Pre-Physical Therapy at Augustana

	Joe Caricato '07 Age: 23 Hometown: St. Charles, IL High School: St. Charles East Major: Biology (Pre-PT) Current Work: PT candidate, Washington University-St. Louis Then Joe played basketball at Augustana. When he suffered a knee injury, one of the first people he heard from was one of his biology professors. "The professors were very approachable. They followed my progress in the classroom and out of the classroom. They took the time to look after everybody personally." Now In his second year of the three-year physical therapy program at Washington University, Joe has completed two clinical rotations. "I don't feel like I could have been any more prepared for grad school. I have felt comfortable throughout the entire experience. My experience in PT school has been a lot smoother than some of my classmates." Why Augustana? "The way Augustana goes about the Pre-PT major, it really prepares you for graduate school. Some people struggle, but I feel like I was set up for success."
	More Information Dr. Lori Scott

Physical therapists work with patients to re-establish basic motor functions that may have been lost due to stroke, accident or injury. Our pre-physical therapy curriculum includes courses from a variety of areas including psychology, biology, chemistry and physics. Students can choose their major from one of these departments, or choose from nearly any of the other academic programs at the college.

The clinical work opportunities through Augustana are exceptional. Solid experience in both practical application and observation has been important for our students in gaining admission to top graduate schools in physical therapy. Students have opportunities to participate in widely varied clinical experiences at local hospitals, private clinics, rehabilitation centers and geriatric care facilities. Students can also participate in a full- or part-time internship during one term, gaining academic credit and practical experience.

Graduate schools report that employment opportunities are very promising for physical therapists. Augustana College is one of only three undergraduate institutions in the country with an articulation agreement with the respected graduate program in physical therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. This agreement gives Augustana Pre-PT students who have met established criteria a significant admissions advantage over students from other colleges.

Augustana is among the nation's most respected centers of undergraduate instruction in science and the pre-health professions. The science building offers students the latest in high-tech labs and research facilities, including the human cadaver dissection lab. Cadaver dissection offers pre-professional students an additional edge in preparation for graduate work in physical therapy, as Augustana is one of the few undergraduate schools in the country to offer this hands-on opportunity to its students. This experience is especially impressive to physical therapy school application evaluators.

Due to the challenging and diverse curriculum, opportunities for clinical experience, and dynamic faculty, Augustana students achieve great success in physical therapy graduate programs across the country.

Pre-Physical Therapy Program Outline

The Augustana College pre-physical therapy program is not a graduation major, so a major in some other field must be completed if the student intends to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. The choice of graduation major is not critical for acceptance into a PT graduate program, but because of the high number of required courses majors in biology and psychology are the most common.

Guaranteed Admissions Program - Washington University

Applicants who meet the following requirements are reviewed by Washington University's Program in Physical Therapy Admissions Committee. A maximum of 3 students will be automatically accepted into the program. Those students who do not meet the requirements listed above will be reviewed under the standard admissions process established by The Program.

1. Receive a BA from Augustana (most common majors are biology and/or psychology)
2. Hold an overall 3.5 GPA on a scale of 4.0 scale. The majority of prerequisites should be completed at Augustana College but courses completed at other 4-year universities and 2-year colleges are acceptable.
3. Receive a 1000-combined score on the verbal and quantitative sections on the GRE.
4. Submit three favorable letters of recommendation, one of which must come from a biology or psychology faculty member.
5. Submit a complete application by November 15th of the year preceding the desired year of admissions. NOTE: Dr. Scott must be notified prior to this date of your intentions to apply to the guaranteed admissions program as she is required to send a notification of intent to the admissions committee.