Clinical Education Program

In This Section

The clinical education curriculum includes a total of 32 full-time weeks which are critical to the development of minimal competencies required for professional practice. Clinical education experiences are designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors needed for entry into the practice of physical therapy. Learning occurs directly as a function of being immersed within various practice settings. Clinical education occurs in off-campus physical therapy practices with individuals having agreed to certain standards of behavior through contractual arrangements for their services.

Part-time clinical experiences are integrated into the didactic school year under the Service Learning courses (PT 591, PT 592, PT 691, PT 692).

Bellarmine University is a proud member of the Ohio Kentucky Consortium of Physical Therapy Programs (OKCPTP), a collection of 14 physical therapist academic programs whose mission is “to cultivate the culture of excellence in physical therapist clinical education through leadership, collaboration, service, innovation, and scholarship”.

Clinical Education Curriculum

The clinical education program at Bellarmine University is comprised of three full-time clinical experiences totaling 32 weeks.

PT 700 Clinical Experience I (8 weeks)
PT 710 Clinical Experience II (12 weeks)
PT 720 Clinical Experience III (12 weeks)

Students are assigned to clinical education experiences by the director and associate director of clinical education based on mandatory course requirements, the individual learning needs of the students, student preferences, and site availability. At least one of the student's clinical experiences will be assigned to an inpatient setting. Specialty clinics are also available, such as women’s health, pediatrics, sports medicine, and neuro rehab.

Students are responsible for all expenses of travel to clinical education sites, including the expense of temporary housing and all other expenses.

Upcoming Dates for Clinical Experiences

Class of 2027 Clinical Experiences

PT 700 Clinical Clerkship, July 7 – August 15, 2025
PT 710 Practice Experience I, May 26 - August 14, 2026
PT 720 Practice Experience II, August 31 - November 20, 2026
PT 730 Practice Experience III, February 1 - April 23, 2027

Class of 2028 Clinical Experiences

PT 700 Clinical Experience I, June 22 - August 14, 2026
PT 710 Clinical Experience II, August 30 - November 19, 2027

Class of 2029 Clinical Experiences

PT 700 Clinical Experience I, June 21 - August 13, 2027

Bellarmine has adopted the Exxat platform for clinical education offer submissions. Questions related to clinical placements or affiliation agreements can be directed to the director of clinical education, Dr. Beth Quinn (squinn@bellarmine.edu).

Clinical Practice Requirements

Students must be in good academic standing with permission from the program director required for participation in full-time clinical education coursework
Current (up-to-date) and complete student health record on record with the program, which includes documentation of the following:
1. Health history
2. Physical examination
3. Immunization record and/or applicable declination form(s)
  1. Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis: initial vaccine plus Td booster every 10 years
  2. Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR): two-dose series
  3. Hepatitis B: three-dose series
  4. Varicella (chicken pox): two-dose series, proof of immunity via titer, or positive history based on physician diagnosis
  5. Influenza: annual, generally no later than December 1
  6. Covid-19: vaccine and booster (recommended)
  7. Tuberculosis (TB): annual screening
Current CPR American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS) certification
Completed criminal background screen (upon entering the program)
Completed HIPAA training
Completed blood-borne pathogens training
Certificate of professional liability insurance coverage
10-panel drug screen

If your clinical site has additional requirements, such as drug testing, a federal background check, etc., students will be responsible for completing prior to the beginning of the clinical experience. Students can request a religious or medical exemption to the immunizations requirement by completing and submitting the DPT Immunization Exemption Request form.