Pre-Physical Therapy Education

The Physical Therapy Profession
The primary objective of physical therapy is to promote human health and function by assessing and treating disabilities, and promoting wellness to individuals of all ages.  The physical therapist conducts physical evaluations to determine the patient’s potential for rehabilitation and life style changes, and also educates the patient and family.  Physical Therapists activities include:

• Treat patients recovering from injury, surgery or disease using means such as exercise, performance of functional mobility activities, manual techniques and physical agents.
• Teach patients to function with artificial limbs and other assisting devices
• Provide instruction and home programs to patients and their families in order to continue the recovery process
• Screen, evaluate, and treat children in the school system
• Teach measures of prevention such as back care and injury reduction, and modify task performances to prevent job-related injuries
• Develop fitness programs
• Design, plan, conduct, and report research related to physical therapy care

Physical Therapy Education
The education of physical therapists includes a strong understanding of the application of anatomical and physiological principles in addition to the ability to perform manual skills such as palpitation and mobilization. The need for outstanding communication skills is imperative, as the physical therapist routinely deals with people who are chronically ill, unmotivated, depressed, or in significant pain.  Accredited physical therapy programs award varying degrees, such as masters (MPT) or clinical doctorate (DPT) for those interested in entry-level professional education in physical therapy.  These programs prepare the graduate for entering the physical therapy profession, regardless of the degree selected.  Most programs range from 3 – 4 years in length.  Both the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. 

Undergraduate Preparation
Applicants are strongly encouraged to take a balance of electives consistent with a liberal arts education, while pursuing a depth of study as typically demonstrated by a discipline major.  The preferred applicant demonstrates an academic record that reflects a balance of course work from the humanities, social science, and natural science areas.  Both UNMC and Creighton University require that students applying to the program who do not hold a bachelor’s degree must identify their major emphasis of study and satisfactorily complete three upper-level courses (nine semester credit hours) towards that major prior to matriculation. 

Incoming physical therapy students often have a bachelor’s degree.  If you are planning to enter with only 90 semester hours or three years of undergraduate background, you should select courses that test and develop your academic skills.  Both UNMC and Creighton University require that students complete 90 hours of undergraduate course work prior to entering their physical therapy programs.  However, other physical therapy programs may require the completion of a bachelor’s degree. 

Required and Recommended Courses
The following are entrance requirements for the physical therapy programs at both UNMC and Creighton University.  Due to differences between UNMC and Creighton in their required courses, a student who is considering only one of the schools should contact the school directly for the specific prerequisites.  In addition, students who are considering programs outside of Nebraska are encouraged to contact those schools directly for a list of entrance requirements. 

1.  Required Courses

General Biological Sciences with lab – 8 hours (Required only for Creighton) 

Human Anatomy with lab – 4 hours (Required only for UNMC) 

Human Physiology with lab – 4 hours (Required for UNMC and Creighton)

General Chemistry with lab – 8 hours (Required for UNMC and Creighton)
** One course must be completed by December 31 prior to year of enrollment. 

General Physics with lab – 8-10 hours (Required for UNMC and Creighton
** One course must be completed by December 31 prior to year of enrollment. 

English Composition – 6 hours  (Required only for Creighton)

Statistics – 3 hours (Required only for Creighton beginning Fall 2007) 

2. Recommended Courses
The following courses are highly recommended for pre-physical therapy students: Physiology of Exercise, Psychology/Abnormal Psychology, Trigonometry or Calculus, Histology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medical Terminology, and any additional electives consistent with a liberal arts education.

Extracurricular Experiences
Pre-Physical Therapy students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular experiences, such as leadership activities, volunteer work, research, and shadowing of professionals, which will help prepare them for physical therapy school and the physical therapy profession.  Extracurricular experiences play a significant role in a student’s application to a professional school program.  Such experiences demonstrate a commitment to and knowledge of the profession.  In particular, shadowing physical therapists will help students learn more about the daily activities of the physical therapy profession.  Some physical therapy schools, including Creighton University, require a minimum number of observation hours for admission.  Students who intend to matriculate to Creighton University’s Physical Therapy program in the Fall of 2007 or later are required to complete a minimum of 60 hours of observation supervised by a physical therapist.  Documentation of the observation experiences is required. 

Application and Admission
Applicants apply directly to each physical therapy program.  Contact UNMC or Creighton University directly to receive an application.  Application deadline for UNMC is November 1.  The preferred deadline for Creighton is December 1the final deadline for applications is February 1.  In addition, both UNMC and Creighton require that students take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  Information on the GRE can be obtained at the website www.gre.org.  Both UNMC and Creighton University require letters of recommendation and an interview component in the admission process. 

Additional Resources
American Physical Therapy Association
www.apta.org

Creighton University
School of Pharmacy and Health Professions
Admissions Office
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178
(402) 280-2662 or (800) 325-2830, Ext. 1
http:// pt.creighton.edu/newptVer2/pt/ptindex.asp

University of Nebraska Medical Center
Division of Physical Therapy Education
School of Allied Health Professions
984420 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-4420
(800) 626-8431, ext. 4259 or (402) 559-4259
ptedu@unmc.edu,  http://www.unmc.edu/dept/alliedhealth/pt