The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been awarded full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education, allowing graduates to be eligible to become licensed in their profession.
The program, part of the Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Health Professions, is housed at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. Such programs go through several steps to become accredited, culminating with the final accreditation as the first class gets ready to graduate.
The program was created in 2014 and received candidacy status in July 2015, allowing the first class of students to start classes in fall 2015. The inaugural class took their national board exams in July, achieving a 100 percent pass rate. Many of those students intend to stay in Arkansas to practice.
“This accreditation is validation of the quality of our program,” said John Jefferson, PhD, PT, program director, associate professor, and department chair. “All the hard work our faculty put into developing this program, recruiting and retaining both paid and volunteer faculty, creating our community, and mentoring our students has paid off, resulting in students who are well-equipped to provide amazing health care to patients.”
The faculty developed the program’s curriculum and clinical experiences to prepare future professionals for the current and emerging needs in health care. Time is spent on a range of conditions that cause varying degrees of movement dysfunction from birth through adulthood. This includes orthopaedic, neurological, and cardiopulmonary conditions as well as healthcare promotion and wellness. Students spend time working alongside volunteer clinicians in the community to hone their clinical skills.
“Without support from outstanding community professionals, our students would not have the high level of patient awareness that they do,” said Jefferson. “All of the work of our faculty, staff, and clinicians in building this program is recognized by the fact that the commission awarded the accreditation without any deficiencies in curricular content.”