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WesternU / College of Health Sciences / Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) – Oregon Campus

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) – Oregon Campus

Message from the Department of Physical Therapy Education – Oregon

On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff, we would like to welcome you to WesternU Oregon Department of Physical Therapy Education (DPTE) located in Lebanon, Oregon. WesternU Oregon’s Doctor of Physical Therapy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The overall pass rate on the national licensing exam for the inaugural 2024 class is 98%.

CHS-Northwest physcial therapy students participate in a hands-on musular skeletal return to sports testing lab led by Assistant Professor Chrsitina Gomez, PT, DPT and PT Lab Assistant Quinn Garner.

Our stunning new campus is in the beautiful Willamette Valley. The WesternU Oregon physical therapy program was built in the humanistic tradition where students are prepared to deliver collaborative person-centered care with respect, empathy, and trust. We offer an on-site blended learning curriculum that incorporates in-class active learning that emphasizes problem-solving and evidence-based practice, labs that provide experiential learning opportunities with clients / patients, and service-learning where students learn through hands on experiences while giving back to the community. Interprofessional education, where students learn with, from, and about other professions, is threaded throughout the curriculum so students graduate ready to provide team-based care. Our entry-level curriculum is well-balanced so our students graduate as movement specialists who are prepared to meet the needs of patients across the lifespan and can thrive in the rural communities of the Pacific Northwest.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the Department of Physical Therapy Education at Western University of Health Sciences – Oregon campus is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; CAPTE website. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 541-259-0470 or email dpteoregon@westernu.edu. Complete Program cost information can be found on this Financial Fact Sheet.

 

 

CAPTE has a mechanism to consider formal complaints about physical therapy education programs that allege a program is not in compliance with one or more of CAPTE’s Evaluative Criteria or has violated any of CAPTE’s expectations related to academic integrity. In reviewing and acting on a complaint, CAPTE cannot and does not function as an arbiter between the complaint and the institution. Should CAPTE find that a complaint has merit and that the program is out of compliance with the Evaluative Criteria or the integrity statement(s), CAPTE can only require the program to come into compliance with the Evaluative Criteria. CAPTE cannot force a program into any specific resolution of the situation that resulted in the complaint. Students or other interested parties may file a formal complaint about a PT program with CAPTE at any time. To obtain the materials necessary for submitting a complaint, contact the APTA Accreditation Department at (703) 706-3245 or at accreditation@apta.org.

Program Outcomes

Student Goals:

  1. Embrace the program’s mission, values and organizing principles.
  2. Have the capacity and commitment to succeed in doctoral physical therapy education.
  3. Demonstrate an interest to serve rural communities, medically underserved and vulnerable populations.
  4. Develop habits to foster life-long learning to succeed in an evolving health care environment.

Graduate Goals:

  1. Create patient centered care plans within a humanistic tradition, while synthesizing evidence that promotes optimal health outcomes.
  2. Illustrate movement system expertise as autonomous practitioners who welcome collaboration with interprofessional health teams.
  3. Contribute efforts to positively impact the overall health outcomes of communities and society with a commitment to rural environments, medically underserved and vulnerable populations.
  4. Demonstrate leadership, professionalism, and role identity commensurate with a doctorate in physical therapy.
  5. Serve communities to improve health through optimizing movement.
  6. Embrace self-reflection and professional curiosity to pursue ongoing life-long learning.
  7. Strive for excellence in all aspects of physical therapist practice.

DPT-OR of Western University of Health Sciences maintains a retention rate of 94–97% across it’s three cohorts.

Complaints Which Fall Outside the Realm of Due Process

Any stakeholder of Western University of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy Education – Oregon has the right to file a complaint and receive due process. Current students, prospective students, faculty, and staff should follow the established University policies available to these constituents. All other stakeholders, including, but not limited to employers of graduates, clinical education sites, and the public, may file a complaint under this policy. Complaints may be related to program policies, procedures, or other aspects of the program, including working with faculty and staff. Western University of Health Sciences prohibits any form of retaliation against any party making a complaint against the school or program, its faculty, or its students.

Procedure

Complaints should be submitted in writing (mailed or emailed) and must be filed within one year of the event(s) in question. The written complaint must contain, at a minimum, the complainant’s name and signature, contact information, the date of submission, and a summary of the complaint. Anonymous complaints and phone calls will not be accepted.

A written complaint must be mailed or emailed to the Department chair/Program Director:

Sandra Saavedra PT PhD MS
Department of Physical Therapy Education – Oregon
College of Health Sciences Northwest
Western University of Health Sciences
2665 S. Santiam Hwy, Lebanon, OR 97355
ssaavedra@westernu.edu
Office: (541) 259-0476

Complaints about the Program Director/ Department Chair should be mailed to:
Jonathan Perry PhD MSc
Site Dean – College of Health Sciences Northwest
Western University of Health Sciences
2665 S. Santiam Hwy, Lebanon, OR 97355
jperry@westernu.edu
Office: (541) 259-0478

The department chair (or site dean) or her/his designee will initially respond to the complainant within three weeks of receiving the complaint. The department takes all program-related complaints seriously. If possible, the matter will be reconciled at this point.
If the complainant believes that additional review is necessary, the site dean will review the complaint and address it. If further review is needed, then the last line of complaint is with the Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Paula M. Crone, DO
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Western University of Health Sciences
309 E. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766
200 Mullins Drive, Lebanon, OR 97355
Office: (909) 469-5563
pcrone@westernu.edu

The complaint and documentation associated with the complaint will be kept in a locked file in the department chair’s office (or site dean’s office for a complaint against the department chair chairperson) for 5 years.