Clinical Education

As a WMU DPT student, you will complete three full-time clinical rotations during the program, for a total of 32 weeks of full-time clinical experience. Prior to beginning a formal clinical rotation, you will spend roughly 40 supervised hours in a variety of clinical settings throughout your first year of study. 

The first full-time clinical experience is 10 weeks long and takes place at the beginning of the second year during the summer session. The second full-time experience, also 10 weeks long, takes place toward the end of the second year of the program. The third and final full-time experience is 12 weeks long and occurs in the fall semester of the third year, just prior to graduation.

You are expected to complete formal experiences in a variety of clinical settings. Per CAPTE requirements, the program must ensure that each student has adequate breadth and depth of clinical experiences. 

At WMU, you will complete at least one clinical education experience in an inpatient facility and at least one clinical education experience in an outpatient facility. We have created partnerships and established formal contracts with a number of clinical facilities, both in and outside the state of Michigan.