Professional Leadership IV

This 14-week course, during the third year of the DPT curriculum, is the final in a series of 4 courses designed to educate students about the multiple dimensions of professional practice in contemporary physical therapy.  These courses will explore the professional roles of the PT as a clinician, educator and advocate and address trans-curricular themes including leadership, service, health promotion, advocacy and health policy, teaching & learning, interprofessional teamwork, management of the practice, and self-reflection, culminating in the creation of a digital portfolio. The course series includes broad exposure to a variety of professional and personal development experiences.

PLP IV will cover three intersecting content areas of the practicing clinician: Business Management, Health Care Policy, and Professional Practice. This course will also include the finalization and completion of the e-portfolio started in PLP I. 

Business Management

This course applies basic business, management and marketing concepts and principles to the practice of physical therapy across all settings. The course is designed to review and apply the framework of the US healthcare system within the confines of its capitalistic economy; ultimately driving the models within which patient care is provided in physical therapy. This content area is divided into four areas: 1) General Business Concepts & Organizational Capacity, 2) Entrepreneurial and Administrative Aspects of Health Care Delivery, 3) Branding & Marketing Communications, & 4) Economically Viable Plans for Sustainability of the Practice

Health Care Policy

An understanding of United States health care policy is necessary for physical therapists to participate effectively in the system. Health Care Policy introduces students to aspects of the United States health care system with an awareness of the needs and interests of the various stakeholders, including physical therapists. The content area examines both the pros and cons of select health care policies and encourages a discussion of the reasons and potential solutions for current issues in health policy and health care. The course explains the: 

1. Historical development and current organization of the United States health care system, including the influencing social philosophies and public policies of the different time periods 
2. Financing for and oversight of health care within the US system
3. Current issues in health policy an