Student Support
Faculty members of the Indiana University Department of Physical Therapy have the responsibility of fostering and modeling intellectual curiosity, professional commitment, and personal integrity. They are committed to students in the Department of Physical Therapy educational program and have implemented several programs to facilitate their academic and professional success.
Academic Advisor
Each physical therapist student is assigned a faculty advisor when he/she enters the program. Faculty advisors are responsible for counseling and mentoring their advisees as needed to support the continued professional development of students throughout the curriculum. Faculty advisors meet with each student advisee at the beginning of each semester to discuss the students' individual career development goals and Generic Abilities reflections. Students are expected to contact their faculty advisors when they want direction for supplemental learning experiences (clinical or research opportunities outside the minimum curriculum requirements) and when they have personal or academic issues interfering with their academic or clinical performance. Faculty advisors are expected to contact their student advisees to recommend supplemental learning experiences when appropriate and to discuss noted academic and professional performance issues. Students are encouraged to approach all faculty members with questions about curricular content, supplemental learning experiences, and career development mentorship (portfolio development, professional development and further education, resume review, job search and career advice, networking and contacts for professional growth and job search) according to common clinical and professional interests.
Mentoring Program
The faculty is committed to providing resources to students to help them be successful in their academic pursuits. The Department of Physical Therapy Mentoring Program was designed with the intention of supporting students in gross anatomy, human physiology, and neuroscience. Mentors are students that were successful in these courses previously. They are employed by the Department of Physical Therapy to convey effective study habits and explain course materials to students currently enrolled in these courses. Mentors are supported by faculty members with content expertise in each of the three courses.
Student Organizations
A. Department of Physical Therapy Class Representative Council
Student Council is one opportunity for students to become more involved while attending the program. Each class has a council made up of 5 students elected by the class as a whole. Student representatives are elected in the first six weeks of the first year of the curriculum and serve throughout the class' enrollment until graduation. Each class also has a faculty sponsor to represent their interests at faculty meetings and to facilitate class projects. The representatives express student concerns to the department chair and faculty. Meetings with the faculty sponsor occur monthly and more frequently if requested by the student representatives. Representatives then update their classmates on those interactions by posting meeting minutes. Representatives facilitate keeping classroom supplies current, assist in Department of Physical Therapy functions (open-house and orientation) and other student-initiated extra-curricular service activities, and make spending decisions from the student technology account and student activity fee account. Student representatives also meet on their own as needed; typically once or twice a month.
B. Graduate Student Organization (GSO)
The Graduate Student Organization (GSO) relays the needs of graduate and professional students to the IUPUI administration and the general student body. It also coordinates graduate activities and provides fellowships, scholarships, and grants to deserving graduate students. A representative is chosen each year from each graduate or professional school to attend monthly meetings. Here concerns and issues are discussed and plans to resolve the problems or implement policies are made. Attendance at these meetings is mandatory to receive funding from the student activity fee. Although only one representative is required, these meetings are open to all interested graduate students.
C. American Physical Therapy Association Student Assembly
The APTA Student Assembly is the governing body for student members. They are responsible for relaying information from APTA to students and students to APTA. Their website is a great resource for information about the profession, publications, and education. They have a monthly electronic newsletter that provides up do date information.
Student Resources and Employment Search
The Department of Physical Therapy hosts two student-focused websites through Oncourse: 'DPT Student Tools' and 'PT Jobs'. The 'DPT Student Tools' website allows students to access many of the documents, forms, and tools that will be needed throughout the program as well as professional development documents. The 'PT Jobs' website offers a plethora of job opportunities and external scholarship announcements. Job opportunity announcements and scholarship opportunities are hosted on the 'PT Jobs' website for at least six months from the time the organization submits the announcement.
The Department of Physical Therapy maintains files of information about facilities currently recruiting physical therapists. The files are kept outside the student classroom and locker rooms. The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences offers a job fair in the fall for students to interact with recruiters from different facilities.