How Important is Attending Classes?

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Hi,

I was wondering how important it is to attend lectures in a DPT program? Are the lectures recorded like in medical school?

Mostly this has to do with the fact that I could get married before then. However, he would be living in a different state. I'm wondering if it would be possible to commute somewhat. But that would involve skipping some lectures on some days. Would that be a problem? How often would I have to meet for labs?

I understand that this sounds crazy and it's probably not possible and it will just have to be a long distance relationship. But I'm just trying to cover all bases.

Thank you!

um, if you want to graduate from a prgm and become a PT, yes I would think the faculty would make you attend classes. You wouldnt be the first person to have a long distance relationship or wouldnt be the first person to be married and have to attend school while your spouse is in a different state- it's called sacrifice. I'm sure they will take into consideration sometimes you miss class, but not like missing 2 out of 3 lectures a week, if that's what you are wondering...any PT students agree??

As the above poster said, it is probably more important to attend class for DPT students. I cannot speak for all programs, but I know a lot of the programs I interviewed at had mandatory class. For the program I am at now, class IS mandatory. Another thing to really keep in mind is that DPT clinical education is integrated with the basic science coursework from the very beginning. So you really need to be in those classes. This is probably quite different for MD/DO programs where your first 2 years are almost exclusively basic sciences and basic doctoring courses.

I would not go into the process thinking you will have a lot of time to travel to see your significant other(except weekends if the drive is manageable). That said, you could look into programs that possibly offer more flexibility in that area; that is, of corse, if you haven't already chosen a school to attend.

Attendance isn't taken at my school, but DPT programs are very different from undergrad courses. If you plan on skipping classes, you probably aren't going to do well, and I would question your commitment to your education.

I've told several people the same thing: It isn't that PT school is full of incredibly difficult courses and concepts. It's stressful because it's a LARGE volume of material crammed into a relatively short amount of time. We have classes from 8-5 or 8-4 most days, and all of them are important. Missing a day or two every now and then isn't going to make that situation any better, and your faculty and classmates will take note.

As the previous posters have already mentioned, may PT programs require attendance at all classes. Professors will also notice missing students, as the classes aren't large like undergraduate. My professors do not record anything, but students are more than welcome to do so.

The course difficulty and volume is considerable, and should not be taken lightly. I have a couple of classmates who are married/engaged/in a commited relationship. But they don't skip class.

Here's a thought: if youre so concerned about seeing your significant other and thinking you might be skipping a lot of classes, maybe you should look in to weekend DPT programs. I know there is one in Pennsylvania at Neumann, but maybe others and chime in where there are some others...other than that, maybe you arent ready for a DPT program since it comes of that your commitment to devote to one isnt there just yet.

Physical therapy programs are highly competitive and selective. If you are enrolled into a full-time program, skipping lectures would not be the best thing to do. You would miss a lot of information. Podcasts are just not the same as absorbing the info in person. As you move along in the curriculum, you also have a lot of hands-on experiences. Missing lab classes could mean failing the course.

If you are thinking about, planning to, skip lectures, you must not be that interested in the profession.
If you truly are interested in being a PT you will want to go to the lectures.

I may be mistaken, but I thought weekend programs were transitional DPTs. I can't imagine doing entry level just on weekends.

I'm almost fairly certain that Neumann University offers a weekend entry-DPT program. I havent looked at it in almost a year, but from what i remember, it isnt just t-DPT

Showing up is a huge deal. Labs are frequent and you will be kicking yourself in the butt for missing them. I'm not going to lie and say all classes/lectures are of extreme importance, but you can't go into school saying "oh it's ok if I miss some." Obviously though, there will be those intense classes that you can't afford to miss. In addition, all classes in our program multiply your final grade by a participation factor. If you've shown up/participated/etc, it is multiplied by 1. If you miss class/show up late/don't participate, your final grade is multiplied by 0.9, 0.8, etc. and gets brought down.

Neumann has a weekend program for the DPT and St. Augustine has a Flex DPT program where you study online and go to labs on scheduled weekends.

In my program, you can get away with not going to lectures consistently, but that's not the case with labs. Labs are mandatory. With that said, I do not see anyone skipping classes on a regular basis- a huge part of learning is showing up to class and engaging yourself. Plus, if you do well in a classroom setting and actually pay attention, you may not have to study so much at home.

The bottom line is that PT is a graduate program for a reason. It's not undergrad where professors could less and you can skip the whole semester and still expect to pass with a C-. If you want to be successful, you can't just dip your toes into the water-- you have to dive in and invest yourself fully. No one wants a therapist who barely passed their boards because they half-did everything in school.

If you're hubby had low back pain with symptoms shooting down his leg would you want him to go a PT who skipped class?

Originally Posted by DPTHopeful921

Here's a thought: if youre so concerned about seeing your significant other and thinking you might be skipping a lot of classes, maybe you should look in to weekend DPT programs. I know there is one in Pennsylvania at Neumann, but maybe others and chime in where there are some others...other than that, maybe you arent ready for a DPT program since it comes of that your commitment to devote to one isnt there just yet.

The only "weekend" DPT programs out there are for people who are already PTs.

Originally Posted by ht0rnu

Hi,

I was wondering how important it is to attend lectures in a DPT program? Are the lectures recorded like in medical school?

Mostly this has to do with the fact that I could get married before then. However, he would be living in a different state. I'm wondering if it would be possible to commute somewhat. But that would involve skipping some lectures on some days. Would that be a problem? How often would I have to meet for labs?

I understand that this sounds crazy and it's probably not possible and it will just have to be a long distance relationship. But I'm just trying to cover all bases.

Thank you!

I am currently in TWU's DPT program and I would not advise going into it thinking that you are going to skip class. As another poster said, sacrifices must be made if you are going to go to PT school. Perhaps you should look at a school closer to where your significant other will be.

I can't imagine missing a single day of PT classes. At my school attendance to all lectures and labs is mandatory. You can get excused absences if you are sick or have a legit excuse, otherwise they will lower your grade or fail you. They are really serious about it. I would recommend looking into that at your school.

I'm married, and I'm currently in PT school. I also have several married classmates, and one classmate whose spouse lives in a different state. Everyone just learns to manage their time to the best of their ability so that they can make time for school and a personal life. Its doable Good luck!

Originally Posted by dptstudent2014

I can't imagine missing a single day of PT classes. At my school attendance to all lectures and labs is mandatory. You can get excused absences if you are sick or have a legit excuse, otherwise they will lower your grade or fail you. They are really serious about it. I would recommend looking into that at your school.

Same for my program. In fact we just got a pretty stern email from our program director about unexcused absences = failing.

Hi everyone, I saw that people wrote about Neumann weekend program. Did anyone consider this program. I got accepted into Neumann and Temple and now debating between two. Any advise? I don't need to work while in school, but thought that maybe Neumann will be a little easier because they give you less classes per semester compared to other colleges.

Hey guys! There ARE entry-level weekend programs out there... I know there is one in St. Augustine, FL and one in Tampa through Nova (I've only been looking in FL, but I would assume other places, too). They are good programs for those who are currently working or have family/financial/other obligations. For Nova, and I think St. Aug, too, they are FOUR year programs with labs on weekends and the bulk of lecture material taught online.