Curriculum
Clinical Education
Belmont University School of Physical Therapy currently has agreements with over 400 clinical sites from coast to coast and overseas! Our students complete a total of 39 weeks in clinical experiences, which is well above the national average according to the APTA.
Clinical education at Belmont University includes four eight-week full-time affiliations in acute care, rehabilitation or subacute care, and outpatient settings. Each student is expected to complete at least one of these full-time clinical rotations outside of the Middle Tennessee region. However, our location in Nashville, TN, a regional health care hub with many major hospitals and medical centers, allows us to give our students excellent, varied part-time clinical experiences as well.
Gail Bursch, our Director of Clinical Education, works with each student individually to best meet their educational, and in some cases, geographic needs.
Professional Entry-Level Doctorate of Physical Therapy Degree Program
Three-Year Course Sequence (137 hours)
Fall Semester - Year I (19 hours)
|
3
|
PHT 5000
|
Histology |
|
6
|
PHT 5010
|
Kinesiology/Biomechanics |
|
7
|
PHT 5020
|
Human Physiology |
|
2
|
PHT 5030
|
Critical Inquiry I |
|
1
|
PHT 5040
|
Therapeutic Exercise |
Spring Semester -Year I (19 hours)
|
7
|
PHT 5100
|
Human Anatomy |
|
3
|
PHT 5110
|
Pathophysiology I |
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3
|
PHT 5120
|
Physical Therapy Foundations I |
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3
|
PHT 5130
|
Critical Inquiry II |
|
2
|
PHT 5140
|
Theory and Evaluation Principles |
|
1
|
PHT 5150
|
Clinical Experience I |
Fall Semester - Year II (20 hours)
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6
|
PHT 5200
|
Neuroscience |
|
3
|
PHT 5210
|
Physical Therapy Foundations II |
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6
|
PHT 5220
|
Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy I |
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3
|
PHT 5230
|
Psycho-Social-Cultural Implications in Human Development |
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1
|
PHT 5240
|
Critical Inquiry III |
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1
|
PHT 5250
|
Clinical Experience II |
Spring Semester - Year II (29 hours)
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6
|
PHT 5300
|
Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy II |
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6
|
PHT 5310
|
Neuromuscular Physical Therapy I (Adult) |
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3
|
PHT 5320
|
Ethics in Health Care |
|
2
|
PHT 5330
|
Pathophysiology II |
|
2
|
PHT 5340
|
Health and Wellness |
|
1
|
PHT 5350
|
Clinical Experience III |
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1
|
PHT 5360
|
Critical Inquiry IV |
|
8
|
PHT 5370
|
Physical Therapy Practice I (8 week full-time clinical) |
Fall Semester - Year III (22 hours)
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6
|
PHT 5400
|
Neuromuscular Physical Therapy II (Pediatric) |
|
4
|
PHT 5410
|
Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy |
|
2
|
PHT 5420
|
Pharmacotherapeutics |
|
3
|
PHT 5430
|
Health Care Systems |
|
3
|
PHT 5440
|
Physical Therapy Management |
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2
|
PHT 5450
|
Sports Physical Therapy |
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1
|
PHT 5460
|
Critical Inquiry V |
|
1
|
PHT 5470
|
Collaborative Teaching |
Spring Semester - Year III (28 hours)
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8
|
PHT 5500
|
Physical Therapy Practice II (8 week full-time clinical) |
|
8
|
PHT 5510
|
Physical Therapy Practice III (8 week full-time clinical) |
|
8
|
PHT 5520
|
Physical Therapy Practice IV (8 week full-time clinical) |
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1
|
PHT 5530
|
Clinical Correlates |
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3
|
PHT 5540
|
Strategic and Financial Planning in Health Care |


