A new academic-clinical partnership with Dee Physical Therapy (Dee PT) provides Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students with clinical learning experience alongside expert practitioners and academic faculty. Clients seeking physical therapist services at Dee PT benefit from continued expert care from Dee PT practitioners and UVM academic faculty..
Through this innovative collaboration, Dee PT hosts 40 clinical learning experiences each year at three clinics in the greater Burlington area. First- and second-year DPT students now have weekly ambulatory integrated clinical experiences. Students work together with licensed physical therapists providing exercise prescriptions for management of musculoskeletal, neuromuscular and post-concussion related conditions. Third-year DPT students continuing their clinical experiences at Dee PT will mentee the first- and second-year students there.
“This is a unique model, in that we are partnering with a community business to place all of our first- and second-year students in clinical rotations, and integrating the ‘clinic,’ into every student's academic journey,” said Barbara Tschoepe, Doctor of Physical Therapy program director. “Dee PT has a wonderful reputation and we all benefit from the collaborative exchange of students, faculty and staff.”
For students, it's an opportunity to practice the skills they learn in the classroom and gain confidence working with real patients.
“All of my classes are coming together now and I get to see it all applied. It’s a huge confidence-booster realizing that I really do know how to do things, and that the clinicians are letting me do it,” said Amber Lampiris-Tremba, DPT ’21.
On their first day in the clinic, students tested range of motion in patients’ shoulders, knees and ankles, developed exercise prescriptions for managing low back and leg pain and helped patients understand how to do injury rehabilitation exercises.
“This was my first time doing PT on a real patient, not just on my classmates,” said Kristen Thibodeau, DPT ’21. “I feel less nervous now.”
“It’s great to be here early on in the program to practice what we talk about in class. It’s helping me gain comfort and confidence,” said Lucas McCue, DPT ’21.
DPT faculty and Dee PT clinicians appreciate the opportunity to practice alongside eachother while instructing students. Dee PT practitioners now serve as clinical faculty for the DPT program.
“Having the students in here forces us to think more critically about what we’re doing and why. It makes us more accountable to using current, evidence-based best practices,” said Jack Frawley, a physical therapist in Dee PT’s South Burlington clinic.
In addition, Dee PT will expand research support as a clinical intervention study site for UVM primary investigators within the DPT program and the Larner College of Medicine, creating additional physical therapist-led research opportunities for practitioners and patients.
Throughout the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, students prepare for practice through clinical internships interspersed across the curriculum and offered at more than 300 physical therapy practices throughout the United States. Students also participate in a variety of research, service and professional development activities.
“The UVM DPT program ranks in the top 25% nationally and this partnership illustrates our collective ongoing commitment to be national leaders in DPT education and community service,” said Michael Dee, Chief Executive Officer of Dee Physical Therapy. “We are thrilled with the opportunity to ultimately translate our combined efforts into better care for our patients within an environment that fosters professional development.”