Samuel Merritt University

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION (2010-11)

Janessa  Reinblatt
Assistant Director of Admission
Samuel Merritt University
Office of Admission
3100 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 1000
Oakland, California 94609
Phone: 510-869-1571
Phone (alternate number):
Email: jreinblatt@samuelmerritt.edu
Website: http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/physical_therapy/requirements

APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2011 ENTERING CLASS

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

If supplemental materials are required, send items directly to the PT program.

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites

• Must applicants earn a Bachelor's degree prior to enrolling into the PT program? YES
• For more information about course prerequisites, visit the program Web site: http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/physical_therapy/requirements

* YES=course must be completed in a 4-year college/university and NOT in a community college.
** REQ=required lab; Rec=recommended lab; NO=lab not required; N/A=not applicable

Additional information about program’s course requirements:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

GRE table below may contain blank fields if program data is not available or applicable.

References

Number of references required by program:  2 References

Additional information about program’s reference requirements: Two letters of reference are required; one from a faculty member that addresses your academic preparedness for a DPT program and the other from a physical therapist who has supervised you in a clinical environment (inpatient or outpatient).

PT Observation Hours

Enter your PT observation hours on your PTCAS application.  Print the PT Observation Hours form from the PTCAS application or use online PT Hours signature process, if the program requires you to have your hours verified by a physical therapist.  Send signed forms to PTCAS.

GPA Requirement

GPAs will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

FOREIGN APPLICANTS AND TRANSCRIPTS

The program’s foreign (international) transcript policies do NOT apply to study abroad coursework that is itemized on a U.S. college or university transcript. Study abroad is processed in the same way as U.S. coursework.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Profile of Most Recent Entering Class

Items will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The entry-level, DPT program is designed around several important approaches to learning so that graduates excel in serving patients and clients as practitioners capable of autonomous decisions as part of a health care team.   Courses are designed to progressively build critical thinking, clinical decision-making and clinical reasoning skills with increasingly complex patient problems. Courses that focus on learning the practice of physical therapy are closely integrated with the basic sciences such as anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics. Pharmacology, imaging and the medical management of the patients are simultaneously covered in concert with the clinical courses. Physical therapy services through the lifespan, from pediatrics through geriatrics, are interwoven in the clinical courses and there are additional, specific courses that address the needs of these special populations served by physical therapists. There are clinical case study courses in small-group seminar format that also synchronize with the other courses each semester. Students have part-time clinical experiences under the mentorship of physical therapists during which they are able to see patients who have problems similar to those being covered in the classroom. Students see patients who have neuromuscular problems under faculty supervision in a free outpatient clinic during two semesters. Two full-time clinical experiences are interspersed after key semesters so that classroom learning is reinforced with clinical experience. The importance of communication and relationship between the PT and patients in a culturally diverse environment and the multiple roles of physical therapists in the health care system are addressed throughout the program. Students begin the 33 month, full-time program each fall. The final six months of the program are spent on a full-time clinical experience.   

There are many distinguishing features of the DPT program at Samuel Merritt University. 

• You will have outstanding clinical education experiences.  As a DPT student, you will have 42 weeks of full-time, clinical experiences.  Clinical experiences start in the second semester and are interwoven throughout the curriculum, culminating in a six-month internship, one of the only such internships in the United States. For the past three years, 50/60% of our interns received a stipend during their internship.  
• You will work with excellent faculty to become a physical therapist who provides the best care possible to your patients. Students are introduced to evidence-based practice in their first semester in the program and these skills are developed and reinforced in all courses. During the six month internship, you will select a patient, and under the guidance of your clinical instructor and academic faculty, complete a case-study report in a format suitable for publication. Each year, graduates present their case reports at major State and National conferences. 
• Faculty who excel both in the classroom and in the clinical setting and who are dedicated to work with you to pursue your goal to become a Physical Therapist.

 (Page last updated 5/26/2010)

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