STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin system has given the Stevens Point campus the green light to pursue accreditation for a Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
The approval is the latest step in a process that began years ago, according to Kathy Zalewski who is working as a consultant to the program through the School of Health Profession and College of Professional Studies. “I liken this to building a house, it’s exciting when the walls go up because everybody can start to see the house, but the foundation and the blueprints were there long before you start putting up the walls.”
With the approval of the program through the Regents, Zalewski says that gives permission for UWSP to take the next steps which involve approval from the Higher Learning Commission and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Both of those bodies will now look at the school’s resources, curriculum, and admissions among other things before making a decision.
Zalewski says the University is pursuing the program to fill a need in the region while giving current students who may want to become Doctors in the Physical Therapy field an option to complete their degree on one campus. “UWSP has undergraduate degrees in Health Science, Health Promotion and Wellness, and in Biological Sciences that have been very successful in getting students into Physical Therapy programs statewide and nationwide.”
UWSP also cites a regional need for Physical Therapists as another big reason for adding the program. In Southern Wisconsin, you’ll find over 130 Physical Therapists per 100,000 residents compared to just 72 per 100,000 in Northcentral Wisconsin.
She says the services they offer can do a lot for the health of a small town. “You will see Physical Therapists in independent practice, affiliated with local hospitals and clinics, in nursing homes, in school systems. They meet a very broad need for rural communities in their mobility and health-related needs.”
With two major hurdles left to clear, Zalewski says it’s still too early to tell when the first students could be admitted to the program.
