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Program Partnership

Partnership Vision

To lead and influence best practices of a partnering relationship between physical therapist and physical therapist assistant educational programs.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program and the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program share a partnership vision realized in the social, educational and programmatic arenas for students and faculty members.

In the community

Participation is encouraged in activities that foster both personal and professional relationships between students from both programs. Many choose to join the PT Club, working and serving together to educate the St. Kate’s and the larger Twin Cities communities about the benefits of healthful living.

In addition, all third year DPT students and many second year PTA students participate in a joint service learning immersion experience either locally, nationally or internationally exploring together how the profession of physical therapy can provide care to underserved populations and how PTs and PTAs can incorporate social justice into their practices.

Working together

In the classroom, DPT and PTA students often learn alongside each other reviewing and discussing intervention plans and familiarizing themselves with the PT/PTA working relationship.

Faculty assistants — who are PTA practitioners themselves — are able to model the appropriate supervisory relationship between the PT and PTA. On the clinical side, sites are utilized by both programs allowing the clinical education directors for each to coordinate site visits and evaluate clinical sites.

Faculty members from both programs collaborate in their recruitment efforts, scholarly activities and learning. The cooperative nature of these departments benefits the University, faculty and students increasing the knowledge and resources needed to educate all in the broad field of physical therapy.