¹û¶³´«Ã½

Following its fall meeting, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) granted full accreditation to Florida Southern College’s School of Physical Therapy. The milestone marks the inclusion of the College’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program among the less than 300 accredited DPT programs in the nation.

“I am elated at the news of CAPTE’s decision to grant full accreditation to ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s School of Physical Therapy,” said ¹û¶³´«Ã½ President Dr. Anne B. Kerr. “The decision of CAPTE affirms the pedagogical excellence of the school’s faculty. With Dean Nuzzo’s leadership and the support of community partners such as Lakeland Regional Health, the Watson Clinic, Jean and Sal Campisi, and others, I am confident that the program will establish a legacy of excellence by preparing highly dedicated professionals with excellent patient care, communication, critical-thinking, patient-education, and research skills.”

CAPTE is an accrediting agency that is nationally recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The CAPTE accreditation process entails meeting all CAPTE standards, including continual self-evaluation, periodic external reviews, and regular reports to certify the educational quality of the physical therapy program.

Over the course of the two and a half year program, the DPT curriculum at Florida Southern College prepares entry-level physical therapy practitioners through dynamic engaged learning experiences that equip them with skills to provide patient-centered, evidenced-based care for a positive impact on the community. The program has 108 credit hours that includes 36 weeks of clinical education.

The College opened its newly constructed Jean and Sal Campisi, Sr. Academic Center for Physical Therapy in the fall of 2019. Dr. Nancy Nuzzo serves as the founding program director and dean of the School of Physical Therapy. The School’s innovative teaching methods are supported by cutting-edge research and training technologies, including ceiling-mounted classroom cameras and display monitors, donated human body parts preserved through the plastination process, portable ultrasound units, an advanced balance assessment system, and gait analysis technology.

“We’re proud to have accomplished our initial full accreditation status, which is only possible with the efforts of many people, including ¹û¶³´«Ã½ administration, faculty, students, community partners, and dedicated clinicians,” said Dr. Nancy Nuzzo, dean of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s School of Physical Therapy and program director of the DPT program. “The success of our DPT program is the result of an ongoing team effort among all of these parties. We thank our community partners for their tremendous support, and we look forward to our graduates serving their patients, the community, and the profession.”

Combining evidence-based coursework with hands-on learning, students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program complete their degrees in two and a half years. The program faculty work closely with students in engaging training environments to equip them with the skills they need to become well-rounded clinicians and healthcare providers in one of the nation’s top-rated, fastest-growing professions. Florida Southern’s DPT program graduates its inaugural class of physical therapists in December 2021.