Clinical education accounts for approximately one third of the DPT curriculum, providing a total of 42 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 four full-time clinical experiences, totaling 42 weeks.
- PT 700 Clinical Clerkship (6 weeks)
- PT 710 Practice Experience I (12 weeks)
- PT 720 Practice Experience II (12 weeks)
- PT 730 Practice 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. The distribution of clinical placements includes at least one urban and one rural practice, as well as one acute care experience, a rehabilitation experience, and a community based experience such as outpatient settings, schools or home health. 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 2024 Clinical Experiences
- PT 700 Clinical Clerkship July 5 - August 12, 2022
- PT 710 Practice Experience I May 22 - August 11, 2023
- PT 720 Practice Experience II August 28 - November 17, 2023
- PT 730 Practice Experience III January 29 – April 19, 2024
Class of 2025 Clinical Experiences
- PT 700 Clinical Clerkship July 3 - August 11, 2023
- PT 710 Practice Experience I May 20 – August 9, 2024
- PT 720 Practice Experience II August 26 – November 15, 2024
- PT 730 Practice Experience III February 3 – April 25, 2025
Class of 2026 Clinical Experiences
- PT 700 Clinical Clerkship July 1 – August 9, 2024
- PT 710 Practice Experience I May 27 – August 15, 2025
- PT 720 Practice Experience II September 2 – November 21, 2025
Class of 2027 Clinical Experiences
Clinical Site Availability Form *
*Bellarmine is adopting the Exxat platform for the submission of 2025 clinical education offers. Please expect an email, with a unique link to the online offer form, to arrive in your email on or near March 1. If you did not receive the email, please reach out to pclark3@bellarmine.edu. If, however, you would still prefer to submit your offer(s) using our pdf form, please click on the link above.
Clinical Practice Requirements
- Students must be in good academic standing with permission from 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:
- Health History
- Physical Examination
- Immunization Record and/or applicable declination form(s)
- Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis: initial vaccine plus Td booster every 10 yrs
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): 2-dose series
- Hepatitis B: 3-dose series
- Varicella (chicken pox): 2-dose series, proof of immunity via titer, or positive history based on physician diagnosis
- Influenza- annual, generally no later than December 1
- Covid-19 vaccine and booster
- Tuberculosis (TB) Screening: annual screening
- Current CPR 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 required by a clinical site
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.
Contact Us
Dr. Beth Quinn
Director of Clinical Education
squinn@bellarmine.edu
Dr. Tara Granada
Associate Director of Clinical Education
tgranada@bellarmine.edu