Disability Accommodation and Core Performance Standards

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to meet course requirements should visit the UT Health San Antonio's Request for Accommodation page for procedures to be considered for accommodations.  To receive special accommodations the student should be able to provide appropriate documentation of the disability. 

Introduction

The UT Health San Antonio School of Health Professions Department of Physical Therapy strives to select applicants who have the ability to become highly competent physical therapists. As an accredited physical therapy program, the UT Health San Antonio’s curriculum in Physical Therapy adheres to the guidelines of the American Physical Therapy Association. Within these guidelines, UT Health San Antonio Department of Physical Therapy has the freedom and ultimate responsibility for the selection and evaluation of its students, the design, implementation, and evaluation of its curriculum, and the determination of who should be awarded a degree. Admission and retention decisions are based not only on prior satisfactory academic achievement but also on non-academic factors, which serve to insure that the candidate can complete the essential functions of the academic program required for graduation. The Department of Physical Therapy has the responsibility to the public to assure that its graduates can become fully competent and caring physical therapists, capable of doing benefit and not harm.

It is the philosophy of the Department of Physical Therapy that there are certain core performance standards and/or essential tasks and functions of an entry-level physical therapist. Therefore, it follows that in order to successfully progress and complete the Professional component of the program, students in Physical Therapy must also possess or demonstrate the potential to achieve these core performance essentials.  It is acknowledged that certain sensory and motor deficits can be compensated for and that a reasonable degree of accommodation can and should be provided.  However, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to make certain that he/she can adequately perform the basic academic and clinical fieldwork requirements.

Purpose of the Core Performance Standards Document

The purpose of the Core Performance Standards document is designed to be advisory in nature and to educate potential students and students already enrolled in the Professional Component of the Physical Therapy program regarding the minimum essential tasks and functions of a physical therapy student and of an entry-level generalist practitioner.

The technical standards outlined in the Core Performance Standards Document are non-academic requirements that a student must be able to meet to participate meaningfully in the program to demonstrate the skills required for safe effective practice in any healthcare setting that physical therapists practice.

These technical standards refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of the curriculum, and the development of professional attributes required by the faculty at graduation. The essential abilities required by the curriculum are in the following areas: general, observational, communication, motor, critical thinking, interpersonal, behavioral and social attributes.

Core Performance Standards Document Availability/Distribution

The Core Performance Standards document will be available, at any time, to any prospective or currently enrolled student upon request.  In addition, the document will be distributed routinely at the following times:

• Applicant interviews
• To students who have been offered a position in the upcoming class
• To all professional students during initial Department Professional Component Orientation as part of the student handbook

Procedure for Completing the Core Performance Standards Document

Every applicant for potential admission into the Physical Therapy program will receive a copy of the Core Performance Standards document with the other admission materials.   All candidates who accept a position in the Physical Therapy program will be required to sign a copy of the Core Performance Standards document.  By signing this document, the candidate will acknowledge that they have read the material and are able to perform all of the necessary functions and/or have the ability to achieve the required standard given reasonable and appropriate accommodations. Students who wish to request reasonable accommodation in order to meet any of the core performance standards must follow the procedures listed on the university's Request for Accommodations Under the ADA page.