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IU SCHOOL OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCE AT IUPUI TO OFFER DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM; JOINS SELECT GROUP OF SCHOOLS IN NATION OFFERING PROGRAM

INDIANAPOLIS -What do Duke, the University of Southern California, Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Illinois - Chicago and the IU School of Allied Health Sciences on the IUPUI campus have in common?

A Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program.

The Indiana University School of Allied Health Sciences at IUPUI has joined a select group of 39 schools in the U.S. offering the degree. Among Big 10 Universities, IUPUI is only the third campus to offer the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

The Indiana Commission on Higher Education approved on November 9, 2001 the School of Allied Health Sciences plan to offer the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Beginning this fall, 36 students will form the first class in IUPUI's newest professional degree program.

Students will be admitted to the program on a competitive basis. Applications will be accepted until June 1, 2002. Some 130 applications for the program have been requested and 15 students have already accepted offers of admissions as members of the charter class.

The new degree replaces the Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy degree which IU has offered for over 40 years and reflects the dynamic changes affecting the contemporary practice of physical therapy and physical therapy professional education.

Physical therapists are health care professionals who are responsible for evaluating, planning, and implementing interventions to prevent or reduce a patient's impairment or functional limitation which may be caused by illness or injury. Physical therapists use various interventions such as therapeutic exercise, physical agents, and braces or other assistive devices to help patients of all ages maintain strength, regain mobility, and achieve functional independence. Physical therapists also provide consultative, wellness, and health promotion services. Work settings include hospitals, clinics, patients' homes, schools, and industry.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is 98 credit hours of full-time study over nine consecutive semesters. Applicants must have completed requirements for their bachelor's degree and other prerequisite courses, including physics, chemistry, human physiology, psychology and statistics.

The move to the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree has been driven by numerous changes within the healthcare system, which have had a dramatic impact upon the roles and responsibilities of physical therapists. Physical therapists now assume leadership roles in rehabilitation services, prevention, and health care maintenance programs, and community organizations.

Sandy Quillen, the physical therapy program director, said, "Over the years, the depth and breadth of course content in physical therapy education programs has grown beyond what could be included in an undergraduate or traditional masters degree program. Located at one of the Midwest's major medical centers, supported by excellent facilities and with a cutting-edge curriculum, the new professional degree program will prepare Indiana University physical therapy graduates to meet the 21st Century expectations of the profession and the health care needs of society."

The last bachelor's degree class in physical therapy at IUPUI began their program in June 2000 and will graduate in May 2002.

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