Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation

Return to: Departments

GRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED:

Master of Science–Athletic Training
Master of Science–Occupational Therapy
Master of Science–Physician Assistant Studies
Doctorate of Physical Therapy

Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation
Sycamore Wellness and Applied Medicine Center, RM 265
Phone: 812-237-8232
Fax: 812-237-4368
Web site: http://web.indstate.edu/amr

Interim Department Chairperson: Timothy Demchak, Ph.D., LAT, ATC

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation offers four professional allied health care programs: Occupational Therapy Program (OT), Physician Assistant Program (M.S.), Physical Therapy Program (D.P.T.) and a Post-Professional Athletic Training Education Program (M.S.).

FACILITIES

The Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation is located in the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, and is housed in the Sycamore Wellness and Applied Medicine Center. The Department includes a fully equipped athletic training room, the Indiana State University Sports Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Clinic, the Clinical Instructional Laboratory, and Instructional examination rooms, shared simulation center and an active Applied Medicine Research Center. In addition, the Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, and Motor Learning Laboratories support the graduate curricula and research.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

The department’s programs are designed to develop students into scholarly clinicians who value interprofessional practice. In order to accomplish this, students take courses that increase their depth of knowledge in athletic training, occupational therapy , physician assistant studies and physical therapy through lecture, laboratory, interprofessional activities and discussion. All students have to complete a research experience either through a master’s thesis or graduate research project.

ATHLETIC TRAINING

The post-professional Athletic Training Program’s curriculum is focused upon three points of distinction: evidence based medicine, athletic training education, and leadership.

Objectives:

• The objectives of the Athletic Training Post-Professional Program are built on these foundations listed above and include:
•  Development of critical thinking skills
•  Use of evidence based medicine to make optimal clinical decisions
•  Ability to educate patients, colleagues, students, and others
•  Development of leadership skills in athletic training

Note: The Post-Professional Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Graduates of the Post-Professional Athletic Training program will earn a Master’s of Science in Athletic Training. The mission of the program is to expand the depth and breadth of entry-level knowledge and to produce and disseminate new knowledge in the profession. The program develops scholarly clinicians through in-depth interprofessional education, research, and clinical experiences in three distinct areas: evidence based medicine, athletic training education, and leadership. The program points of distinction are unique to Indiana State and are integrated throughout the curriculum.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

The purpose of the Occupational Therapy Master of Science program is to prepare students for a career as an occupational therapist. The global objectives of the Occupational Therapy program are as follows:

• To provide competent health care providers in occupational therapy who possess basic skills as a direct care provider, consultant, educator, manager, researcher, and advocate for the profession and the consumer.

•  To decrease the occupational shortage in Terre Haute, Indiana, rural communities and the nation.

•  To improve patient access and quality care for rural and underserved populations. These skills are designed to prepare the student for post-baccalaureate study and for many professional programs.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Objectives

Graduates of the Physician Assistant Program will have the knowledge and skills to:

• Apply the principles of evidence-based medicine and critical thinking in clinical decision making

• Practice compassionate primary care medicine

• Communicate effectively with patients and families

•  Partner with supervising physicians and other professional colleagues

•  Utilize practice and system-based analysis to ensure patient safety

•  Practice in a cost-effective and socially responsible manner

•  Commit to high ethical standards responsive to the needs of the profession, the individual, and society.

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

Objectives

 The purpose of the doctor of physical therapy degree is to educate competent health care providers who are skillfully able to effectively examine, evaluate, diagnose, and provide appropriate interventions for clients with primary, secondary, and tertiary physical impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities across the lifespan. The physical therapist has in-depth knowledge of cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, integumentary and neuromuscular disorders. Physical therapists function as point-of-entry providers of physical rehabilitation and rehabilitation services. Students are accepted into a full-time cohort model once a year starting with the first summer term. Students enroll in courses in a predetermined sequence as outlined in the program of study which can be found on the program website at: https://www.indstate.edu/amr/physical-therapy/ . The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program requires 100 post-baccalaureate graduate credit hours.  The core of the clinical hours are spent with physical therapy preceptors providing supervised client care for a total of 18 credit hours. The didactic and theory credit  includes laboratory time, service learning, practice hours using patient simulation/volunteers and independent research culminating in a scholarly project.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Students must meet the general entrance requirements of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies in addition to a separate program admission application for each individual program below. Program applications should be mailed to the Department of Applied Medincine and Rehabilitation.

Admission requirements for the three graduate programs offered at Indiana State University are listed below:

ATHLETIC TRAINING

• Students must be either a Board of Certification-certified athletic trainer, or be eligible to take the Board of Certification Examination.

• In order to receive a graduate assistantship, students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0. 

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

The Occupational Therapy Program at Indiana State University is a candidate (Developing Program Status) for accreditation at the Masters Entry Level. For admission submission dates and program status go to: www.indstate.edu/ot. For more information regarding accreditation and accreditation status you may contact The Accreditation Council on Occupational Therapy Education:

ACOTE
c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3449

They may be contacted via a link on the AOTA website: http://www.acoteconline.org or by one of the following :
phone: 301-652-2682; TDD 800-377-8555; Fax 301-652-7711.

The following requirements must be met before admission to the program:

• Complete an online application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS).

• Bachelor’s degree from a four (4) year accredited university with a cumulative and prerequisite grade point average (GPA) of3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The baccalaureate degree must be earned before enrolling into the program and can be in any field. All coursework must be completed within the past seven (7) years.

•  Three (3) professional recommendations.
•  GRE score
•  TOEFL above 550
•  Community Service Experience totaling 40 hours
•  Biological Sciences (6 credit hours minimum), including: Human Anatomy with Lab and Physiology with Lab
•  Statistics (3 credit hours)
•  Medical Terminology (1-3 Credit hours)
•  Ethics (3 Credit hours)
•  Behavioral Sciences (12 hours minimum), including: General Psychology, Life Span Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale

• An earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of
  higher learning or

• Completed  Graduate Record Examination within the past five years.

• Minimum TOEFL score of 550, when the native language is not English

• Three letters of recommendation

• Personal statement explaining why the applicant wants to become a physician assistant

• Proficiency in medical terminology

• Completion of prerequisite course work within the past seven years

• A minimum of five biological science courses of three credits each of which anatomy, physiology, and microbiology with laboratories are required

• A minimum of two organic chemistry courses with labortories of four credits each

• A minimum of one statistics course of at least two credits

PHYSICAL THERAPY

 Applicants must meet the admission requirements for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. Admission into the Physical Therapy Program also requires the following:

•  A bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited university in a discipline other than physical therapy with a minimum cumulative 3.0 and science grade point average of 3.0 recommended; the degree must be earned before enrolling in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

•  Graduate Record Examination required of all applicants. Official score reports must be received directly from the Educational Testing Service www.gre.org

•  Recommendation forms from the following: a licensed physical therapist, an academic source, and community service experience.

•  Resume that includes a comprehensive outline of the student’s volunteer and professional work experiences, and all honors and awards.          

•   Essay describing personal career objectives.

•   Personal interview with members of the physical therapy admissions committee may be required.

•  Physical therapy experience is required. Students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer or paid work under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Prerequisite course work is also required if the student’s undergraduate degree did not include the identified foundational courses. A listing of these courses is available on the program Web site. Academic advisors are also available at Indiana State University to consult about undergraduate prerequisites.  Official transcript evaluation is not conducted until a student has applied to the program.

Return to: Departments