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 MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• 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
  This no-credit, pass-fail course is designed for students currently pursuing the BS/DPT program track. In this course, students will gain insight into the professional behaviors, responsibilities, and communication skills that successful physical therapists possess. Students will better understand the role of a physical therapist in various health care settings and will have the opportunity to reflect on how they might embody these core values as a future physical therapist.
• SAR PT 490: Ind Study Pt
  
• SAR PT 511: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary System I
  This course is designed to teach the process of physical therapy examination. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model of health and health-related domains will be utilized to develop a general framework for physical therapy examination across systems. The patient management model as outlined in the "Guide to Physical Therapy 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 the appropriate use of impairment level tests across systems. The process of establishing relationships between disabilities, functional 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. Professionalism, medical terminology and methods of documentation will be incorporated.
• SAR PT 512: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary System II
  This course builds on a previous knowledge of human musculoskeletal anatomy to examine joint structure and function using the principles of biomechanics, connective tissue behavior, and muscle physiology. There will be an emphasis on performing a task analysis at each body region to more systematically evaluate both typical and atypical human movement.
• 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 course will provide students with an integrative study of the scientific basis for human movement that spans the fields of biology, neuroscience, biomechanics, and behavior. The course is guided by the belief that to evaluate and treat movement dysfunction, it is necessary to understand the structure of the neuromotor system in relation to its ecological functions. Through lectures, labs, and reflection activities, students will develop a holistic and principle- based understanding of how we move, why we move the way we do, and how rehabilitation interventions and technologies can be used to treat movement impairments.
• 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 students 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
  Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health. Physical therapists can intervene at various points in the life course by incorporating prevention, health promotion and wellness as an integral aspect of physical therapist practice, as well as in promoting and advocating for healthy lifestyles to reduce the burden of disease and disability on individuals and society. This course will provide physical therapy students an appreciation of health and the determinants of health at multiple levels in order to gain knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively to improve the health of individuals, communities, and populations. Students will learn how to assess the needs of a community and develop and implement a health promotion and wellness intervention that is theoretically informed, and evidence based. They will explore the socio-cultural, economic and political contexts in which people live their lives and how these, and local and large-scale forces (inequity, marginalization and various forms of discrimination) impact health and development.
• 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.
• SAR PT 653: Neurological System II
  This course is a continuation of Neurological Systems I and emphasizes evidence based physical therapy management for people who have specific neurological disorders. In PT652, a general foundation was developed for examining, evaluating, and determining appropriate interventions for individuals who have movement dysfunction secondary to neurological deficits. PT 653 will build on the foundation developed in PT 652 by considering how specific neurological disorders guide physical therapy practice. The course will focus on pathophysiology, examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, plan of care, intervention, and expected outcomes for commonly encountered diagnoses in neurorehabilitation such as Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Parkinson's Disease, and Cerebral Palsy. Common diagnostic groups are chosen with the intent of enhancing specific knowledge as well as developing a general problem solving approach that applies to any type of neurological diagnosis. The included diagnoses will illustrate how decision-making in physical therapy takes into account issues of age (life span), natural history, stage in the disease process, and nature (stable vs. progressive) of specific neurological disorders. Students will learn to develop a plan for examination, including the most sensitive and specific standardized examination tools, and to develop a plan of care that is specific to various diagnostic groups and that is based on current evidence.
• SAR PT 662: Evidence Based Practice II
  This course is the second in a series of two courses on Evidence Based Practice for physical therapy students. It is designed to develop essential skills for conducting evidence-based practice. There are about three forms of evidence supporting clinical practice, that is, 1) experience from clinical practice, 2) patient values and goals, and 3) the evidence that comes from the research literature. It takes skill combining these sources of evidence into effective and efficient physical practice. This course enhances the student's ability to formulate answerable clinical questions, search relevant research literature, analyze the validity of the outcomes reported in these studies, and combine the outcomes of different research studies in the form of a research synthesis (i.e., critical review and meta-analysis). Literature addressing clinical issues of intervention, diagnosis, and prognosis will be used throughout to illustrate the arguments.

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