Campbell’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program hosted the NC Directors Summit on January 22, 2020. There were 19 participants, representing eight of the ten programs in North Carolina.
The primary purpose of the Summit was to join program directors and clinical educators together to discuss pressing issues in healthcare education, while forecasting and addressing future challenges within the profession. Each program provided updates on staffing, curriculum, outcomes, new happenings at the universities and challenges being faced.
Dr. Greg Dedrick, chair of Campbell’s DPT program, shared, “physical therapy programs in NC have a history of collegiality and try to help out when another program is in need, particularly with faculty shortages or a last minute cancellation of a clinical site.”
The NC/SC Clinical Consortium is the primary mechanism for handling student clinical placements in a collegial manner. This Summit provides additional opportunities for directors to discuss issues focused on clinical education and for directors of both programs and clinical education to discuss pressing issues in the profession. The Summit included breakout sessions covering topics such as program length, cost, applicant admissions trends and proliferation of programs’ impact on clinical placements.
The NC Directors Summit existed before Campbell started a DPT program; however, the Summit was placed on hold. In 2018, the Summit was restarted due to the addition of 4 new programs in the state. This was Campbell’s first time hosting the event.