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Students in the third year of the program are eligible to apply for teaching assistant positions in courses they have already completed. Typically, these courses are Gross Anatomy, Patient/Client Management: Orthopedics, Health Care Procedures and Therapeutic Exercise. TAs are paid on an hourly basis for a maximum of 10 hours/week.  TA applications are reviewed by faculty in the DPT program.

Students in the second and third year of the program are eligible to apply for teaching assistant positions in the undergraduate biology laboratory courses. The application process and TA selection occur through the Department of Biology. 

Doctor of Physical Therapy students at Mount Saint Mary’s University provide pro-bono and wellness care to people experiencing homelessness on LA’s Skid Row at the Midnight Mission. The Midnight Mission has been offering a path to self-sufficiency to men, women, and children experiencing homelessness since 1914. They provide 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education, emergency services, and workforce development programs to help homeless individuals achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives.

Established in 2024, the weekly pro-bono physical therapy service-learning experience is designed for doctor of physical therapy students to develop professionally, give back to the community, and assist those with obstacles that challenge their access to healthcare. It continues the tradition of providing service to the underserved that began in 2011 at the Union Rescue Mission.

Jornada, a Spanish word for a “day’s journey,” was started in 2005 by Ellen Norton, a San Diego Pediatric Physical Therapist. Jornada partners with the Hospital Infantil de las Californias’ (HIC) rehabilitation department and volunteers from the United States and Mexico to provide multi-disciplinary therapy consultations to children with disabilities.

The multi-disciplinary teams consist of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, translators, therapy students, and friends from both countries. Patients travel from a radius of several hours from Tijuana, and volunteers come from as far as Los Angeles and San Bernardino County. Mount Saint Mary’s DPT students, as well as DPT students from San Diego State University and undergraduate students from UCSD, regularly volunteer to assist therapists.

Therapists bring donated equipment for use by their specialties, such as wheelchairs, walkers, braces, and other medically necessary items. Patients receive multidisciplinary treatment, medical equipment, and education regarding therapeutic activities to improve their functioning at home, school, and in the community.

The wellness practicum is a unique opportunity for first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students.  In this practicum, the DPT students are tasked with helping other healthcare providers stay healthy. The DPT program provides wellness assessments and training to Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. The DPT students give tips on the importance of movement, nutrition and sleep, as well as best practices and on-the-job safety strategies for posture and body mechanics. 

DPT students also provide wellness assessments to University staff to help them set and achieve their goals related to physical health. This Wellness Movement initiative is now offered to the Mount community every summer.

鈥淭hese programs were based on an experiential learning model that blends our whole body health and wellness curriculum with a service-based practical component,鈥� says Debbie Lowe, PhD, director and chair of the DPT program. 鈥淪tudents learn practical skills by providing motivational interviewing, goal setting, physical wellness assessments and intervention strategies, based on individual needs of clients from the University community.鈥� 

Soon, DPT students will be instrumental in the health and safety of the Mount鈥檚 student athletes through athletic readiness screenings and injury tracking. The DPT group will design team-wide training/conditioning, as well as individual-specific interventions, to prevent future injury or to mitigate the effects of current or previous injuries.

The integration of the clinical practicum鈥檚 practical experiential learning component with department collaborations makes these wellness initiatives unique, says Dawn-Marie Ickes, assistant professor of physical therapy and wellness programming coordinator. 鈥淭he idea is to build self-efficacy while learning about the needs of others within a given community by designing wellness-based interventions rooted in what is meaningful and necessary to that population.鈥�