Curriculum
The DPT academic program is comprised of 18 months of didactic preparation and 12 months of clinical experience. It includes a research requirement, a comprehensive oral examination, and a final clinical internship. The curriculum is follows a regional/systems approach, with the anatomy of a region being presented followed by physiology, biomechanics, evaluation, and treatment of the same region before progressing to the next. Students are usually in class approximately 35 hours per week. The program has nine full-time faculty and utilizes clinicians from local military and civilian facilities to complement the curriculum. Through close affiliation with military hospitals, patient interaction starts before actual clinical experiences.
The regions are (in order of instruction):
- Hip
- Knee
- Foot/ankle
- Spine
- Shoulder
- Elbow, wrist, and hand