All classes in the Graduate Certificate in Primary Care Physical Therapy for Underserved Populations will be taught online following Quality Matter Guidelines.
Upon completion of this proposed certificate program, the graduate will be able to:
- Develop broad consultation and referral networks with community-based services that reflect the needs and priorities (e.g., health, food insecurity, housing insecurity) of marginalized and underserved populations.
- Perform specialized screening/triage skills to provide primary and emergency care within physical therapist scope of practice.
- Perform holistic examination and management of patients/clients with complex/chronic conditions as a primary care team member serving marginalized and underserved populations.
- Assess program/practice outcomes such as safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate community health programs.
- Apply emergency and disaster preparation and management knowledge and skills within the physical therapist scope of practice.
Please visit the UAB Graduate Catalog to see our official, current curriculum and course descriptions. Below you will find our proposed curriculum and descriptions.
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Year 1, Summer: PTC 790 – Challenges in American Healthcare: Physical Therapy as Part of the Solution
Students will explore current trends in health and healthcare in the United States with emphasis placed on underserved populations and marginalized communities. As a member of a primary care team, students will assess, analyze, synthesize, and modify determinants of health that underlie health disparities with respect to individual and community health outcomes. (2 credit hours)
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Year 1, Fall: PTC 791 – Physical Therapist Role in Primary Care
This course will explore current primary care practice models in which a physical therapist is a team member. (2 credit hours)
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Year 2, Spring: PTC 792 – Health Focused Physical Therapy Care I
This course will prepare students to assist their patients/clients in underserved populations and marginalized communities to adopt healthier lifestyles, achieving better physical therapy (PT) outcomes, and optimize their health using the Health-Focused Physical Therapy Model (HFPTM). This course is part one of a two-course series addressing health-focused care in physical therapy. (2 credit hours)
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Year 2, Spring: PTC 793 – Advanced Physical Therapy Management of Priority Health Conditions I
This course focuses on individual management of identified priority health conditions, within the context of primary care. This course is part one of a two-course series where students will use the Patient/Client Management model to develop advanced screening/examination, evaluation, diagnostic and prognostic skills, and plan of care applied to complex and often chronic conditions in a primary care environment. (2 credit hours)
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Year 2, Summer: PTC 794 – Health Focused Physical Therapy Care II
This course will prepare students to assist their patients/clients in underserved populations and marginalized communities to adopt healthier lifestyles, achieving better physical therapy (PT) outcomes, and optimizing their health using the Health-Focused Physical Therapy Model (HFPTM). This course is part two of a two-course series addressing health focused care in physical therapy. (2 credit hours)
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Year 2, Summer: PTC 795 – Advanced Physical Therapy Management of Priority Health Conditions II
This course focuses on individual management of priority health conditions, within the context of primary care. This course is part two of a two-course series where students will develop advanced intervention skills applied to complex and often chronic conditions in a primary care environment. (2 credit hours)
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Year 2, Fall: PTC 796 – Physical Therapists’ Role in Disaster and Emergency Preparation and Management
Underserved populations and marginalized communities are particularly vulnerable in natural disaster events (e.g., hurricane, tornados, and earthquakes) and emergency situations (i.e., situations where normal procedures are suspended and extraordinary measures are implemented to avert disaster). This course provides the physical therapist with skills within their scope of practice (i.e. triaging, splinting, providing basic first aid, wound care, mobility, and working as an emergency or disaster medical team member) to prepare and respond to emergencies and disasters. The completion of the National Safety Council Emergency Medical Response Training is required prior to enrolling in this course. (1 credit hour)
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Year 3, any semester: PT 797 – Community Engagement and Program Planning for Physical Therapists
This course can be taken Spring, Summer or Fall semester. It will examine strategies for and the benefits of community engagement and advocacy by physical therapists. Emphasis will be placed on needs assessment techniques, program planning, implementation, and evaluation. (2 credit hours)