When you enter KU's Doctorate in Physical Therapy clinical education program, you have the opportunity to translate essential physical therapy knowledge and skills into the clinical environment. This takes place through a combination of integrated clinical experiences, clinical simulations and full-time clinical rotations.

Because we believe clinical education is an integral part of the program, you'll begin your clinical education in the fall semester of the first year, extending through the first two years of the curriculum. During this time, you'll complete part-time integrated clinical experiences during the semester at local partnering facilities. Such opportunities provide immediate ways to translate the concepts and skills learned in the classroom to a variety of practice settings and patient populations that serve as the foundation of physical therapy practice.

In addition to integrated clinical experiences, you'll complete a series of simulations to develop clinical reasoning and interprofessional skills in practice scenarios and settings through KU Medical Center’s state-of-the-art Health Education Building and experiential learning programs.

During the final academic year, you will fulfill a total of 36 weeks of full-time clinical experiences offered at more than 250 sites throughout the United States and abroad. 

You're required to complete two clinical experiences, one in an inpatient setting and one in a general or orthopedic outpatient setting. We believe broad exposure to geographically representative practice throughout the lifespan is instrumental in the development of a well-rounded versatile physical therapist.