N E X T G E N E R AT I O N H E A LT H C A R E
by Doug McGinnis
Healthcare Matters In Clarkson’s graduate programs in the health sciences, students learn to ask the right questions and find patient-centered solutions. A man with a spinal cord injury wants to watch wildlife in the meadow next to his home, but he lacks the strength to hold binoculars. So a Clarkson professor and one of her students devised a framework that holds the binoculars and includes a set of levers to move them. Assistive technology like this is being developed through Clarkson’s two-year-old Occupational Therapy (OT) program, the latest addition to the University’s growing number of health sciences programs. Clarkson now trains occupational therapists, physical therapists and physician assistants in three graduate degree programs based at the Potsdam campus. These healthcare specialties are critical to improving the health, lives and independence of millions of Americans, including those affected by or living with limited mobility or chronic illnesses. They are also among the best career options, based on satisfaction, salary potential and projected
growth. All three are listed in the top 25 of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Careers 2017. Clarkson began its move into healthcare some 18 years ago with the introduction of a master’s program in physical therapy (MPT) in 1999. Seven years later, the MPT transitioned into a doctoral degree program (DPT). Like all students in health sciences programs, DPT students must complete rigorous coursework and fieldwork assignments at hospitals and clinics throughout the U.S. and pass state board exams upon graduation. While Physical Therapy (PT) programs are widely offered across the country, Clarkson’s program is one of the few that offers a problem-based learning curriculum. “All our learning is based around cases that students have to solve,” says Professor George Fulk, chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and associate dean of health sciences. The faculty creates these cases from actual incidents. Sometimes the problems are multifaceted, adding a layer of complexity for the student teams. For instance, in addition to a physical disability, patients may also have depression. In each case, students, working in groups of six to eight, come up with solutions to best help the patient. This approach differs radically from the educational methods employed elsewhere. “Our Clarkson University 23
