Better to have your rotations at the end of the DPT program or throughout it?

[puppypaws]

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The school I'll be going to has clinical rotations throughout the program. I was wondering if any PT students or previous PT students prefer this or prefer having all/most of the rotations at the end of the program. I'm trying to find out the disadvantages/advantages of having my rotations throughout the program instead of at the end of the program, and what I can do to alleviate the disadvantages.

Thanks. Sorry if this question was already asked. I tried searching the forums but didn't find anything.

 

[Akiramay]

I liked having mine spread out (two 6 week clinicals in the first 2 years and two 13 week clinicals the last year) because once I'd been out in the clinics, I learned some things better in class because I was able to think back to what I did with a previous patient. Plus you learn a lot in clinics too that will help you remember and apply the material in class more easily.

 

[goyo1010]

The school I'll be going to has clinical rotations throughout the program. I was wondering if any PT students or previous PT students prefer this or prefer having all/most of the rotations at the end of the program. I'm trying to find out the disadvantages/advantages of having my rotations throughout the program instead of at the end of the program, and what I can do to alleviate the disadvantages.

Thanks. Sorry if this question was already asked. I tried searching the forums but didn't find anything.

Hey puppypaws,

In my opinion, having clinicals throughout the program is beneficial to the student. It reinforces the theory you learned in the didactic portions of the program. You're able to apply the theory, build on it, improve it, and also learn from the clinicals, as not every therapist does things the same way that it's taught at your program.

When you have clinicals at the end of the program, you lose a lot of the theory you've learned, as you really didn't get to practice them hands-on with actual patients.

As for disadvantages, you may not know all you need to know when you get to your first half-day clinical or full clinical. For example, we were still learning goniometry and muscle testing in class during the start of our first half-day clinical rotations. We just finished postural analysis, and are on our way to learn gait analysis. But we had all the basics we need for our first half-day clinicals, so it was all good. We also learned a bunch of alternative ways to do perform transfers, exercises, etc, and what we learned in clinicals really stuck, especially if it was something we learned fresh from our CI. Then we get to use them in the classroom along with what we're taught.

 

[jgold72288]

On the flip side, I'm going to a school with rotations at the end (Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati). Seems like a pretty good school, but I'm really not sure why they decided to have clinicals at the end, when some of the information I'd learned could be dusty or forgotten. Are there any advantages to doing it like this?

 

[TheOx777]

I honestly don't believe there is any one "right" way. Some of the most highly regarded DPT programs do it both ways. My school does 7 clinical rotations throughout school. The great part about it is that you get a lot of work in the clinic, thus some propose that you are better prepared to step into entry-level positions upon matriculation. I don't know if there is any definitive proof of that. Conversely, it can be tough on the wallet and time, because a number of the clinical sites are not in the proximity of the school, thus traveling to/from these sites for 8-10 weeks can add a lot of undue hassle.

Talking to my clinical director, there has been some talk that the clinical education of DPTs may be changed in the future. I guess some have proposed a clinical education model similar to the medical model. For example you do your basic science classes in the first 1-2yrs and the majority of the clinical education/training one receives will be in the final year(and possibly an additional year). Much of this is just talk now, but some ppl seem to be taking it seriously

 

[puppypaws]

I Talking to my clinical director, there has been some talk that the clinical education of DPTs may be changed in the future. I guess some have proposed a clinical education model similar to the medical model. For example you do your basic science classes in the first 1-2yrs and the majority of the clinical education/training one receives will be in the final year(and possibly an additional year). Much of this is just talk now, but some ppl seem to be taking it seriously

Thanks for all the replies. They really helped me. Thanks for that info Ox. I didn't know they were thinking of changing the PT clinical education model. It'll be interesting to see if they do.

 

[markelmarcel]

My school also does them throughout. They teach us everything in "repeats" at my school. So, we learn something and then we learn it again and again, each time it getting more complicated/involving more components. At the end of June they have set us up to be "experts" (I use that term very lightly) at ortho so everyone goes to an out-patient set up. Then, when we come back we get hit hard with neuro and peds; so second clinical we go to in-patient/rehab/etc... and so on... It seems like a really good idea, so I'm hoping it works out but I don't know for sure, yet!

 

[dizzy88]

I enjoy having them throughout. I can't really say if it's more effective, but I do know one thing, it is VERY NICE having the break in between academic semesters! I get burnt out over the year and couldn't imagine having all of my didactic work clumped together.

 

[PTisfun]

Dizzy88 makes a good point about a break, but Ox is super right. And it is more than talk. A lot of institutions are implementing this, although it will not happen overnight. But this is where the profession is going, and some schools have already started. it is why states are passing laws to allow students to take the NPTE before graduation, with further rotations after the NPTE. As the ACCE at my institution just said today, 'Clinical education is grim with fewer and fewer sites available.' Sites do not want students who are not super close to entry level, so do not want students who know so little, and want to be able to bill for student treatment (Medicare).

 

[truthseeker]

My school separated our class into two halves. One did the neuro track with classes associated with neuro, they then did an 8 week neuro clinical. the other did the same with ortho. I am an ATC so i did my neuro rotation first. Since I had quite a bit of ortho knowledge, it wasn't a big deal for me. However, for those who had no ortho knowledge/experience, I expect that it was a much more challenging experience.

It was nice to apply what I learned right away but your training is incomplete if you do your clinicals early and don't have prior experience in what you haven't learned yet in PT school.

Pros and cons. As a CI, I like to have my students very late in their program, in either their last or second to last rotation.