Physical Therapy Program Receives Another Stamp of Approval

The Program in Physical Therapy at the University of Central Florida has been reaccredited from 2004 to 2014 by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Reaccreditation of UCF's program confirms that its students are "receiving an education that prepares them to provide safe, competent, effective patient care," reported the commission.

While the commission routinely gives multi-year accreditation, Program Director and Associate Professor Gerald Smith said he has never heard of a program being accredited for a nine-year period. "CAPTE gave us a major stamp of approval," Smith said.

The accreditation process is considered a valuable service to students, the public, academic institutions and the profession. It begins with a comprehensive "self-study," in which the program documents all of its facets, including faculty qualifications, scholarly productivity and teaching effectiveness; student outcomes on national licensure boards and work-related outcomes; employer surveys; budgets and resources; and the curriculum, according to Smith. In addition, a team of institutional leaders conducts an in-depth evaluation of the program during a site visit.

Smith said the program completed this process in 2003. He learned this month that it had been reaccredited by the commission, beginning in April 2004.

The Program in Physical Therapy is a two-year graduate program that leads to a Master of Science. Established in 1994, the program currently has 212 graduates, with 80 percent living in Florida. Each year the program enrolls a new class of 24 students.

-- Karen Guin