University of Florida department of physical therapy to offer clinical doctoral degree

The UF department of physical therapy has received approval from the Florida Board of Governors to offer the entry-level clinical doctoral degree, the Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.), beginning in fall 2005.

The UF physical therapy department at the College of Public Health and Health Professions is one of only two Florida public universities to offer the D.P.T. degree. The department will admit 50 students in the inaugural class.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy degree will eventually replace the master’s degree as the entry-level degree for clinical practice in physical therapy, said Jane Day, Ph.D., P.T., clinical associate professor and assistant chair of the physical therapy department. The American Physical Therapy Association recommends that the D.P.T. be the standard physical therapy degree granted by educational programs by 2020.

“The goal of the D.P.T. program is to prepare graduates to be autonomous practitioners and the authoritative practitioner in the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders,” Day said. “These are graduates capable of evaluation and patient treatment ideally prepared to work in collaboration with other health professionals.”

As with the master’s degree, a baccalaureate degree is the prerequisite for admission into the three-year D.P.T. program. The D.P.T. curriculum augments the content of the current master’s program by including additional coursework in such areas as diagnosis, pharmacology, radiology and imaging, health-care management, and prevention and wellness, as well as additional clinical internship time. The UF department’s future plans call for the development of a transitional D.P.T. program for practicing physical therapists who would like to earn this doctoral degree.