Marymount University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, located just outside of Washington DC, provides an exceptional environment for academic study, community involvement, and cultural enrichment. Marymount’s program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
Marymount's program prepares physical therapists who are health care practitioners of choice for individuals with conditions affecting movement and function. Our program emphasizes patient management decisions based on best available scientific evidence, well developed clinical skills and judgment, and incorporation of patient goals and preferences.
The Marymount Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate is prepared for the role of autonomous practitioner, and has the skills necessary to quickly and effectively respond to the rapidly changing health care environment. Each student completes 32 weeks of full-time supervised clinical practice, at clinical facilities that may be around the corner from campus or across the country.
Unique features of Marymount’s three-year graduate curriculum includes its modified problem-based learning approach and integration of "real life" clinical experiences with classroom learning across all three years of the program of study. The student-directed, active-learning component revolves around commonly occurring patient problems. The patient problems serve as the catalyst for students to identify their learning needs and guide their learning activities. Learning-in-context encourages students to discriminate clinical relevance of content rather than focusing on pure memorization and reproduction of study materials.
Each student completes a professional journal-ready patient case report, prepared over several semesters, and based on an actual patient experience during a clinical practicum. This report serves as capstone evidence of the ability to incorporate and communicate best scientific evidence, apply clinical reasoning principles, make clinical judgments, and utilize a patient-centered approach. Students also complete a comprehensive examination at the end of the program of study that assesses readiness for practice and helps prepare the student for the national licensing exam.