Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• SAR OT 948: Doc Exp Dissem
  
• SAR OT 949: Doctoral Exp
  
• SAR OT 990: OTD Independent Study
  Continuation of the on-line doctoral project for OTD students who need additional semesters beyond the 6 credits of OT 930 to complete their doctoral project.
• SAR PT 341: Preclinical Experience
  The observation experience helps students to confirm their choice of Physical Therapy as a major, better understand the profession, and gain insight into the communication, knowledge base, and technical skills that successful physical therapist clinicians demonstrate. Sign up for this no credit, P/F required course, the semester that you intend to complete the 30 hours of observation in a health care setting that provides physical therapy. Completion of the observation hours, a reflection paper and a group discussion are required to complete the experience.
• SAR PT 490: Ind Study Pt
  
• SAR PT 511: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary System I
  This course reviews the anatomy and physiology of the cardiopulmonary system. This course will highlight the adult and pediatric dysfunctions of the cardiopulmonary system, medical and surgical care of this patient population, and the appropriate physical therapy interventions. Emphasis is placed on patient evaluation, medical assessment, treatment planning, and the performance of the appropriate procedures. In addition, patient compliance issues, ethical and legal aspects of physical therapy care, and the health care professional's own cardiopulmonary function will be addressed. Current research will be introduced throughout the course as appropriate.
• SAR PT 512: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary System II
  This course is designed to expand the student's knowledge of cardiovascular and pulmonary systems as well as cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy. The student will gain an in-depth understanding of physical therapy examination, intervention, and management of peripheral vascular disease, wound care, prosthetic management for amputations, and cardiopulmonary disease. Laboratory sessions will facilitate the students understanding of lecture material and provide them with hands on physical therapy skills needed to care for patients with the above disorders. Current literature will be the basis for all lecture and lab sessions.
• SAR PT 515: Physical Therapy Examination
  This course is designed to teach the process of physical therapy examination. The Nagi and ICF models of disablement will be utilized to develop a general framework for physical therapy examination across systems. The patient management model as outlined in the "Guide to PT Practice" will be introduced to provide a process for gathering information. Students will learn to identify disability level problems as well as functional limitations through patient history. Historical information will direct the examination. Analysis of functional tasks will be performed and used to develop hypotheses and direct impairment level testing. Students will learn to perform impairment level tests across systems. The process of establishing relationships between participation restrictions, activity limitations,and impairments will be introduced. The interaction of the individual, the task, and the environment will be emphasized. Students will be introduced to interventions that target task and environmental constraints. Medical terminology and methods of documentation will be incorporated.
• SAR PT 520: Functional Anatomy
  This course builds on a previous knowledge of human musculoskeletal anatomy to examine human movement. Principles of biomechanics, connective tissue behavior and muscle physiology will be integrated with joint structure and function to form the basis of understanding normal and pathological movement.
• SAR PT 521: Musculoskeletal System I
  This course is the first in a series of three for the musculoskeletal system. It is designed to provide the student with the necessary skills for prevention, examination, evaluation, and intervention of musculoskeletal impairments of posture and the upper extremity joints. The student will learn a systems approach to patient care. Specifically, this course will teach the student how to determine which impairments are related to specific activity limitations and participation restrictions of the individual with upper extremity disorders. It will consider upper extremity impairments throughout the life span, as well as throughout the natural history (acute through chronic) of the problem. An eclectic approach to interventions will be stressed.
• SAR PT 522: Musculoskeletal System II
  This course is the second in a series of three for the musculoskeletal systems. It is designed to provide the student with the necessary skills for prevention, examination, evaluation, and intervention of musculoskeletal disorders of the lower extremities. The student will build upon the systems approach to patient care. Specifically, this course will teach the student how to determine which impairments of body function and structure are related to specific activity limitations and participation restrictions of the individual with lower extremity disorders. It will consider lower extremity disorders throughout the life span, as well as throughout the natural history (acute through chronic) of the problem. An eclectic approach to interventions will be stressed. Laboratory sessions will develop the student's skills in examination and intervention techniques to address lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders.
• SAR PT 550: Scientific Basis of Human Movement
  This is a lecture course designed to present students with a comprehensive theoretical framework for evaluation and treatment that can be used regardless of the type of disease, impairment, activity limitation or participation restriction. The course is guided by the concept that in order to treat dysfunction, it is necessary to understand motor control and coordination processes. The relation between these processes and the individual's functional anatomy, biomechanics, and surrounding environment will be described. The basic systems requirements proposed by Bernstein for an adequate motor control theory will be used as a way to critique theories currently used as a basis for physical therapy, and to introduce the concepts of system constraints and of dynamical systems theory. The ways in which the constraints/dynamics approach can be incorporated into the ICF and Nagi disablement models will also be identified, and normal age-specific and disease-specific processes will be described. The manner in which this approach can provide tools for developing hypotheses on relations between impairments and function and for guiding therapeutic intervention will be identified. The results will allow the student to gain insight into how to conceptualize a holistic model of the factors that influence the patient's behavior, identify causes of problems, and learn a thought process for evaluation and treatment.
• SAR PT 551: Neuroscience for Physical Therapy Students
  This course is designed to serve as an introduction to the normal development and function of the nervous system. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of anatomy & physiology (e.g. cell structure, ionic exchange, and action potentials). This is a clinically-focused basic science course that serves as a building block for successive clinical PT courses.
• SAR PT 555: Integrated Clinical Experience I
  This is the first of two courses in the integrated clinical experience series. Using class discussion, standardized patients, community service opportunities and clinical observations, students will practice patient education strategies, appreciate the role of the physical therapist in relation to other health care providers, and apply skills related to professionalism, interpersonal skills and communication.
• SAR PT 565: Integrated Clinical Experience II
  This is the second in a series of two courses which will continue to integrate course content taught in the DPT curriculum with clinical experiences incorporating all components of the patient/client management model. Through review of patient records, patient interviews, and observation and treatment of non-complex patients or diagnoses, students will develop skills in the process of clinical decision making, obtaining patient data, and treatment progression. This course will be closely aligned with concomitant academic preparation to enable students to practice recently learned skills in a clinical environment. Additionally, the student will begin to understand clinical teaching, the role of the PT in relation to other health care providers, and issues involved in the delivery of physical therapy, including professionalism, interpersonal skills, communication, and law and ethics.
• SAR PT 566: Evidence Based Practice 1
  This course is the first of a series of two courses on Evidence Based Practice for physical therapy students. Evidence based practice involves the explicit incorporation of evidence from three sources: (1) research evidence; (2) clinician knowledge, experience, and judgment; and (3) patient preferences. In this course, students develop skills to effectively ask clinically focused questions, access, appraise, and apply research evidence in decision making for clinical practice. The emphasis in EBP I is on research evidence related to intervention studies, encompassing systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines and randomized controlled trials. This course will also emphasize the importance of practice-based evidence to further inform patient care.
• SAR PT 610: Health Promotion and Wellness
  Promoting health and preventing disease are crucial components of health-for people with and without chronic illness and disability. The field of health promotion is interdisciplinary and eclectic in nature with health professionals from a variety of fields developing, implementing and evaluating interventions to enhance health and prevent disease of individuals and populations. In this course, students will learn how to develop and implement a health promotion and wellness intervention that is theoretically informed and evidence-based. The unique and challenging factors of implementing health promotion programs at individual, organizational, and community levels will also be explored. Program evaluation, a crucial component of health promotion programs, will be briefly discussed but will not be covered in detail.
• SAR PT 623: Musculoskeletal System III
  This course is designed to provide the student with the necessary skills for prevention, examination, evaluation, and intervention of musculoskeletal disorders of the spine and TM joints. It is the third in a series of musculoskeletal based classes and will complete the required musculoskeletal content of the DPT program. The student will learn a comprehensive, biopsychosocial, evidence-based and systems approach to the care of patients with musculoskeletal spinal disorders. Specifically, this course will work to teach the student how to determine which contextual factors and impairments are related to the individual's activity +/ or participation restrictions across the lifespan. An evidence-informed and patient-centered approach to interventions will be stressed.
• SAR PT 634: Diagnostic Procedures for Rehabilitation Professionals
  This course will identify and describe various modes of imaging techniques and tests used in medical practice for the neuromusculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and pulmonary systems. The process of diagnosis in the context of the physical therapist's practice will be discussed. Identification of basic radiological pathology and tests results that directly impact physical therapy care and prognostication will be emphasized, as well as integration of test/imaging results in the physical therapy evaluation and plan of care. Correlation of test results with clinical examination findings will be emphasized to allow the student to engage in professional dialogue with other health care providers, including collaboration with radiologists. Diagnostic procedures covered in the course will include but not be limited to: X-ray, CT scan, MRI, bone scan, fluoroscopy, PET, SPECT, EMG/NCV, ECG, echocardiogram, thallium scan, exercise testing, cardiac catheterization, angiogram, MRA, CBC, electrolytes, lipid profiles, cardiac enzymes, and oncology markers.
• SAR PT 652: Neurological System I
  The purpose of this course is to provide the students with a foundation for examining, evaluating, and determining appropriate interventions for individuals who have movement dysfunction secondary to neurological deficits. Students will learn the key elements of the neurological examination and its basis in functional neuroanatomy. Students will become skilled in conducting a neurological examination which is guided by the pathophysiology, patient history, and functional deficits associated with or resulting from disease or injury to the nervous system. Emphasis will also be placed on understanding normal and impaired movement through discussion of current motor control and motor learning theories. The ICF model of disablement will be used as a framework for examining and evaluating movement dysfunction and for developing a plan of care.

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