March 9, 2015

In the fall of 2014, the second student cohort from the Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences completed their ten week Clinical Education III experiences in Italy.  This is the second consecutive year in which Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree students have completed full-time clinical education experiences at neurorehabilitation hospitals in the Tuscany region of Italy through an organization called Eduglobal Associates.

DPT Class of 2015 students Amanda Dargay and Leigh Ann Quill completed their clinical education experiences at Fondazione Turati where they primarily treated patients with neurological diagnoses.  They also had the opportunity to meet with members of the FreeRiders athletic organization and observed wheelchair tennis matches played by the Italian national team.

DPT Class of 2015 student Greg Baxter completed his clinical education experience at Istituto Prosperius where he primarily treated patients with neurological diagnoses.  While there, Greg and four other students from other PT programs in the U.S. participated in Italian lessons.

By the end of their clinical education experiences, all three students could converse in basic Italian.  They fully immersed themselves in their international experiences and learned so much – not only clinically, but culturally and personally.  During their time in Italy, the students blogged about their experiences, keeping faculty and students abreast of their experiences.