Pediatric PT

[GUDPT]

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I'm really interested in working in pediatric PT and was wondering if there are certain schools out there that have a more pediatric focus (or offer ped classes as electives)?

 

[rlw237]

Can only speak from personal experience. However, I go to Chatham university in Pittsburgh and there is 2-3 solid semesters of pediatric physical therapy. Last semester we learned typical development of children to age 21 and this semester we are learning atypical development. We have a pbl (problem based learning) during each semester which covers all the diseases a child may encounter (CP, muscular dystrophy, down syndrome, myelomeningocele, so on). Also dr joe schreiber is the apta president of the pediatric section and he teaches the class. Guys a genius for peds. Also Pittsburgh has a massive children's hospital in lawrencville and the children's institute along with a bunch of head start an early intervention programs integrated in different school settings so u have the option o doing 1-2 peds clinicals (10 weeks each). Hope this helps

 

[NoleGirl4DPT]

At Columbia, you can take "tracks" in different PT fields (peds, neuro, ortho). It's 1 extra class in that field so you're still becoming a well rounded clinician, just with a concentration in one of those areas. In addition, your regular cirriculum consists of taking Peds I and II.

 

[dizzy88]

Definitely not Utah. We have 1 course in Peds. There are some required observations within the class. My classmates who are interested in the field do part time internships during the academic semester in peds sites. Full time internships are hard to get here (very selective, application process, interview, etc). If you are really passionate about it, you can do it. Just have to be proactive in seeking out your opportunities.

 

[markelmarcel]

Can only speak from personal experience. However, I go to Chatham university in Pittsburgh and there is 2-3 solid semesters of pediatric physical therapy. Last semester we learned typical development of children to age 21 and this semester we are learning atypical development. We have a pbl (problem based learning) during each semester which covers all the diseases a child may encounter (CP, muscular dystrophy, down syndrome, myelomeningocele, so on). Also dr joe schreiber is the apta president of the pediatric section and he teaches the class. Guys a genius for peds. Also Pittsburgh has a massive children's hospital in lawrencville and the children's institute along with a bunch of head start an early intervention programs integrated in different school settings so u have the option o doing 1-2 peds clinicals (10 weeks each). Hope this helps

Hey thanks, rlw- now I don't have to say any of that except for Ditto! 😉

 

[callmecrazy]

As stated by some Chatham students, Pittsburgh has some great pediatric opportunities. At Pitt, we took 2 required semesters of pediatrics, and there is one elective available as well. You can request one part time clinical placement in pediatrics during the Fall of 2nd year. The big draw for me was that Pitt does a year-long full-time internship during 3rd year, and there are pediatric placements available for this internship. When I graduate in a few weeks (yay!) I will have spent 51 weeks in a pediatric outpatient clinic, in addition to the part-time clinical I spent in school-based settings. I can't imagine being more prepared for applying to pediatric PT positions.