Clinical Education

As a WMU DPT student, you will complete three full-time clinical rotations during the program, for a total of 32 weeks of full-time clinical experience. Prior to beginning a formal clinical rotation, you will spend roughly 50 faculty-supervised hours in a variety of clinical settings throughout your first year of study. 

The first full-time clinical experience is 10 weeks long and takes place at the beginning of the second year during the summer session. The second full-time experience, also 10 weeks long, takes place toward the end of the second year of the program. The third and final full-time experience is 12 weeks long and occurs in the fall semester of the third year, just prior to graduation.

Clinical courses

  • PT 6490

    Physical Therapist Clinical Experience I - 5 credits

  • PT 6690

    Physical Therapist Clinical Experience II - 5 credits

  • PT 6990

    Physical Therapist Clinical Experience III - 6 credits

 
You are expected, per CAPTE requirements, to complete formal experiences in a variety of settings. You will complete one clinical rotation in an inpatient facility, one in an outpatient facility, and one in a setting of the your choice. We have created partnerships and established formal contracts with a number of clinical facilities, both in an outside the state of Michigan. As the program continues to develop, the number and variety of clinical partnerships will continue to expand.

Per CAPTE requirements, the program must ensure that each student has adequate breadth and depth of clinical experiences. The program must also document that each student has adequate experience with neurologic, orthopedic, and acute care conditions during their formal clinical experiences.

More information

Contact us

Our staff and faculty are committed to providing you with an excellent clinical education. If you have questions about clinical opportunities or if you are a practitioner interested in partnering with WMU, please contact us.

Daren Webb  |  Director of Clinical Education  |  (269) 387-7368

 

Clinical education links:

More at APTA.org