DPT Clinical Education
Build your clinical experience as you build your knowledge. SMU's Doctor of Physical Therapy clinical placements are carefully sequenced with coursework, giving you opportunities to apply what you've learned with patients in a range of physical therapy practice settings.
Clinical Education Experience
36 Weeks of Full-Time Clinical Experience
Clinical education is an essential part of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Samuel Merritt University. Students complete 36 weeks of full-time clinical experience, supported by simulation, faculty mentorship, and community-based learning throughout the program.
Clinical placements are timed to follow relevant coursework so students can apply what they've learned while working with patients under the guidance of experienced clinical instructors.
Following each clinical experience, students meet in small groups with a faculty supervisor to reflect on their experiences and deepen their understanding of patient care.
Variety of Clinical Placements
Samuel Merritt University places students in clinical settings including, but not limited to, academic teaching hospitals, community hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, acute rehabilitation facilities, California Children’s Services, home health agencies, private practice and hospital-based outpatient clinics, Veteran’s Affairs medical centers and clinics, adult day centers or programs, and school-based pediatric settings. All students will graduate with at least 10 weeks of full-time experience in both an inpatient and an outpatient practice setting. Additional placements provide exposure to the broad array of potential physical therapist practice settings.
Our placements include practice settings in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, with some placements throughout California and the United States. International placements are not offered for clinical experiences; however, students may participate in volunteer opportunities organized through SMU’s International Healthcare Club.
Full-Time Clinical Experiences
There are two, full-time, ten-week experiences interspersed in the curriculum, one following the majority of the musculoskeletal content and the other following the majority of the neuromuscular and pediatric content.
- The first full-time clinical experience occurs in outpatient settings or a combination of outpatient and inpatient settings where students spend most of their time managing patients with orthopedic conditions.
- The second full-time clinical experience occurs in more complex care settings, including rehabilitation centers, acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, or outpatient centers in which at least 50% of the caseload includes adults and/or children with neuromuscular dysfunction (e.g., stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury).
- Students who would like pediatric experiences are placed in pediatric medical centers, school-based physical therapy programs, or outpatient pediatric clinics.
The final 16-week terminal clinical experience occurs after students complete their academic coursework. The final clinical experience may include all of the settings listed above, with the addition of complex medical care or other specialized settings, such as wound care or pelvic health. The Director of Clinical Education works with each student to help guide them towards the clinical experience that best meets their goals and learning needs prior to graduation and the transition to clinical practice.
