Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree Program

Academic Standards

The Department of Physical Therapy, the Westbrook College of Health Professions, and the University of New England are committed to offering a quality physical therapist education program that complies with the evaluative criteria of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. The program provides learning experiences to enable graduates to achieve the outcomes required for the practice of physical therapy. Please refer to the WCHP Graduate Program Progression Policies and Procedures (PDF) for a detailed description of academic standards.

Essential Technical Standards

The Essential Technical Standards support the admission, promotion, and graduation of students in the University of New England Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. Physical therapy is an intellectually, physically, and psychologically demanding profession. It is during the prescribed curriculum that students begin to develop the qualities necessary for practice as a physical therapist. Students acquire the foundation of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors needed for the physical therapists’ professional careers.  The abilities that physical therapists must possess to practice safely and competently are reflected in the technical standards that follow. The standards apply to all program activities, including those taking place in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. The obligation of the D.P.T. program is to produce effective and competent physical therapists who are able to serve the needs of society. Therefore, all students will be held to the same standards. 

Candidates for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree must be able to meet these minimum standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, for successful completion of degree requirements.  

Please review this document carefully to determine whether you possess the abilities and skills reflected in the technical standards below. 

Technical Standards: Abilities and Skills

Reflected in the standards that follow are those abilities and skills that students must possess to engage safely and competently in all program activities, including those taking place in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. The abilities and skills are described in five domains, including observation skills; communication skills; motor skills (fine and gross); intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities; and behavioral and social/emotional attributes.

Observation

Observation requires the functional use of vision, hearing, and somatic sensations. A student must be able to observe lectures, laboratory dissection of cadavers, and lecture and laboratory demonstrations in person. The student must be able to observe a patient accurately, observe digital and waveform readings, and other graphic images to determine a patient’s condition. Examples in which these observational skills are required include: palpation of peripheral pulses, bony prominences, and ligamentous structures; visual and tactile evaluation for areas of inflammation; and visual and tactile assessment of the presence and degree of edema or other changes in the skin and underlying tissues.

Communication

Communication includes: speech, language, reading, writing, and computer literacy. Students must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients to elicit information regarding affect and functional activities, as well as perceive non-verbal communications. Students must also be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in person and in writing with other members of the health care community to convey information essential for safe and effective care. 

Motor

Students must possess sufficient motor function and strength to elicit information from the patient examination, examples include palpation, auscultation, tapping, manual muscle testing, and other examination maneuvers. Students must be able to execute movements required to provide general and therapeutic care, examples include: safely lifting, transferring, and positioning large, heavy, and/or immobile patients and guard during gait training, using assistive devices and orthotics. Students must possess sufficient motor function and strength to be able to learn and then demonstrate the ability to position themselves and patients, perform manual mobilization techniques, perform non-surgical wound debridement, and place electrodes. Learning these skills and performing necessary physical therapy techniques on patients requires coordination of both gross and fine motor skills, sufficient strength, mobility, endurance, balance, proper body mechanics, and the integrated use of touch and vision, or the functional equivalent. 

During the curriculum, students are required to perform motor skills representative of licensed physical therapists working with patients in a variety of settings. 

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities

To effectively solve problems, students must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, receive information visually and through communication and examination, and process, integrate and synthesize that information quickly, sometimes immediately, and, at times, under stressful and chaotic conditions. For example, the student must be able to quickly and accurately synthesize knowledge and integrate the relevant aspects of a patient’s history and examination findings, accurately assess the patient and develop an effective treatment program. In addition, students must be able to comprehend three (3)-dimensional relationships and to understand spatial relationships of structures.

Behavioral and Social/Emotional Attributes

A student must possess the psychological ability required for the full utilization of their intellectual abilities, for the exercise of good judgment, for the prompt completion of all responsibilities inherent to patient care, and for the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients, colleagues and other health care providers. Students must be able to tolerate physically and mentally taxing workloads and function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to a changing environment, display flexibility and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of patients. As a component of their education, students must act professionally and maturely and demonstrate ethical behavior commensurate with the profession of physical therapy.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

The University of New England Physical Therapy Program welcomes qualified learners with disabilities and encourages students to make requests for accommodations early in the program. The program is committed to providing equal access through the use of reasonable accommodations for students who are otherwise qualified and able to satisfy the technical standards listed above and the academic requirements of the program with or without accommodation. Candidates who, after review of the technical standards, determine that they require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program should contact the Student Access Center to schedule a confidential access consultation. Given the nature of our program, timely requests are essential and encouraged because time may be needed to create and implement approved accommodations. Because requests for retroactive accommodations are not reasonable and will not be granted, students should seek accommodations early in the program if they believe that they will need accommodations at some point in the program.