Clinical Education

Doctor of Physical Therapy students complete a total of 32 full-time weeks of clinical education at Virginia Commonwealth University. The first full time clinical experience is eight weeks in duration and occurs during the summer after the completion of the second academic year. The final two 12 week full time clinical experiences occur during the fall and spring semester.

In addition to the three longer full-time clinical education experiences, students complete 80+ part-time clinical hours as part of their academic courses and a 40 hour full-time placement at the end of the first academic year.

VCU’s Department of Physical Therapy currently affiliates with approximately 210 clinical sites throughout the continental U.S. The majority of these sites are in the mid-Atlantic region, but interested students have limited opportunities to travel to other sites around the country. DPT students are required to complete clinical experiences in two areas: outpatient orthopaedics and working with medically complex patients in acute care or rehabilitation settings. Opportunities also include specialty clinical experiences in areas such as pediatrics, women’s health, cancer rehabilitation and sports medicine. At least one of the 12-week, full-time clinical experiences must be out of the Greater Richmond area.