Featured Courses: Fall Semester
PTC 791: Physical Therapist Role in Primary Care
This course will explore current primary care practice models in which a physical therapist is a team member. (2 credit hours)
PTC 796: Physical Therapist Role in Disaster and Emergency Preparation and Management
Underserved populations and marginalized communities are particularly vulnerable in natural disaster events (e.g., hurricane, tornados, and earthquakes) and emergency situations (i.e., situations where normal procedures are suspended and extraordinary measures are implemented to avert disaster). This course provides the physical therapist with skills within their scope of practice (i.e. triaging, splinting, providing basic first aid, wound care, mobility, and working as an emergency or disaster medical team member) to prepare and respond to emergencies and disasters. (1 credit hour)
PTC 797: Community Engagement and Program Planning for Physical Therapists
This course can be taken Spring, Summer or Fall semester. It will examine strategies for and the benefits of community engagement and advocacy by physical therapists. Emphasis will be placed on needs assessment techniques, program planning, implementation, and evaluation. (2 credit hours)
To learn more,
Who is the Certificate for?
Are you a practicing Physical Therapist or Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student who wants to provide primary care physical therapy (PT) services in an interprofessional team to underserved communities and marginalized populations in your community?
With this certificate, we can give you the broader scope of skills and knowledge necessary to meet this important need where you practice.
Did You Know?
In the United States...
- 98 million individuals live in areas with little access to primary care according to HRSA Health Workforce Shortage Areas data.
- 15 million people live in medically underserved areas.
Many states are like Alabama where...
- 2,000,000+ people live in rural areas.
- for every 2,200 rural citizens, there is only one primary care physician.
- we have 59 primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) counties.
Help Ease this Chronic Personnel Shortage And Increase Access to Medical Care
You can see there is a chronic personnel shortage here, and your expertise will be in high demand when you complete this program because you’ll be able to do the following:
- develop broad consultation and referral networks with community-based services that reflect the needs and priorities of marginalized and underserved populations;
- perform screening/triage to provide primary and emergency care in physical therapy;
- perform holistic examination and management of patients with complex/chronic conditions;
- assess program outcomes such as safety, effectiveness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity;
- develop, implement, and evaluate community health programs; and
- apply emergency and disaster preparation and management skills within physical therapy scope of practice.
Practice at the Top of Your License
Once you have completed this 15-credit hour graduate certificate, you’ll have the enhanced knowledge you need for success in this area of practice promoted by the American Physical Therapy Association.
Mission
Preparing graduates to improve access to and quality of care for underserved populations and marginalized communities.