Physical Therapy Degree News

Graduate Program > Physical Therapy Degree News

2010

Service Learning: PT students are currently conducting 2 Community Health Clinics. One clinic is being held at the Portage Collaborative Montessori School in North Canton. The goal of the clinic is to help 3rd graders improve their knowledge of nutrition and exercise in hopes of promoting overall wellness and instill good behaviours. The other clinic is being held at the Wellness Center at Walsh University for older adults focusing on Fall Prevention by improving balance, strength and flexibilty. Complementary information on healthy eating habits is also provided to help offset chronic disease processes.

Dr. Christine McCallum's paper entitled "Access to Physical Therapy Services Among Medically Underserved Adults: A Mixed Method Study" will be published in the May 2010 issue (Vol. 90, No. 5) of Physical Therapy, the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Physical Therapy Association.

February: Walsh University will sponsor another East Central District OPTA event, Manipulation: An Evidenced Based Approach for Physical Therapists and Clinical Instructors. Featured speaker will be Dr. Megan Donaldson.

January: Walsh University sponsored an East Central District OPTA event entitled, Cadaver Review: Glenohumeral, Elbow, Wrist-Hand, Hip, Knee and Ankle Investigations coordinated by Dr. Cheryl Riegger-Krugh.

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2009 Summary

Dr. Christine McCallum presented at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association held in Las Vegas in February 2009. Her platform presention entitled Access to Physical Therarpy Services Among Medically Underserved Adults won the BEST PLATFORM AWARD by the Health Policy Section of the APTA. Dr. McCallum was invited to present this platform at the second annual research award forum for the HPA section of the APTA.

Dr. Cheryl Reigger-Krugh presented at the Ohio Physical Therapy Association Spring Conference, Columbus Ohio, in March 2009 on the topic of Biomechanical Contribution for Muscle Strengthening.

Dr. Jaime Paz presented at the East Central District Meeting of the OPTA on the topic of A Review of Lab Values: A Multi-system Approach.

The first Doctorate of Physical Therapy class graduated in May 2009.

September 2009, Walsh University sponsored an East Central District Meeting lecture by Carolyn Kisner on the topic of Stabilization of the Lumbar and Cervical Spine.

Students from the inaugural DPT class of 2009 presented their research posters at the Ohio Physical Therapy Association Fall Conference this past October and tied for BEST POSTER presentation out of 30 posters that were presented at the conference.

Jessica Bennett, Alexia Custer, D. Khalil Hodges and Kaytlin Fails presented "Public Knowledge of Physical Therapy". These students were mentored by Dr. Christine McCallum.

Joni Rapp presented "Effects of a Physical Therapy Triage System on the Outcomes of ICU Patients with Respiratory Failure". This project was completed in conjunction with Summa Health Systems and therapists Jeanne Cole PT & Lynn Steffey PT. Joni was mentored by Dr. Jaime Paz and Dr. Christine McCallum.

Dr. Jaime Paz also co-presented at the OPTA Fall Conference, with Dr. Karen Holtgrefe on the topic of Managing the Medically Complex Patient: Evidence Based Guidelines.

Dr. Megan Donaldson was inducted as a Fellow to the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists at the AAOMPT Annual conference in October 2009.

November 2009, the Ohio Kentucky Consortium of Physical Therapy Programs Annual Conference was held at Walsh University. Dr. Robert Duvall presented on the topic of Teaching and Modeling Medical Screening and Differential Diagnosis Across Practice Settings.

Walsh University to Offer Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT)

Walsh University received approval March 7, 2007 from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Higher Learning Commission to offer the professional doctorate in physical therapy degree program.Walsh’s physical therapist educational program started a comprehensive planning process in 2002 to change the degree offered from a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (six-semester program) to a Doctorate in Physical Therapy (eight-semester program).After completing the university proposal review process, Walsh University sought and received approval from the Ohio Board of Regents in May 2006 to offer the DPT degree.

Class of 2006 Graduates Excel!

All graduates from the Class of 2006 passed the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) on their first attempt!Even better, as of November 10, 2006 all graduates obtained positions of their choice and began their careers as licensed physical therapists.The graduates took positions in a variety of settings (acute care, out patient, rehabilitation) in a number of States (e.g., Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina).

Physical Therapy Program Achieves Accreditation

Walsh University’s physical therapy program was recently granted full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association. The Walsh program, which received an initial 5-year accreditation in 2000, met all requirements for compliance, granting it full and unconditional accreditation for another 10 years.

“This is a tremendous achievement for our physical therapy program and its instructors,” said Dr. Laurence Bove, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of College. “We are honored to have been accredited by CAPTE and know that current and potential students will value this esteemed approval from an internationally recognized accrediting organization.”

Over the course of 2005, Walsh University conducted a rigorous process of self-examination of the entire physical therapy program and prepared a self-evaluation report for CAPTE. All program materials were sent for review to nationally recognized subject specialists chosen by CAPTE. A team of national evaluators then traveled to the Walsh campus and conducted an onsite review that included financial audits, student services and review of all procedures. Based on this entire process and the teams’ report to the Commission, the Wash physical therapist educational program was granted continued accreditation.

“This decision is yet another validation that Walsh University’s physical therapy program offers a quality educational opportunity to students,” said Bove.

With the change to the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program it will continue to hold full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) through December 2015. The DPT degree program adds six academic courses, adds to the depth of current MSPT courses, and increases the professional clinical experience time from 26 weeks to 36 weeks.These changes result in the addition of 17 credit hours and two semesters to the program—moving from 6 to 8 semesters.The physical therapy division will add 3 full-time faculty members over the next two years (for a total of 9 full-time faculty members) to meet the increased content and depth of the curriculum.