As a Doctor of Physical Therapy student, you’ll participate in part-time and full-time clinical experiences at healthcare facilities in South Carolina and selected out-of-state sites. Overall, you’ll complete 32 weeks of supervised, full-time clinical experiences in physical therapy facilities and another two weeks of part-time or service-learning experiences. These experiences will expose you to patient populations, from newborns to older adults, and give you the opportunity to interact with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds with a range of physical illnesses and disabilities.
During the first year of the program, you’ll be assigned to weekly, half-day experiences in local healthcare facilities and community agencies where you’ll observe and interact with other healthcare professionals and advocacy groups.
In year two, you’ll complete two clinical practicums in an outpatient setting, and a variety of other settings including inpatient.
In the summer of year three, you’ll participate in a week long service-learning experience, such as serving on a medical mission trip, at a camp for people with disabilities or special needs, or at a free, local clinic. In addition, you’ll complete an eight-week experience. During the final semester (fall of year 3), you’ll complete another eight-week experience. You will have the opportunity to identify a specialty practice area to complete for one of you final experiences.