Technical Standards

Purpose 

Candidates for the DPT degree at the University of Iowa must demonstrate the ability to acquire the necessary knowledge, attitudes, and skills to complete core educational requirements and graduate as effective practitioners of physical therapy, with or without reasonable accommodations. These standards ensure that all students can perform the essential functions required to complete the DPT curriculum and meet the demands of physical therapy practice.

Policy

The technical standards for graduation are designed to ensure that students can perform the essential functions of the physical therapy curriculum. This includes a combination of cognitive, behavioral, and technical skills.

Skills Required

1. Observational Skills:

• Students must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the movement sciences and the applied clinical based courses.
• They must be able to accurately observe a patient at a distance and close at hand, noting both verbal and non-verbal signals.

2.  Communication Skills:

• Students must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients and all members of the healthcare team.
• This includes the ability to speak, hear, and observe patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceive and demonstrate nonverbal communications.
• They must be able to communicate effectively in oral and written form with all members of the healthcare team.

3.  Motor Skills:

• Students must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, physical examination, intervention or treatment, and administration of other diagnostic maneuvers.
• They must be able to perform general emergency care.

4.  Intellectual-Conceptual Skills:

• Students must have problem-solving skills with the ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize information.
• They must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationships of structures.
• They must be able to rapidly integrate and assimilate large volumes of complex information from multiple sources.

5.  Behavioral and Social Attributes:

• Students must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients.
• They must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress.
• They must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients.
• Compassion, integrity, empathy, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the admissions and education process.

Accommodations

The University of Iowa is committed to the inclusion of students with disabilities and provides reasonable accommodations through a collaborative process. Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Disability Services to discuss their specific needs. 

The process involves:

• An initial meeting to discuss the student's needs and the nature of their disability.
• Documentation of the disability from a qualified professional.
• Development of an accommodation plan that may include assistive technology, modified testing conditions, or other support services.