PROGRAM GUIDE
Doctor of Physical Therapy Program www.mghihp.edu
Welcome to IHP Dear Applicant, Congratulations on completing your application to the MGH Institute of Health Professions Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. It is lovely to welcome so many well qualified candidates to our virtual open house this December. How wonderful to see so many outstanding applicants interested in the great profession of PT! Our top ranked Department of Physical Therapy is a community of learners dedicated to educating and inspiring individuals to lead in patient care, advocate in diverse interprofessional environments, and shape the future of physical therapy practice. Our faculty are experts in the field and promote excellence in clinical practice, education, research, and service through our innovative curriculum, state of the art facilities, and research labs. The Institute’s ability to adapt and innovate throughout COVID-19 related disruptions is nothing short of remarkable. I could not be prouder of our faculty, staff, and students for their incredible work implementing new modes of teaching and learning to move our collective goals forward. The pages that follow highlight program features of the DPT program and Institute community. I know you will find learning from our faculty, students, administrators and community and clinical partners highly rewarding. As you round out the admissions process, we thank you for your interest in pursuing your graduate studies at the MGH Institute, wish you all the best in your career pursuits and look forward to connecting with you in the coming months. Stay safe and well, Elise Townsend, DPT, PhD, PCS Admission Chair and Associate Professor Department of Physical Therapy MGH Institute of Health Professions
Your PT Career Starts Here
1ST Program
Top 10
Interprofessional Approach
We were the first program in the country to offer students paid, full-time, yearlong internship opportunities.
Our DPT program is ranked #9 in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Our teaching methodology enables you to immediately meld theory with clinical practice in stages throughout your program and, as a result, more easily apply what you are learning to your existing knowledge and skill set.
Physical Therapy The MGH Institute of Health Professions Department of Physical Therapy provides students an unparalleled opportunity to play an increasingly vital role in helping patients restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and limit permanent physical disabilities resulting from injury or disease, as well as in improving health and wellness. The Institute’s 3-year DPT Program prepares physical therapists to be successful practitioners and leaders in complex and evolving health care systems. To accomplish this goal, we emphasize critical thinking and clinical decision making, collaborative team-based care, and lifelong learning.
On-Campus PT Center
A Team-Based IMPACT
Be Ahead of the Curve
The Physical Therapy Center for Clinical Education and Health Promotion offers students an opportunity to provide probono care to clients who might not otherwise receive services, practicing professional skills under the supervision of area clinicians.
You will learn and collaborate with students and practitioners from across the health professions. Interprofessional team-based experiences will strengthen your ability to provide patient-centered care in an increasingly complex health care environment.
Boston is not only the center of higher education and health care, it is also a city with a rich history, amazing sports teams, wonderful neighborhoods, and vibrant performing arts. Your graduate experience will be one you will never forget.
Why Study at IHP With MGH Institute, you get it all: innovative teaching, unparalleled access to leading academic medical centers and health care sites across New England and beyond, and an active-learning curriculum create an engaging learning environment that equips PT students to provide exemplary patient care, recognize and attend to the needs of their patients. Curriculum We offer an integrated, case-based curriculum designed to foster critical clinical decision making, effective evidence-based interventions, and professionalism. Real-life cases are used to foster applied learning of basic sciences (e.g., anatomy) with clinical sciences (e.g., orthopedics), in the context of sociobehavioral sciences (e.g., culture). Cross-Curricular Threads such as clinical decision making and evidence-based practice are woven throughout the curriculum to promote development of your ability to function as a skilled physical therapist upon graduation. Learn more about these integrated cross-curricular threads as well as a year-long, full-time, paid internship. Team-based learning approaches are used throughout our curriculum to foster active engagement of course material and competency-based mastery. Students are responsible for coming to class prepared to discuss cases and apply didactic knowledge learned outside of class. The program is structured to be fluid, proactive, and responsive in meeting the present and future needs of students and of health care, including the incorporation of modern technology and innovation into education and practice.
Students benefit from a multiple mentor model. Learners have an advising team that includes their academic advisor, clinical education advisor, and their peer buddy (a second-year DPT students) to provide support throughout their time in the program (and beyond). DPT cohorts participate in retreats that provide the opportunity to interact with faculty and peers outside of the classroom.
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Why Study at IHP Clinical Affiliations Thanks to our clinical education affiliations with high-quality health care systems and clinics in the Boston area and throughout the country, our students enjoy exceptional access to expert clinicians at the health centers that are setting the standards for physical therapy today.
Clinical Internship Following didactic courses, students begin the clinical internship in Fall. Internships are typically yearlong paid experiences in a single facility (typically at 50-75% of a licensed PT salary) with varied exposure for long-term professional development. Other models, including shorter unpaid clinical experiences, may be implemented based on availability of internship positions. Assignment to clinical sites involves a match process that includes an interview and professional reference. Students receive their degree the first week in January, signifying completion of entry level requirements. For those in year-long internships, the interns sit for the licensure exam and become licensed in the state in which their internship facility is located, then complete the second half of the year commitment as an intern and a licensed therapist. The Institute’s physical therapy program was the first in the country to offer the clinical internship as a regular part of clinical education. The purpose of the year long internship is to facilitate the transition from student to practitioner in an environment that fosters full development of the professional role. While interns continued postlicensure on a reduced salary, internship provides the mentoring and professional socialization experiences that typically occur in the new graduate’s first year of employment; thus graduates of our program enter the profession with a strong clinical background that allows them to move into varied practice settings with confidence and skill as experienced clinicians.
Why Study at IHP As you think about your future studies, there are many reasons to choose MGH Institute of Health Professions. IMPACT Practice Center The IMPACT Practice Center was specifically designed for students from the MGH Institute’s nursing, genetic counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and speech-language pathology programs to collaboratively learn from and with each other on how to provide the team-based care that improves patient outcomes. Interprofessional Education A new way to learn. A better way to deliver care. As a student at MGH Institute, you will interact with clinicians from various professions to learn firsthand about the importance of interprofessional practice. Learn more about our Interprofessional Education Integrated Clinical Experiences In fall and spring of the first year and fall of the second year, students participate in weekly half-day learning experiences, working in small groups, that occur either in local clinical facilities or our on-site PT center. Other experiential learning opportunities such as community engagement may also be incorporated to support student learning. The learning experiences are designed to involve students directly in the clinical decision-making process related to examination, evaluation, and intervention, as well as to provide opportunity for hands-on application of skills. Student participation increases in complexity as the program progresses and students become familiar with the requirements and constraints of the clinical environment. Full-time Clinical Experiences Full-time clinical experiences of 10 weeks duration occur in the summer after the first academic year and in the spring semester of the second year. At each successive experience, the student is expected to perform a more complete and appropriate examination and evaluation, to determine more accurately and precisely the diagnosis and prognosis, provide more efficient and effective intervention, and to demonstrate a higher level of critical thinking and problem solving.
Innovation During Times of Change To understand how the PT department has adapted to meet the challenges of COVID-19, we would like to introduce this as one example of our creative pivot to a new mode of delivery. In the Spring of 2020, we pivoted to a virtual model of PT education to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty employed a host of innovative teaching and learning strategies to provide critical lab practice with instructor feedback. Students in the Patient/Client Management: Cervicothoracic and Craniomandibular Disorders course, taught by Assistant Professor Keshrie Naidoo and Associate Professor Doug Gross, put together videos on Flipgrid after watching the faculty perform an assessment or treatment technique. “There were many anticipated benefits to this technology,” said Dr. Naidoo. “Students would watch themselves perform the skill, self-assess, and have the opportunity to reshoot the video multiple times before submitting. We really gained an appreciation of their creativity.” Video examples included Christina Lee playing the role of both patient and therapist, Evelyn Chodock evaluating her mother for cervicogenic dizziness, Miguel Abreu demonstrating on his mother an assessment of light touch sensation in Spanish, and Lan Tran evaluating a future DPT student. After submitting the videos, the students received individualized feedback from Dr. Naidoo and Dr. Gross via video responses. “It was a challenge to convert the course, but the students did a great job adapting to it,” Naidoo said.
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Alumni Spotlight
Miguel Santiago DPT ‘19
“There are many students from different areas of the country and the world, and we are all studying different things, but in the end we are all working together to accomplish the same goal of providing care to patients.” -MIGUEL SANTIAGO.
Why did you decide to work in Physical Therapy? The main reason I decided to work in physical therapy is I want to help people. Growing up as an athlete, and working as a strength and conditioning coach, I was always interested in the movement aspect of the human body and getting people strong and healthy. To me, working in the physical therapy profession would give me a deeper understanding of the human body as a whole, and allow me to combine my strength and conditioning background with a rehabilitative approach to examining, treating, and improving human performance in all aspects of life. What attracted you to the MGH Institute Doctor of Physical Therapy program? The main reasons I was attracted to this program was its location and its reputation as one of the top programs in the nation. Additionally, the program’s willingness to change their already strong program into a new integrative approach in order to improve student experience was something I knew I wanted to be a part of. What about the MGH Institute is special to you? I think what makes the MGH Institute special is the diversity throughout the entire campus. Diversity between the students and the professions allows for a very nurturing environment that encourages students to develop into well-rounded professionals. On this campus there are many students from different areas of the the country and the world, and we are all studying different things, but in the end we are all working together to accomplish the same goal of providing the best possible care to patients. What impact has your clinical experience during the program had on you? My clinical experience here at the Institute has definitely had a positive impact on how I approach every medical profession and also my own profession. The integrative experiences offered at the Institute allowed me to understand what it takes to be a good physical therapist and also how to collaborate with other health professions in order to provide the best possible care to patients. Additionally, the clinical experiences are great opportunities to escape the classroom and apply all the information we have learned during class in a real life situation. What is your most memorable experience? My most memorable experience so far in my time here at the Institute involves both the PT faculty and my classmates. Knowing that I am Puerto Rican and that a majority of my family still lives in Puerto Rico, the PT faculty and my classmates showed a tremendous amount of support and interest in my well being following the devastating affects of hurricane Maria. Not only did they send emails showing concern and providing their support, my classmates and faculty surprised me with a card and a $500 check in order to help buy/send supplies to my family on the island affected by the hurricane. Receiving that letter and all their support was definitely an emotional experience and it made me grateful to be around so many great people within my program.
Alumni Spotlight
Cecilia Jiang DPT ‘12
“People with disabilities are just as important as everyone else. I want to be able to do something that will help them and their families have a better quality of life.” - Dr. Cecilia Jiang.
Even though Cecilia Jiang is fortunate enough to be healthy, she has spent much of the past several years helping people with disabilities. Her efforts resulted in her being named as a Albert Schweitzer Fellow during her time at the MGH Institute. “People with disabilities are just as important as everyone else,” said Jiang, a 2012 graduate of the entrylevel Doctor of Physical Therapy program. “I want to be able to do something that will help them and their families have a better quality of life.” She worked with Asian families through the non-profit organization Joni and Friends of Greater Boston, for which she already volunteers. Her project connected these families, most of whom live in Chinatown where 30% of residents in that neighborhood live below the poverty line, with suitable respite care resources and connect the mothers with bi-monthly support groups through the non-profit organization. Jiang, who grew up in Taiwan, graduated in 2008 from the University of Virginia with a degree in biochemistry. As part of her Schweitzer Fellowship, she facilitated discussions on campus, focusing on health care disparities, cross-cultural sensitivity, and the spiritual aspects of caring for individuals with disabilities. One thing she strived to do is make an impact after her year-long fellowship ended, noting that improving health care for people with disabilities is not only cost effective but is a matter of basic civil rights. “I’ve seen too many programs fall apart after the person behind it leaves,” noted Jiang, who received a $3,000 stipend for her efforts. “My goal is to become a physical therapist who will provide quality care to all patients, and that this project was a small step towards achieving quality and equality in the American health care system.”
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There are several options to get to campus, including public transport, shuttle buses and parking facilities.
There is perhaps no better place to be a graduate student than the Boston area. Besides a multitude of culinary, historical, recreational, ethnic, and cultural resources, Greater Boston is home to more than 250,000 college students in 50 colleges and universities.
Whether you’d like to live with other students or on your own, we can help you find a perfect place to call home.
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What we provide
Academic Support Counseling
Personal Counseling
Academic Support Counseling is a resource for students’ academic and personal development. Students can meet one-on-one with an Academic Support Counselor (ASC) who will work with the student to identify what challenges he or she is facing and discuss strategies for improvement.
Students of MGH Institute who may be experiencing difficulties that affect their personal lives or program performance are encouraged to use the Mass General Brigham Student/Employee Assistance Program (SAP/EAP) for consultations, short-term counseling, information, and referral.
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Career Development
Accessibility Resources
Reaching Your Career Goals: The Office of Career Development is dedicated to assisting students and alumni fulfill their potential as health professions leaders of tomorrow through: individual and group advising, writing tutoring, employment application preparation, career workshops, recruitment events, mock interviews, and job search training.
Students at MGH Institute are supported by a caring staff with policies and procedures to ensure equitable access. Accessibility Resources aims to advocate for and support students with disabilities on campus and arrange accommodations when needed that allow them to succeed.
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Serving the Community The MGH Institute plays an active role in helping our local and global communities.
Pandemic Doesn’t Deter IHP’s Commitment to Community Students, faculty, and staff have created myriad ways to stay connected and retain the school’s unique culture in response to social distancing caused by the coronavirus. Read article on our website
A Community-Building Virtual Race Without Borders More than 120 students, faculty, staff and alumni participate in 5K to raise funds for COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund. Read article on our website
Helping Boston’s Homeless During Coronavirus Pandemic Harrison Keyes, PAS ’18, is working to ensure care for a population that is among the most susceptible of contracting COVID-19. Read article on our website
Assisting COVID-19 Patients at Revere Isolation Hotel Faculty, students, and alumni from nursing and physician assistant studies are working with people who have the coronavirus but cannot live in their homes. Read article on our website
The Office of Enrollment Services combines the offices of Admissions, Bursar, Financial aid, and Registrar in one convenient location. ADMISSIONS
BURSAR
The Admission Admissions willOffice communicate communicates with accepted with students regarding accepted students regarding their decision, their the decision, enrollment the process, deposit enrollment process, deadlines, depositand deadlines, all Admissions and all pre-enrollment Admissions pre-matriculation requirements.requirements.
The Bursar’s office is available to answer questions regarding the cost of our programs, and to discuss payment options, as well as payment deadlines for each semester.
Pre-matriculation Pre-Enrollment requirements requirements that that willneed be needed to be from the prior received Officetoofthe Admission start of the are program pre-requisite are coursework completion, pre-requisite course completion, proof of proof degreeof degree completion, and final final/official official transcripts. transcripts, for example.
We can also be contacted for information regarding health insurance, tuition refund insurance, and 1098-T tax forms.
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For more information, contact:
Jack Fitzpatrick, Jessica Loeser, Assistant Associate Director Director ofof Admission Email: jfitzpatric2@mghihp.edu jloeser@mghihp.edu Website: mghihp.edu/admission
Gail Gail D’Ovidio, D’Ovidio, Associate Associate Bursar Bursar Email: gdovidio@mghihp.edu Email: gdovidio@mghihp.edu Website: Website: mghihp.edu/bursar mghihp.edu/bursar
Office of Enrollment Services An in your professions Theinvestment Financial Aid Officehealth will provide a welcome education is one thatoffice will pay back available many and overview of our andyou options times over the course of your career. The for students to help finance their educational Financial expenses.Aid Office is here to assist students and help you create a plan for funding your education. Wescholarship understandrecipients that students mayas We will notify as well have many questions about financing and notify students who have filed a FAFSA of their navigating the financial aidcommunicate process, and any we federal eligibility and also are here to help. We will notify students of requirements needed to receive these funds. institutional scholarships as well as notify students who have filed a FAFSA of their federal eligibility and also communicate any For more information, requirements needed tocontact: receive these funds. Alexis Guay, Assistant Director of Financial Aid Alexis Assistant Director of Email: Guay, aguay@mghihp.edu Financial Aid Website: mghihp.edu/financial-aid Email: aguay@mghihp.edu Website: mghihp.edu/financial-aid
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The Registrar’s Office is the point of contact for students as they complete enrollment requirements, post-deposit and pre-matriculation. We will register all students for classes prior to their arrival on campus and answer any questions related to this process. We provide all students with up-to-date course information and maintain all student records.
For more information, contact: Laura Stengle, For more information, contact:Assistant Registrar for Non-Degree Enrollment; Laura Stengle,Liaison Assistant Registrar New Student for Non-Degree Enrollment; Email: lstengle@mghihp.edu New Student Liaison Website: mghihp.edu/registrar Email: lstengle@mghihp.edu Website: mghihp.edu/registrar REGISTRAR
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