Trine DPT program receives accreditation

FORT WAYNE — Trine University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

The university learned of the decision Wednesday, May 10.

In its Summary of Action affirming Trine’s accredited status, CAPTE commended Max Baumgartner, Ph.D., program director and dean of the Rinker-Ross School of Health Sciences, and the program’s faculty “for developing a comprehensive and high-quality program that recognizes the needs for a strong faculty, strong inter-collegial interactions and strong ties to the clinical community.”

“In addition, the program submitted a well-written, thorough, concise and comprehensive Self-study Report, which clearly conveyed the nature and scope of the educational experience,” the summary stated.

“We had a very positive visit from the accreditation team this past December, and we are very excited that CAPTE has affirmed the quality and direction of the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program at Trine University,” said Baumgartner.

“I am especially proud of the 32 students who will become Trine’s first Doctor of Physical Therapy graduates during commencement ceremonies on Saturday. They are true pioneers in this endeavor, and we look forward to the impact they will have on the profession as they begin their physical therapy careers.”

Trine’s becomes the fourth accredited DPT program in Indiana, and the only such program north of Indianapolis. CAPTE accreditation allows graduates of Trine’s program to sit for the national licensure exam. Licensure is required in all states to practice as a physical therapist.

“Dr. Baumgartner and all the faculty and staff involved with the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Trine University have done a phenomenal job of creating and implementing an excellent program that meets a growing need in the health care community,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine University president. “As our first doctoral degree, the DPT serves as a powerful testament that Trine University can offer an elite program at this level.”

Launched in the fall of 2014, the three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy program is located in Trine’s Health Sciences Education Center on the Randallia campus of Parkview Health, which has partnered with the university on the DPT and provided financial support. Among the distinctive features of the Trine DPT is its extensive clinical experience for students, with first-year students out into the field and interacting with patients shortly after entering the program.

Trine University has announced plans to launch its Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program at the Health Sciences Education Center in August, and began accepting applications for that program on April 27.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Trine University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.

Trine University has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Trine University anticipates matriculating its first class in August 2018, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the March 2018 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. In the event that provisional accreditation is not received, the graduate PA program will not commence in August 2018 and graduate PA tuition deposits will be refunded.