SIOUX CITY | A new doctorate program at Briar Cliff will help address the need for physical therapists in the area.
Briar Cliff’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the Mayfair Center, 4280 Sergeant Road, welcomed its first batch of students in July.
The 22-student physical therapy cohort, the test flight of sorts, is on its third and last semester of its first year. Patrick Cross, program director and professor of physical therapy, said this is the first of many groups that will fill a need in Siouxland.
“I think, most importantly, we didn’t create a physical therapy program to create a physical therapy program,” Cross said. “There is a huge need in this region. We only have about 60 percent of the therapists we need in this region.”
The three-year, 136-credit-hour program walks students through the ins and outs of physical therapy and health sciences. Classes, Cross said, are arranged in a block-style format. Students begin a semester with two classes for about a month and move on to the next set of classes.
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Courses range from anatomy to cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy. Cross said the block style allows students to concentrate most of their focus on two subjects instead of six or eight, like a normal college semester.
Inside the building, students have the opportunity to learn the trades of a physical therapist with hands-on opportunities. Two rooms allow students to conduct simulated treatments, but the first cohort has also eased into one of the program’s offerings to the community – a clinic to help patients who have lost the ability to pay for therapy.
In April 2015, the program was granted Candidate for Accreditation status, a pre-accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program is progressing toward accreditation and may matriculate students in technical/professional courses.
Once the service gains momentum, students will have the opportunity to practice a multitude of physical therapy methods, such as pediatric or geriatric, or help someone rehabilitate a sprained ankle.
“You don’t know what’s going to walk through your door and that’s great for students,” Cross said. “I think this experience will allow students to see and work with all types of patients.”
Treatments are given under the supervision of one of eight faculty members who teach at the center. Cross said that gives the students the opportunity to work with live patients, but also hone the necessary skills under staff guidance.
The facility is equipped with the tools needed to provide the care required of physical therapists. The two clinic rooms are complemented by a simulated daily living suite, equipped with a kitchen, steps, a toilet and a bed.
Students can be observed by supervisors through a privacy window.
First-year student Stephanie Senne said the ability to help patients while pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy is, to her, the defining element of the program.
“It’s hands-on and not every program has that,” said the 23-year-old from Welcome, Minnesota. “And it helps the community and those that are less fortunate.”
