The University of Utah Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program has been training physical therapists for almost 60 years, but now the school's re-imagining who gets access to that education.
Ashley Hawk talked with Board-Certified Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy and
Associate Professor and DPT Program Director, Jennifer L. Hale, about three distinct pathways into the DPT program.
The first is the founding campus in Salt Lake City, the second is an expansion campus in St. George and the third pathway is a hybrid offering.
The hybrid offering is a collaborative effort with the U's online campus that combines online learning and in-person training.
This week UOnline is celebrating the first graduating students from the hybrid pathway and the program is expanding.
There are students across the country who want to earn a doctor of physical therapy at a top 20 program but should not have to uproot their lives to do it.
Hybrid education is probably the most misunderstood. This isn't passive, online learning. Students watch lectures in preparation for live sessions and meet weekly via zoom with small groups of no more than 15 students.
This is a structured, high-contact learning environment that just doesn't require you to be in Salt Lake City.
Students then come to campus once or twice a semester for intensive lab immersions where hands on techniques are practiced and assessed and students interact with real patients in the community.
In St. George there is simulation-based learning, a pro bono clinic serving patients who otherwise couldn't access care, and a tight-knit cohort that really supports each other.
Southern Utah has real healthcare workforce needs and partnering with Utah Tech University means the program can train students who are already rooted in these communities.
Utah is growing fast, and the demand for physical therapists is growing with it — particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Physical therapists touch people at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives — after a stroke, after surgery, after an injury. The quality of that care matters enormously.
The University of Utah trains some of the best PTs in the country and they want those PTs to serve all communities, not just the ones closest to the campus.
If you're someone who's ever thought about a career in PT, or you know someone who has, there may be a pathway that fits your life.
You can learn more at online.utah.edu/graduate-programs/dpt/.
