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Forcht School of Nursing

Program Mission

Program Vision

The vision of the Masters Nursing program is that the faculty, focusing on the application of clinical reasoning, research, evidence-based practice, collaboration, and leadership skills, will produce graduates that are prepared to become leaders, educators, researchers and clinicians in the nursing profession and to work in collaborative teams in a variety of settings including universities, health service organizations, primary care facilities, research centers, case management and political/legislative settings.

Purpose Statement/Program Overview

The master’s program in Nursing prepares candidates for the advanced practice role and certification as advanced practice nurses in Family Nurse Practitioner licensure. In addition to nurturing the assessment skills necessary for nurse practitioners, the program offers a curriculum based upon state board requirements, the CCNE Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing, and curriculum guidelines provided by the Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (NTF, 2016). The program integrates clinical skills, nursing theory, nursing research, advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment, striving to provide the knowledge base and training required for those who wish to become nurse practitioners.

Philosophy

The philosophy of the Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program is based on the premise that advanced practice nurses provide an avenue for access to healthcare for millions of Americans, especially rural populations, through health promotion, prevention and management of disease of individuals across the lifespan. Family Nurse Practitioners utilize a unique blend of clinical practice expertise with evidence-based practice, current practice guidelines, as well as holistic care in order to provide health management, promote wellness and relieve suffering.

Advanced practice nurses’ impact global healthcare by providing diverse and culturally-sensitive medical care to all populations through a comprehensive approach integrating theory, research, technology, inter-professional collaboration and evidence-based practice. In the Family Nurse Practitioner concentration, students builds upon Baccalaureate education and acquire theoretical and specific knowledge to meet health care needs and expand their scope of practice. The Master of Science in Nursing program establishes a foundation for doctoral education in nursing and for continued personal and professional development, as well as empowering the student to recognize the ethical, legislative, economic, regulatory and political aspects that define the scope of professional nursing practice. The curriculum provides the student with a theoretical foundation to practice respectful and sensitive, professional nursing within the primary family practice setting.

The University of the Cumberland’s Department of Nursing upholds that Family Nurse Practitioners can effectively be utilized to empower individuals, families, groups and communities to achieve their highest levels of self-care competence. The nursing faculty are committed to planning and implementing a quality graduate program for registered nurses that promotes intellectual, personal, ethical and cultural development and the ability to think critically through knowledge and experience.

Students in the Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program are adult learners. As such, students are viewed as self-directed, active learners who can identify their needs for knowledge, select the strategies that best facilitate their learning, link new knowledge with their current knowledge and utilize faculty feedback to improve their learning.

Program Goals

The Goals of the Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program are to:

1. Expand the integration of scientific findings from nursing, science, humanities, biopsychosocial fields, and organizational science in caring for individuals, families, groups, and communities across the lifespan and the continuum of healthcare environments.
2. Promote application of research and foster advanced knowledge in translating and integrating scholarship into evidence-based nursing practice Expand critical thinking, problem-solving, and ethical decision-making skills to include servant leadership and the ability to evaluate and improve the quality and safety of healthcare.
3. Impact healthcare outcomes through development of collaboration skills, effective communication, and proficient data management through the use of nursing informatics and healthcare technologies.
4. Develop nursing leaders who will meet the needs of the healthcare community as well as impact health policy through advocacy, promote clinical prevention and population health, and model inter-professional collaboration.
5. Expand critical thinking, problem-solving, and ethical decision-making skills to include servant leadership and the ability to evaluate and improve the quality and safety of healthcare.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program, graduates will be able to:

• Integrate nursing theory, concepts from humanities, and related sciences into the delivery of advanced nursing care for diverse populations and the advanced practice role.
• Apply leadership skills and decision making in the provisions of culturally responsive, safe, high quality nursing care.
• Implement evidence-based plans based on data to quantify the impact of quality and safety and improve health outcomes across the continuum of care, system, and organization.
• Integrate theory, research, and inter-professional perspectives to improve practice, healthcare delivery and systems, and health outcomes for patient aggregates.
• Use information and communication technologies to support the organization, integrate and coordinate care, and improve health outcomes.
• Analyze how healthy policy and advocacy influence the structure of healthcare delivery, financing of health care, and health outcomes.
• Use effective communication strategies to develop, participate, and lead inter-professional teams to improve healthcare delivery and advance nursing practice.
• Integrate clinical prevention and population health concepts in the development of culturally competent care for improving health of patient aggregates.
• Demonstrate the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct of the advanced practice role.
• Collaborate with other healthcare professionals to improve systems of care and to optimize patient and population health outcomes.
• Conceptualize and incorporate an evolving personal nursing philosophy based on professional advanced nursing standards, practice, accountability and life-long learning.

Values

The core values of the Nursing program are caring, diversity, integrity, leadership, collaboration, respect, and excellence. The values are defined as follows:

• Caring-offering of self (intellectual, psychological, spiritual, and physical aspects one possesses as human beings) to attain a goal. In nursing the goal is to facilitate and enhance the patient’s ability to do and decide for themselves
• Diversity-embraces not only ethnic groups and people of color, but also other marginal or vulnerable people in society. Response to diversity is the nurse’s ability to recognize, appreciate, and incorporate differences (individuality, spiritual, cultural, ethnicity, family configurations, values, socioeconomic status, beliefs) into provisions of care
• Integrity-acting in accordance with appropriate professional code of ethics and accepted standards of practice
• Leadership- seen as a role of influence, not just as a position of authority. Leadership is the development of skills that allow the leader to coordinate, guide and direct groups through transformational approachemphasizing a positive work environment, using change effectively, rewarding staff for expertise and performance, and development of staff awareness.
• Collaboration- interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary effort among health care providers, patients and families, in which there is mutual trust and understanding that each partner contributes to the relationship toward achieving optimal, realistic goals.
• Respect for students as autonomous adult learners
• Excellence-develops nursing workforce that surpasses ordinary standards of care

Admission to the Nursing Department

A baccalaureate degree with a concentration in nursing is required for admission into the graduate program. Entrylevel applicants must (i) have graduated from a regionally accredited or state-approved institution of higher education and earned a four-year baccalaureate degree in nursing; and (ii) hold a current and unencumbered Registered Nurse license.

Secondary-track applicants must (i) have attended a postgraduate program at a regionally accredited or stateapproved institution of higher education and earned a master’s degree in nursing; and (ii) hold a current and unencumbered Registered Nurse license.

All applicants must submit the following information:

• Completed application and $30 application fee.
• Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework from all colleges and universities attended. A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for all prior coursework is required for full admission. A conditional admission will be considered for applicants with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75. If conditional admittance is granted, a GPA of 3.0 is expected with the completion of 12 hours of coursework.
• A 500-700-word Statement of Purpose for graduate study.
• Two Letters of Reference from individuals commenting on the applicant’s academic and professional potential.
• Evidence of a current and unencumbered Registered Nurse license
• Completion of a three hour graduate or undergraduate course in statistics with a grade of C or higher. A conditional admission may be granted if the applicant is unable to submit evidence of prior completion but this requirement must be met within the first 12 hours of coursework.

Students may be admitted into this Master’s program on one of two licensure tracks:

• Students with a baccalaureate degree in Nursing are admitted into the 2 Year Entry-Level Track.
• Students who have already earned a master’s degree in Nursing in another concentration (ex. Nursing Administration or Nursing Education) may be admitted into the 18 month Secondary Track.

Entry-Level Track (2 Years)

Students who have graduated from a regionally accredited or state-approved institution of higher education with a baccalaureate degree in Nursing would begin the Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner in this track.

This full 48-semester-hour curriculum may be completed in two years and includes online courses and 720 clinical hours (including the final practicum). There are 24 credit hours of didactic courses that are offered in an eightweek, bi-term format. Eighteen credit hours will be offered through blended learning requiring online didactic course work with the addition of onsite clinical practice with a University approved clinical preceptor. The remaining six hours of the curriculum will be completed through the concentrated Clinical Practicum. The master’s degree is conferred upon successful completion of all coursework and the Clinical Practicum.

Secondary Track (1 Year)

Students who have attended a postgraduate program at a regionally-accredited or state-approved institution of higher education and earned a master’s degree in nursing with a different concentration (ex. Nursing Administration or Nursing Education) would begin the Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner in Secondary track in order to be eligible to test for Advanced Practice Board Certification.

Students will be required to complete the 33 hours of curriculum specific to a Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner concentration: Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology, FNP Advanced Practice I, II, and III as well as 360 hours of supervised clinical and an additional 360 hours of supervised clinical internship (total of 720 clinical hours for the program). Students will be required to take any course required by University of the Cumberlands that they did not complete successfully at their previous institution. Up to 15 semester hours of transfer credit are permitted from a regionally-accredited institution of higher education. The 33-hour curriculum includes online courses, 360 hours of supervised clinical, and an additional 360 hours of supervised clinical internship (total of 720 clinical hours for the program).

In addition, 100% of the didactic hours of the curriculum can be completed online. The remainder of the curriculum is delivered through completion of the Clinical Practicum requirements utilizing University approved preceptors and clinical sites. The post master’s certificate is conferred upon successful completion of all coursework and the Clinical Practicum.

Occupational Therapy

Program Mission

Our mission is to provide an inter-professional academic experience grounded in the core principles of occupational therapy and enriched by emerging knowledge and technologies. We prepare occupational therapists who are committed to lifelong learning, evidence-informed, and occupation-focused practice to meet the evolving occupational needs ofindividuals, communities, and populations.

Program Vision

To excel in occupational therapy education, research, and service by fostering practitioners, scholars, leaders, advocates, and innovators who promote health, well-being, and participation in meaningful occupations across diverse communities.

Curriculum Design

The entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate program at University of the Cumberlands is a 9-semester program. Students are required to complete 120 semester credits to graduate with the  Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree. The scope of the curriculum is designed to address the 2023 American Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards as well as the vision and mission of the School of Occupational Therapy, and the program prepares students to become client-centered, evidence-informed, and occupation-focused practitioners, leaders, and scholars in the field of occupational therapy.

Students enter the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program with a background in liberal arts and required prerequisite coursework in the basic, social, and behavioral sciences. The curriculum is organized across four overlapping and progressive phases: 1) Foundations of Occupational Therapy, 2) Participation and Practice, 3) Advanced Practice, and 4) Integration.

All courses build on the previous semester’s coursework. Students deepen their understanding of concepts and enhance their application across various learning and clinical practice contexts as they progress through the curriculum.

The courses in the first two semesters primarily focus on the “Foundations of Occupational Therapy,” where students build on prerequisite coursework. Students learn about foundational knowledge from the field of occupational therapy and other related fields, as well as research necessary for occupational therapy practice. The coursework focuses on the occupational therapy domain and process, body structure and function, clinical conditions, as well as research and evidence-based practice.

The “Participation and Practice” spans across semesters three, four, and five, where students begin to apply foundational concepts in clinical practice through coursework. Students develop clinical reasoning to select and provide interventions for mental health, adult, children, and youth conditions. Four Level I fieldwork experiences during this phase, ensuring students have ongoing opportunities to connect classroom learning to real-world practice. In the fifth, sixth, and seventh semesters, students engage in “Advanced Practice” coursework, where they learn to apply occupational therapy concepts and evidence-based interventions to individuals, groups, and populations experiencing complex health conditions across diverse settings. Coursework also focuses on leadership, advocacy, and a capstone project.

The final “Integration phase” spans across the last three semesters of the program. During the Integration phase students synthesize knowledge and skills from prior coursework through immersive clinical experiences and the implementation of their capstone projects. They further develop their professional identity and cultivate skills for lifelong learning essential for entry-level, autonomous practice.

Curricular Threads

Five curricular threads are woven throughout the OTD curriculum to ensure students graduate with competencies to become entry-level occupational therapy practitioners. These curricular threads interweave with the curricular phases throughout the OTD program, creating a cohesive and comprehensive learning experience and ensuring that students are well-prepared to enter the profession as competent, reflective, and occupation-centered entry-level practitioners. In addition, interprofessional activities, service-learning experiences, and innovative teaching approaches challenge students to prepare them to engage in lifelong learning, scholarship, and service.

1. Occupation, Participation, and Occupation-focused Practice

This thread is the foundational core of occupational therapy education and practice.This thread ensures that students develop the professional reasoning to deliver client-centered and occupation-focused care in a variety of settings, always grounded in the unique needs, roles, and goals of the individual or community. Through this thread, students gain a deep understanding of the relationship between occupational participation and health, well-being, and quality of life. This thread addresses content related to the use of theories, models, and frames of reference as the basis of professional reasoning, occupational analysis, occupation-focused and client-centered assessments, goal setting, intervention planning, and the use of occupation as both the means and the end of therapeutic intervention.

2. Critical Inquiry, Scholarship, and Innovation

This thread fosters the skills necessary for students to become evidence-informed practitioners and emerging scholars. The goal is to prepare graduates who not only consume research but also create and contribute to the profession’s body of knowledge, supporting continual growth and innovation in the field. The coursework and mentored research experiences focus on research methods, evidence-based practice, exploring innovative interventions, and models of service delivery, developing capstone projects and occupation-focused programs based on current and emerging evidence, and methods of dissemination of research.

3. Professional Formation

This thread reinforces the themes of other curricular threads and supports students’ continuous personal and professional growth throughout the occupational therapy program and beyond. Through structured activities, students cultivate reflective practices, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy to become lifelong learners. Coursework emphasizes the AOTA Code of Ethics and fosters the development of professional behaviors, interpersonal and interprofessional communication skills, and a professional identity rooted in ethical practice and cultural humility.

4. Community Engagement

Rooted in a commitment to service, this thread prepares students to become agents of change, dedicated to improving the quality of life and reducing disparities for underserved populations through interprofessional collaboration and community-centered occupational therapy practice. Coursework emphasizes the analysis of health, healthcare, and participation disparities through the lens of social determinants of health, and guides students in developing community-based interventions that enhance occupational engagement. Students learn to assess community needs and to design and implement programs that promote participation, health, and wellness across the lifespan and within diverse communities. Coursework also focuses on working in interprofessional teams and with community partners.

5. Leadership and Advocacy

This thread is designed to develop student capacity for advocacy, leadership, and sustained engagement in professional organizations. Coursework focuses on the examination of policies, regulatory systems, reimbursement structures, and societal frameworks that impact occupational therapy practice across clinical, educational, and community-based settings. Students analyze the role of professional organizations and explore their contributions to advancing the profession, establishing standards of practice, and promoting public awareness.

Program Learning Outcomes

The program educational objective is to prepare students to become client-centered, occupation-focused, and evidence-informed occupational therapy providers, researchers, consultants, educators, case managers, leaders, managers, and advocates. Graduates of the Entry-level OTD program at the University of the Cumberlands will show the following competencies:

1. Provide occupational therapy services driven by professional reasoning that is deeply rooted in the core values and principles of the occupational therapy profession.

2. Become evidence-informed practitioners and scholars who engage in innovative practice and add to the profession’s knowledge.

3. Foster commitment to personal and professional growth and ethical practice throughout the occupational therapy program and beyond.

4. Become agents of change through service, interprofessional collaboration, and community-centered occupational therapy practice to reduce health care disparities.

5. Advocate, lead, and actively engage in professional organizations to shape and advance occupational therapy practice across clinical, educational, and community settings.

Admission to the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program

University of the Cumberlands will offer two pathways to enter the OTD program:

Direct entry

Applicants who have earned a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a United States Department of Education-accredited institution, or an institution approved through the International Evaluation firms listed below, are eligible to apply through the direct entry pathway.

• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required.
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) on pre-requisite coursework
• Applicants with an overall GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may still be considered for admission, pending a case-by-case review by the Admissions Committee to determine suitability for the program

​Accelerated pathway

The Accelerated pathway applicants earn both a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and the Occupational Therapy Doctorate at completion of the OTD component of the program.

• Applicants must complete a minimum of 90 undergraduate semester credits (or equivalent quarter hours) prior to matriculation into the occupational therapy doctorate program.
• Thirty graduate semester credits from the first year of the occupational therapy doctorate program may be applied towards the completion of a bachelor’s degree
• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and a GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last two semesters of undergraduate is required.
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on pre-requisite coursework
• Applicants with an overall GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may still be considered for admission, pending a case-by-case review by the Admissions Committee to determine suitability for the program. 
• In addition, all applicants must complete the following requirements prior to matriculation into the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program:
  • A 4-credit hour course in Human Anatomy or Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab
  • A 3-credit hour course in Psychopathology or Abnormal Psychology
  • A 3-credit hour course in Developmental Psychology
  • A 3-credit hour course in Statistics
  • A 3-credit hour course in social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology)
  • Two 3-credit hour courses in basic sciences (e.g., mathematics, physics, chemistry)
  • A minimum of 6 credit hours in English or Communication that must include a writing component
  • Official transcripts from all attended institutions must be submitted to OTCAS
• A minimum of 20 documented observation hours in an occupational therapy setting is required.
  • It is strongly recommended that applicants gain experience in multiple practice areas and/or with diverse populations.
  • All observation hours must be documented using the program’s signed observation forms submitted at the time of application.
  • A licensed occupational therapist must sign all forms.
• Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation from professional or academic references discussing applicants’ academic abilities, interpersonal and communication skills, work ethic, and commitment to the occupational therapy profession. Recommendation letters from family or friends will not meet this requirement.

International students

For any coursework completed at non-US institutions, the applicant must submit an international credential course-by-course evaluation. The Admissions Committee will review the credential evaluation report to determine whether the applicant meets the academic requirements. Credential evaluation can be completed from any of the following international credential evaluation agencies.

• World Education Services (WES)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
• Educational Perspectives (EP)
• SpanTran
• InCred

International students who completed undergraduate coursework from countries where English is not the first language must demonstrate fluency in reading, writing, and spoken English. This requirement can be satisfied by submitting one of the following. Scores must be official and sent directly from the testing agency

• A minimum score of 100 on the Internet-based TOEFL (iBT)
• A minimum score of 7.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
• A minimum score of 130 on the Duolingo English Test

Accepted applicants:

All admitted applicants are required to complete a Criminal Background Check prior to matriculation into the program. A felony conviction or criminal record may affect the graduate’s ability to sit for the National Board Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT^®) examination. Individuals with a prior criminal record are encouraged to contact the NBCOT directly for a character review determination before applying to an occupational therapy program. For more information, visit the NBCOT website.

• In addition, all prospective students must have the ability to meet the program’s technical standards for success in didactic and experiential components of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate curriculum.
• Due to the integrated and sequential nature of the curriculum and to ensure continuity in academic preparation and alignment with the program’s educational philosophy, transfer coursework from other occupational therapy programs will not be accepted.

Physical Therapy

Program Mission

The mission of the program is to provide an innovative career-focused education that nurtures highly skilled Doctor of Physical Therapy. Graduates will excel as leaders in addressing the movement system through the application and integration of habits of the head, heart, hands, and health in evidence-based practice. Students and graduates will join the faculty in community engagement, serving to optimize the health and well-being of all people, with a deep commitment to rural and underserved populations in the local Appalachian region, nationally, and globally.

The physical therapy program has goals related to students, graduates, and faculty that are based on its mission, that reflect contemporary physical therapy education, research, and practice, and that lead to expected program outcomes.

Goals Related to Students

1. Students will be prepared for contemporary entry-level practice as movement system specialists who integrate habits of the head, heart, hands, and health.
2. Students will be prepared for servant leadership integrating habits of the head, heart, and hands to advance positive health practices and well-being of people.

Goals Related to Graduates

1. Graduates will demonstrate competence as movement system specialists who integrate habits of the head, heart and hands, and health in their settings of practice.
2. Graduates will be committed to advancing the profession through participation in physical therapists’ professional organizations and community entities that advance positive health practices and well-being of people.

Goals Related to Faculty

1. The program faculty will demonstrate excellence in delivery of learner-centered physical therapy education in a blended format.
2. The physical therapy program faculty will contribute to the advancement of evidence-based physical therapy education and clinical practice through scientific inquiry, leadership, and service.

Goals Related to the Program

1. The physical therapy program will advance accessibility of physical therapy education for learners from diverse backgrounds through blended delivery of a dynamic integrated case-based curriculum.
2. The physical therapy program faculty, students and graduates will advocate for equitable access to quality physical therapy, with a deep commitment to rural and underserved populations in the local Appalachian region, nationally, and globally.

Admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program- Main Campus

To qualify for the program, you must meet or exceed the following criteria:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
2. Successfully complete the following prerequisite courses in biological sciences, physical sciences, behavioral sciences, and statistics. A minimum cumulative GPA for prerequisites of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required. In addition, a grade of C or better in each prerequisite course is required. Prerequisite courses must be completed within ten years prior to admission.
   • General Biology 1 and 2 with laboratory (6 semester hours or equivalent)
   • General Chemistry 1 and 2 with laboratory (6 semester hours or equivalent)
   • General Physics 1 and 2 with laboratory (6 semester hours or equivalent)
   • Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 with laboratory (6 semester hours or equivalent)
   • Statistics (3 semester hours or equivalent)
   • General Psychology (3 semester hours or equivalent)
   • A minimum of one 3 semester hour or equivalent writing intensive course in humanities or social sciences

Physical therapy education and practice requires a strong science background. Additional upper-level Biology or Health Science courses (embryology, advanced physiology, genetics, etc.) are recommended.

3. Complete twenty hours (20) of observation or employment in a physical therapy setting under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist and verified by the physical therapist. The purpose of observation hours is to help the applicant develop a basic understanding/knowledge of the PT profession before committing to the rigorous process of obtaining a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Observation hours may be completed in outpatient and/or inpatient settings.
4. Submit three letters of reference from professionals who are familiar with your personal and professional characteristics and can best address your potential for success in the DPT program. One letter should come from a college/university faculty member or advisor: one from a licensed physical therapist, and one from an employer or an advisor for an organization.
5. Demonstrate English Fluency. All applicants for whom English is not their first language, or those who completed a bachelor’s degree and prerequisites from a college or university in a foreign country, must achieve satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or complete an approved English as a Second Language (ESL) course with the past five years.
   
   Any international course work completed must have official transcript evaluations completed and submitted to the University by the evaluation firm. Evaluations MUST include GPA for admission.
   
   ​Approved Evaluation Firms are:
   • World Education Services (WES)
   • Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
   • International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
   • Educational Perspectives (EP)
   • SpanTran
6. Demonstrate an ability to meet Program Technical Standards. ​A candidate must have abilities and skills in five areas:
   • observation,
   • communication,
   • motor/psychomotor,
   • cognitive (intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative), and
   • behavioral and social.

Technological compensation can be made for some limitation in certain of these areas, but a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.

Candidates are required to certify that they understand and meet program Technical Standards. Candidates must provide such certification prior to matriculation. Candidates who may not meet the Technical Standards must inform the Director of Admissions, who will then contact the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students, in consultation with the academic dean (and program director), will identify and discuss what accommodations, if any, the College(/Program) would need to make that would allow the candidate to complete the curriculum. The College(/Program) is not able to grant accommodations that alter the educational standards of the curriculum. Students must meet the Technical Standards for the duration of enrollment in their professional program.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is a six semester, 24 month, 115 credit hour program. During the first full year of Cumberlands’ DPT program, students will participate in online classes and early integrated clinical experiences and will attend intensive lab immersions held on Cumberlands’ main campus in Williamsburg, Kentucky. During the second year of the program, students will participate in online classes, on-campus lab immersions, and three full-time clinical experiences. Full-time clinical experiences will be held throughout Kentucky and across the United States.

The program has an integrated case-based curricular model and learner-centered approach to prepare physical therapists who integrate mind, heart, and hands, collaborating within healthcare teams, to improve patient/client and community health, with a focus on service for medically underserved and rural populations. The service-oriented program aims to work closely with students to develop clinical experiences in the communities where they live. At University of the Cumberlands, graduate programs in health sciences are designed to prepare professionals to be servant-leaders in their disciplines and communities, linking research with practice and knowledge with ethical decision-making. The DPT degree reflects the university’s commitment to nurturing healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and ethical clarity needed for pragmatic leadership in a complex and dynamic modern world. Moreover, through the focus of the DPT program, Cumberlands has a new means to express and promote Christian values as it seeks to foster humane and altruistic health care for individuals and society.

The technical standards for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program are listed on the following webpage: Technical Standards - DPT | University of the Cumberlands (ucumberlands.edu)

Accreditation:

Physician Assistant Studies

Program Mission

The mission of the Physician Assistant Programs at both the Williamsburg and Northern Kentucky campuses is to educate and prepare competent, compassionate, and committed Physician Assistant leaders who, as integral members of the modern professional healthcare team, are driven by academic excellence and will be servant leaders in their communities. The faculty and staff of the Physician Assistant Programs will provide academic and clinical excellence in an environment of compassion and team cooperation, seeking to prepare clinicians for a lifelong commitment to continuing education, leadership, and medical service.

Program Vision

University of the Cumberlands Physician Assistant Programs at both the Williamsburg and Northern Kentucky campuses, as well as their students, aspire to be recognized for the quality of care they render through academic and professional excellence, moral character, integrity, empathy, team effort, and service to those in their communities.

Program Goals

In pursuit of this mission, the Program has established these goals:

1. To recruit students from medically underserved regions - in Appalachia and across the country - who have demonstrated commitment to academic and professional excellence.
2. Provide the graduate with the requisite fund of medical knowledge, in accordance with the NCCPA Blueprint, in order to provide evidence-based medical care in all settings.
3. Provide the graduate with the clinical and technical skills necessary to provide competent medical care.
4. Provide the graduate with the interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families and other health professionals.
5. Provide the graduate with the knowledge and skills necessary to work collaboratively in interprofessional patient-centered teams.
6. Provide the graduate with the knowledge and skills to provide medical care regarding issues that affect diverse populations.

Admission to the Physician Assistant Studies Program - Main Campus

All applicants must submit the following information:

1. Completed CASPA application
2. Completed PA Supplemental Application (once an applicant’s CASPA Application has been verified and reviewed, a link to the Supplemental Application will be provided via email)
3. An earned bachelor’s degree with an overall cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0
4. A minimum average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 in required pre-requisite courses. Pre-recs must have a grade of C or better.
5. A minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in the combined Biology, Chemistry, Physics (BCP) as figured by Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
6. Ability to fulfill any university admission requirements
7. Successful completion (as defined above) within ten years prior to admission of the following undergraduate science courses:

• Anatomy with lab (Human preferred)- 3 semester hours or more
• Physiology with lab (Human preferred)- 3 semester hours or more
• Microbiology with Lab- 3 semester hours or more
• Medical Terminology
• Upper Level Science Electives - 6 credit hours (Select from Genetics, Embryology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Advanced Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Histology, Parasitology, Virology, Organic Chemistry II, Analytical Chemistry, any upper level Pharmacology course)
• General Chemistry 1 and 2 with labs- 3 semester hours or more
• Organic 1 or Biochemistry
• Psychology (Abnormal or developmental preferred)- 3 semester hours or more
• Statistics- 3 semester hours or more

8. Direct Patient Contact Hours: The purpose of patient contact experience is to provide prospective students an introduction to medicine allowing the aspiring applicant exposure to medical terminology, common normal and abnormal findings, as well as introduction to critical thinking. It also allows for exposure to team-based care where they will encounter a variety of health care providers and how they work together for patient care. Lastly this provides the aspiring PA students ability to build professionalism skills such as communication, rapport, and accountability. The purpose of PA shadowing experience is to provide prospective students an understanding of the physician assistant profession as a unique member of the health care team. This allows the prospective student to have an understanding of the profession prior to enrollment. To achieve this, any patient care experience and PA shadowing that meets criteria will have to have occurred in specific locations as outlined below:

 Patient Care Experience is paid or unpaid direct patient care and/or observation of medical care occurring in a defined healthcare setting: outpatient clinic, inpatient (hospital, nursing home, long term facility), acute care (urgent treatment facility, emergency room, and prehospital acute care), perioperative care (pre-op, operating room, and post op care in both inpatient and outpatient surgery). 
 PA shadowing experience is direct observation of a physician assistant in the delivery of health care with patients and other members of the healthcare team.

9. Submission of 3 letters of recommendation (Acceptable references: MD, DO, PA, or NP as well as academic advisors)

10. Successful completion of an interview with and positive recommendation from program faculty

*The program does not offer advanced placement/accept transfer credit for prior PA coursework. 

Admission to the Physician Assistant Studies Program - Northern Kentucky

All applicants must submit the following information:

• Completed CASPA application
• Completed PA Supplemental Application (once an applicant’s CASPA Application has been verified and reviewed, a link to the Supplemental Application will be provided via email)
• Documentation of language fluency for non-native speakers of English, such as a score report from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the 8 International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or a report from Duolingo. This requirement is waived for students who have completed bachelor’s or master’s level coursework in the U.S. at an accredited institution.
• An earned bachelor’s degree with an overall minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• A minimum Biology-Chemistry-Physics (BCP) GPA average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale calculated by Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)
• Ability to fulfill any university admission requirements.
• A minimum letter grade of “C” or better, within ten years prior to admission of the following undergraduate or graduate courses:
• Human Anatomy with lab - 3 semester hours or more
• Human Physiology with lab - 3 semester hours or more
• Microbiology with lab - 3 semester hours or more
• Medical Terminology
• Biology electives - 6 credit hours (Must be upper-level Biology courses; highly recommend Genetics, Molecular Biology, Histology, Immunology)
• General Chemistry 1 and 2 with labs - 3 semester hours or more
• Organic 1 or Biochemistry
• Psychology (Abnormal or Developmental preferred) - 3 semester hours or more
• Statistics - 3 semester hours or more
• Direct Patient Contact Hours (minimum of 500 hours of paid employment or volunteer hours; must include a minimum of 50 hours PA shadowing)
• Submission of 3 letters of recommendation with at least one from a physician (MD/DO) or PA
• Successful completion of an interview with and positive recommendation from program faculty

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