Dr. Peggy Valentine
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) has received approval from the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors to establish a doctoral program in physical therapy that should be available in January 2011, pending approval of a level change by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
“We are extremely pleased with this decision and proud of the work that went into making this proposal a reality,” said Chancellor Donald J. Reaves. “We have had tremendous success with our master’s degree program in physical therapy. With the American Physical Therapy Association now planning to make doctoral level preparation a requirement for physical therapy education, we knew we had the foundation, the faculty and the ability to take our program to that next level.”
The WSSU doctoral degree will be a three-year program that includes 36 weeks of clinical education. Students will also participate in community clinical practice and focused research experiences. Currently, physical therapy students provide comprehensive, free physical therapy services to the Winston-Salem community through the Walkertown Community Care Center. This Center is the largest of its kind in North Carolina providing high-quality healthcare services to the medically uninsured and underserved.
The university began offering the Masters of Physical Therapy (PT) program in 2000 and the enrollment has grown over 560% since that time, with graduates having an overall pass rate of 95% on the national boards. The program has also established a national reputation in simulation training and was the first to fully integrate human patient simulation across the curriculum. Further, the program also received funding to design a one-of-a-kind physical therapy serious game, which will be offered nationally to the professional rehabilitation community once completed.
“Our success and our on-going efforts in the field of physical therapy are extremely important as the demand for PT services continues to increase, particularly as the population ages,” said Dr. Peggy Valentine, dean of WSSU’s School of Health Sciences. “Even with the current level of graduates from all of the PT programs, physical therapy has the most vacancies of any allied health discipline in the Upper Piedmont and western areas of the state. As the profession migrates toward requiring a doctoral degree for entry, the WSSU program becomes even more important in meeting the health needs in North Carolina.”
Historically, the PT program at WSSU has had the highest graduate retention rate in the state with over 80% of graduates remaining in the state of North Carolina to serve its people. The program is also uniquely qualified to address rapidly changing population demographics in North Carolina since it enrolls some four to 10 times the number of ethnic minorities than the national average.
The program also enjoys a strong research infrastructure, which includes a collaborative research laboratory shared with Wake Forest University’s Department of Surgical Services. The WSSU and WFU Human Movement & Biodynamics Laboratory supports faculty research from both institutions, as well as graduate medical and physical therapy student training. According to Dr. Conner-Kerr, chairperson of the Department of Physical Therapy, “this laboratory offers a state-of-the-art motion analysis system, as well as, the most comprehensive pressure-mapping system outside of the military educational centers. This technology, along with other instrumentation in virtual reality, electromyography and postural assessment provides a significant infrastructure for conducting sponsored research.”
“With access to a state-of-the-art human movement lab, virtual health center with human patient simulators and rehabilitation gaming, and internationally known faculty, the program is well positioned to deliver the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree,” added Valentine.
The program currently houses eight full-time faculty, three staff and specialty adjunct faculty from the community and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. There are also plans to hire several new faculty members over the next three years.
Dr. Valentine (Ma Duke) as Terry Julian and I call you. you are really lightning things up with that beautiful genetic brain of yours. Family keep up the work, and remember we love you, keep it strong. on 1-21 I always remember you and your babe.