IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE PHYSICAL THERAPY DEPARTMENT

Change in Application Deadline to August 15, 2008

Change in New Student Orientation to January 8 & 9, 2009

The Master of Physical Therapy Program at Winston-Salem State University is growing and I’m pleased to share with you the tremendous changes taking place.  This growth as well as the exciting opportunities to expand our program offerings requires us to change our admission date and the date for the start of our next class.  The application deadline for our next cohort is August 15, 2008 with new student orientation occurring on January 8 & 9, 2009.  Classes will begin on January 12, 2009.

Two important components of this growth and change are:

·          We will be opening a shared human movement laboratory with the Department of Surgical Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.  This laboratory brings together the expertise of two dynamic and internationally known faculties.  Through the support of the WSSU administration, the program has recently received over $800,000 in funds for the purchase of advanced technology and equipment.  For example, we have just purchased the most advanced human simulator technology (robots) available for training students on complex medical issues.  To implement this project, we have formed a partnership with regional clinical experts using virtual technology to bridge the classroom and the clinic.

·          Additionally we have taken the opportunity to significantly expand our human anatomy course to create a more integrated and functional approach.  This opportunity could only occur by realigning our curriculum to begin in January of 2009. 

We hope that you are as eager as we are to see these projects develop.  Watch for periodic updates on these and other expansion projects via our webpage, www.wssu.edu. Select Graduate Studies/Graduate Programs/Physical Therapy.

Vision Statement

The faculty of the WSSU Department of Physical Therapy envisions a program that provides students with the educational and experiential foundation to practice physical therapy in a proactive, competent, ethical, and compassionate manner. Primary values inherent within the curriculum, modeled by the faculty and staff, and developed within the students, include integrity, dedication, responsibility, leadership, accountability, wisdom, commitment to personal and professional growth, and willingness to serve a diverse society.

Faculty members are committed to guiding students to acquire the competencies and knowledge necessary to enter, succeed, and excel in a highly competitive and constantly changing health-care system.  The curriculum will coincide with the program, school and university missions, yet project the vision of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) to support physical therapy as a doctoring profession.  Thus, the program will seek to offer an entry level doctorate degree in physical therapy (DPT), fully preparing our students to be primary care practitioners with direct access to patients as mandated by the North Carolina practice act.

Mission Statement

The Department of Physical Therapy serves the people of North Carolina and the nation by providing an entry-level masters degree program in Physical Therapy (MPT). The Department is committed to providing an integrative education program that is well-grounded in the basic, social and clinical sciences in order to produce competent and compassionate clinicians who are skilled in the areas of critical thinking and inquiry, clinical problem-solving, treatment delivery, research, education and management.

The MPT degree will prepare graduates to deliver both primary and interdisciplinary health care to diverse populations within a variety of practice settings and health-care delivery systems. In keeping with the mission of WSSU, the Department of Physical Therapy will develop practitioners who engender the values of social and professional responsibility, leadership, integrity and scholarship, as well as life-long personal and professional development.

Description of Department

Housed within the F.L. Atkins Building in the School of Health Sciences, the Department of Physical Therapy consists of seven full-time faculty positions, several part-time faculty members, two full-time administrative staff, and approximately 60 graduate students.  State-of-the-art facilities include: over 2400 sq ft of dedicated classroom, office and laboratory space; a 900 sq ft Human Performance Laboratory with motion, metabolic, neuromuscular and postural assessment equipment; and fully integrated, high-speed digital internet and teleconferencing access throughout. 

Students have access to the on-campus O’Kelly Library as well as to the Wake Forest University Medical Library and its Gross Anatomy and Pathology classrooms and labs.  The rigorous 30-month program challenges and develops students year round. A new class is admitted each May, while our strongly recruited seniors graduate in December of year three. Clinical experiences at over 200 affiliated sites are interspersed throughout the curriculum.  Students spend a total of 30 weeks at four different clinical sites under the direct supervision of highly experienced and dynamic clinical instructors.