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Hands-on healing: WesternU DPT students put their skills to work

by Rodney Tanaka

November 20, 2025

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A woman in a pink shirt participates in a physical therapy exercise with a therapist’s assistance in a clinical setting.
Western University of Health Sciences third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students returned to the Pomona, California campus for a Hands-On Treatment Series as part of their “Examination and Management of Neurologic Disorders II” course, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

Third-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students in the College of Health Sciences’ Physical Therapy Department returned to the Pomona campus for a Hands-On Treatment Series, part of their “Examination and Management of Neurologic Disorders II” course. This provided 47 third-year students with a dynamic, five-session experience where they apply their classroom learning in a mock clinic setting. Patient volunteers participate across multiple sessions, allowing students to design and adapt treatment plans while developing their creativity and clinical reasoning skills in preparation for final clinical affiliations. The 13 patient participants present with a variety of neurological diagnosis including spinal cord injury, stroke, brain injury, Guilian Barre, Spina Bifida, Parkinson’s and Cerebellar Ataxia.

A man practices balance exercises on a blue foam pad between parallel bars, assisted by two healthcare professionals in a clinic setting.
The Physical Therapy Department provided 47 students with a five-session, mock-clinic learning experience designed to help them apply classroom concepts to real-world patient interactions. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

The results have been remarkable: after just five sessions, faculty have observed significant growth in students’ confidence, problem-solving, and clinical decision-making. This immersive learning experience continues to bridge the gap between classroom theory and patient care—preparing our future physical therapists to deliver compassionate, evidence-based treatment from day one.

“Students are essentially using everything they have learned both in their ortho and neuro courses to improve the balance, gait and functional mobility of these patients,” said CHS Assistant Professor Tammie Keller Johnson, PT, DPT, PhD, NCS, ATP, CBIS, MS. “They’re applying experiential learning with a real patient who has neurological impairments.”

A medical professional checks the blood pressure of an older man in a wheelchair while another medical worker observes in a clinical setting.
Thirteen patient volunteers participated across multiple sessions, presenting with a range of neurologic diagnoses including spinal cord injury, stroke, brain injury, Guillain-Barré syndrome, spina bifida, Parkinson’s disease and cerebellar ataxia. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

Third-year DPT student Eric Mena said the neurological skills they learned at WesternU are generally more difficult to apply to a general population. When you move a body part, its reaction would be different for a patient with a neurological impairment compared to someone from the general population.

“Going into clinical rotations, not everyone had the opportunity to be part of this setting, treating someone with those types of impairments,” he said. “We are helping them try to improve themselves. It helps us build up our skills. As we head into the workforce, we will be more prepared to help those patients in need.”

A coach helps a man in athletic clothes field a baseball with a glove while navigating hurdles on a campus sidewalk.
The continuity allowed students to design, test and adapt treatment plans while developing creativity, clinical reasoning and confidence in preparation for their final clinical affiliations. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

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