experience of the DPT curriculum.
Students, typically working in pairs, conduct a complete research project
under the advisement of PT faculty with the standard that it be presentable or
publishable at the peer-reviewed level.
With 35 students graduating per year, and the increased need within the
PT profession for treatment efficacy, direct access, and cost savings studies,
this scholarly potential is significant.
Appendix A details the
curriculum by year, semester, and course.
3. Administrative arrangements for the proposed program
The program would be housed
within the UD SOEAP, one of five schools or colleges within UD. To maximize the smoothness of transition into
the UD community and the SOEAP culture, the DPT program and its faculty would
initially be assigned to the Department of Health and Sport Science (HSS), one
of four departments in the SOEAP. The
HSS department houses six undergraduate majors, including pre-physical therapy,
dietetics, and exercise science as well as two masters level programs in
exercise science and physical education.
The program would eventually transition to its own Department of
Physical Therapy.
The DPT program would be
phased in over four years. The first is
a transition year, during which approval of the program would be sought from
the Ohio Board of Regents and CAPTE; the latter’s approval would be for the
lateral transfer of the MPT program and transition to the DPT level. The second year begins with the first class
of 20 students (admitted as early as the fall of 2006). Years three and four would see progressively
larger classes being admitted so that the first UD DPT class would graduate as
early as May, 2009 and the first full class of 35 students would subsequently
be admitted in August, 2009.
4.
Evidence of need for the new program
While the UD DPT would be a
new program, it is not new to the state since it would be built on the AU MPT
program.
There are two significant
factors that make a compelling case of the need for the UD DPT program. First, in 2000, the APTA issued this position
statement:
By
2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors
of physical therapy, recognized by consumers and other health care
professionals as the practitioners of choice to whom consumers have direct
access for the diagnosis of, interventions for, and prevention of impairments,
functional limitations, and disabilities related to movement, function, and
health.
This means that for physical
therapy education to remain in
The APTA has articulated the
rationale for transitioning toDPT programs (http://www.apta.org/):
The
rationale for awarding the DPT is based on at least four factors, among others:
1) the level of practice inherent to the patient/client management model in
the Guide
to Physical Therapist Practice requires considerable breadth and
depth in educational preparation, a breadth and depth not easily acquired
within the time constraints of the typical MPT program; 2) societal
expectations that the fully autonomous healthcare practitioner with a scope of
practice consistent with the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice be a
clinical doctor; 3) the realization of the profession's goals in the coming
decades, including direct access, "physician status" for
reimbursement purposes, and clinical competence consistent with the preferred
outcomes of evidence-based practice, will require that practitioners possess
the clinical doctorate (consistent with medicine, osteopathy, dentistry,
veterinary medicine, optometry, and podiatry); and 4) many existing
professional (entry-level) MPT programs already meet the requirements for the
clinical doctorate; in such cases, the graduate of a professional (entry-level)
MPT program is denied the degree most appropriate to the program of study.
The market for physical
therapists, according to Department of Labor statistics (http://bls.gov/oco/ocos080.htm), suggests that
employment of physical therapists is expected to grow faster than the average
for all occupations through 2012. This
is not surprising given the growing elderly population which is particularly
vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions; the baby-boom generation
entering the prime age for heart attacks and strokes, thereby increasing the
demand for cardiac and physical rehabilitation; and the increased survivability
rates of children born with severe birth defects. Future medical developments
will permit a higher percentage of trauma victims to survive, creating
additional demand for rehabilitative care.
Similarly, PT job growth will likely result from advances in medical technology
that could permit the treatment of more disabling conditions. Widespread interest in health promotion also
should increase demand for physical therapy services. A growing number of employers use physical
therapists to evaluate worksites, develop exercise programs, and teach safe
work habits to employees in the hope of reducing injuries.
5.
Prospective Enrollment
The entering class size
target is ultimately 35, which is comparable to many PT programs in the
nation. This level would not be achieved
with the first class, as a phased-in enrollment model is planned: Assuming a fall 2006 start for the program,
the following enrollments are projected:
20 for the class entering 2006, 25 for 2007, 30 for 2008 and 35 for 2009
and beyond.
UD has a robust undergraduate
pre-physical therapy major in the HSS department. Most majors inquire about the prospects of
graduate level PT at UD prior to or upon their arrival. The total of all undergraduates from the HSS
majors of pre-physical therapy, exercise science and dietetics would yield
approximately 40 graduates per year, each of a PT-compatible major. Furthermore, from the UD College of Arts and
Sciences, biology, psychology, chemistry and other related majors yield another
50 – 200 graduates per year, also of PT-compatible majors. Finally, still within only the
6.
Special efforts to enroll and retain underrepresented groups in the
discipline
According
to its CAPTE accreditation Self Study Report of 2001, AU has been rather
successful in recruited minority students; in the range of 7-13% for each
class. We plan on developing
relationships with Central State University, Wilberforce University, and Saint
Mary’s’ University (a Marianist University in San Antonio, TX established by
the same religious order that established the University of Dayton) to enhance
the recruitment of minorities.
7.
Availability and adequacy of the faculty and facilities available for the
new degree program
Two full-time faculty would be hired for the
transitional year: a director and the
ACCE (Academic Coordinator for Clinical Education). Their major responsibilities would be accreditation,
clinical sites coordination and office/lab renovation. To demonstrate UD and GDAHA commitment to
this program, the program director has already been contracted to work toward
the necessary OBR and CAPTE approval, as well as work with the campus community
to prepare for this program. Four
full-time faculty would arrive with the first entering class. The final two would be hired as successive
classes arrive. Six faculty members,
from AU (
The location of the UD DPT program has been
targeted for the
In accordance with the
agreement with UD, GDAHA and AU, existing equipment and library holdings from
the Andrews MPT program would be acquired with remaining equipment, books, and
periodicals to be purchased.
8. Need
for additional facilities and staff and the plans to meet this need
The primary need for additional
facilities lies within the clinical rotations, which will consume 38 weeks of
student time during their three year DPT experience. AU, in its 10 years of operating the MPT
program in
Regarding additional staff,
current plans call for adjunct faculty to provide some guest lectures, PBL
advisement, and continuing education.
Additionally, a goal of three graduate assistants has been set for the
full compliment of classes to assist full-time faculty in lab and clinical
skills courses and provide extra incentive to exceptionally qualified DPT
applicants.
9.
Projected additional costs associated with the program and evidence of
institutional commitment and capacity to meet these needs
A ten-year business plan has
been developed to project revenues and costs associated with the program. (See attached spreadsheet.) If the program is
implemented, the University, with the assistance of GDAHA, will assume
responsibility for all costs associated with the program.
10.
Information about the use of consultants or advisory committees in
development of the degree program proposal, with copies of reports from
consultants or advisory committees
The SOEAP contracted the
services of David Miller, PT, PhD, Professor and Chair, Physical Therapy
Department,
The HSS Department in the UD
SOEAP is well poised to offer a DPT program.
It fits well within the SOEAP’s breadth of
offerings as well as the spirit of the UD Vision documents by attracting very
high achieving students to a rigorous program.
The DPT program, HSS Department and the SOEAP would share mutually
beneficial curricular and scholarly relationships. Community support for this proposal, as
demonstrated by the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association’s pledge of
financial support, is substantial.
Lastly, the timing is most opportune, allowing UD to take advantage of
the lateral transfer of the highly regarded