Laboratory practice and lecture supplement the tutorial discussions in all courses. In the Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, the content required to achieve excellence is inextricably linked with the processes needed to perform as a master clinician and leader with the profession. Students are prepared to enter the profession with an accumulation of the knowledge and skills that predict successful and outstanding practice as a healthcare professional. The education and development of a physical therapist with such knowledge and abilities require a learning environment that is collaborative and supportive. Learning at Simmons occurs in a community with faculty who are passionate about the profession and share a vision for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and the future of the profession.
Faculty serve as mentors and role-models for professional excellence, involvement, and service.
Teaching and learning within small groups, using real life cases and a problem-based approach to learning, facilitates contextual application of information. Students learn by doing. Students must have the abilities to access, retrieve and critically appraise content from multiple knowledge domains. Interdisciplinary course work and specialty tracks allow students to interact with and learn from other health disciplines. To thrive and grow in the collaborative learning environment at Simmons, students must be active participants.