The University of Indianapolis doctoral programs in physical therapy and occupational therapy each placed among the top 50 programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
According to the U.S. News physical therapy ranking, UIndy’s doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) program was tied for 42nd in the nation. In a separate ranking for occupational therapy programs, UIndy’s occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program tied for 39th.
Physical Therapy
According to a document from the American Physical Therapy Association, physical therapy is “treatment provided by a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant that helps people improve their movement and physical function, manage pain and other chronic conditions, and recover from and prevent injury and chronic disease.”
Tracy Porter, associate professor of physical therapy, director of the UIndy DPT program and chair of the Krannert School of Physical Therapy, said UIndy’s reputation was part of what drew her to the program. She said the program had been in the top 50 for numerous years. She also said it was notable for the Krannert School to remain in the top 50 due to significant changes occurring nationally across physical therapy programs.
Porter also emphasized the strong faculty support system for students in UIndy’s physical therapy program.
“Not only do we as faculty and staff have a great deal of respect for each other and we love working together, we also form those relationships with our students. They call us by first name, because we’re going to be their colleagues in three short years, and we know them by name,” Porter said. “Each student has a faculty advisor that follows them throughout the entire time that they’re in the curriculum.”
Porter said the program emphasizes collaboration and inclusivity, values she said are common between the Krannert School and national physical therapy profession. She also said the program has many community partnerships, which aligns with the campus-wide UIndy motto of “Education for Service.”
Occupational Therapy
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, “occupational therapy intervention uses everyday life activities (occupations) to promote health, well-being, and your ability to participate in the important activities in your life. This includes any meaningful activity that a person wants to accomplish, including taking care of yourself and your family, working, volunteering, going to school, among many others.”
Alison Nichols, associate professor of occupational therapy, director of the OTD program and interim co-chair of the School of Occupational Therapy, said UIndy occupational therapy students have more clinical rotations compared to other schools’ occupational therapy programs. Because of these experiences at UIndy, Nichols implied that it made OTD graduates better prepared to work as occupational therapists in a range of settings.
“All students in OT programs get to go on field work rotations, but our students spend a lot more time than the average student on field work rotations,” Nichols said. “They get an opportunity to see lots of different places where they can work as occupational therapists across the [patients’] lifespans, across different practice areas. So they get to go on short rotations and rotations as long as 12 weeks for their field work. So we have more experiences than the average program.”
She also mentioned the international connections among UIndy’s OTD faculty, with one faculty member presenting at a conference in Australia and another being described by Nichols as the “founder” of the occupational therapy discipline in Ukraine.
The OTD program seeks to prepare students to be able to work as occupational therapists in a variety of settings. Nichols also said the program builds important skills, encourages students to be inclusive and prepares them to work with any client.
“So they go out and they’re prepared to be critical thinkers. They’re prepared to go out and work with people who come from a variety of backgrounds,” Nichols said.
She said this includes working with people in both urban and rural areas, refugees and people of various socioeconomic statuses so that the OTD graduates can help their clients conduct their occupations as best as they can.
