Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

• Why St. Kate’s
• Clinical Experience
• Academic Plan
• Courses
• Career Opportunities
• Faculty
• Accreditation/Outcomes

Sue Klappa

Assistant professor of physical therapy

Classes taught: Acute Care II on Cardiac Rehabilitation, Rehab III course on rehabilitation after amputation, Complex Medical and Trauma Care

A global perspective: As an undergraduate, Sue conducted marine biology research in the Dominican Republic. Now, she helps students prepare for the service learning experiences while on campus, and leads them in community fieldwork as well as the global service learning trip students can choose in their third year. “The experience really got under my skin and in my blood,” she says.

What is service learning at St. Kate’s? “It’s about service and learning. Students learn to become advocates for others and also to think creatively. We start in the classroom and learn what service learning means to our role as a professional after graduation. Then we go into a community and become engaged with real-life issues facing the communities we serve.”

The importance of serving others: Sue led a PT trip to Venezuela in 2007. Students worked in the parish soup kitchen, at the parish day care center, at a home run by the Sisters of Charity for men dying of AIDS and also led playground activities for the immigrant children who attended the school run by the Sisters.

“There were also opportunities to visit a local public hospital, clinic, and nursing school. We were also able to provide training for the young adults of the parish who visit home-bound people on safe transfers and body mechanics.”

Big lessons from abroad: Global experiences teach students about respecting the needs of other communities and treating each individual as a whole person, Sue says. “Students are challenged to think creatively beyond what might appear to be an obvious answer. These are lessons students take back and incorporate in their professional life.”

Finding a Calcutta: Mother Teresa once said that you don’t have to go to Calcutta to find people in need. She challenged us to “find our own Calcutta back home.” Sue agrees, but she also says that when students are in a different setting they may actually see poverty for the first time.

“They see human faces behind the statistics and numbers with regard to poverty. Once students have been abroad, their eyes are open to local needs,” she says.

A holistic view of healing: “Healing is not just physical — it’s also emotional and spiritual. You are dealing with the whole human being. I had to think on my feet and learn how to honor people with different cultural traditions and perspectives on healing. Other ways of knowing are just as important as mine. I was able to think more holistically.”

Education: B.A., biology, Hamline University; M.A., physical education, University of Minnesota; M.A., physical therapy, College of St. Catherine; Ph.D. (in progress), education, curriculum and instruction, University of Minnesota.