DPT Service Opportunities

From working in student-run clinics to modifying ride-on cars for children with mobility impairments, service opportunities in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program offer students the chance to give back to the community and learn while working on real-world solutions.

Service can play an important role in students’ professional development, and DPT students are required to participate in service learning as part of their seminar courses. Service-learning projects involve working with local and/or international community partners.

As an incoming student, you will receive more information about these community-based opportunities at New Student Orientation and can indicate your interest to student leaders.

Registered Student Organizations

Search “DPT” on the Wisconsin Involvement Network website to learn more about Registered Student Organizations (RSOs).

Adaptive Athletes/Dairyland Games

Offering resources and access to adaptive sports opportunities in Wisconsin, Adaptive Athletes/Dairyland Games promotes and supports adaptive athletes in the pursuit of their individual fitness and athletic goals.

Badger Honor Flight

Badger Honor Flight is a regional affiliate of the national Honor Flight Network and ensures that World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and terminally ill veterans from any war have the opportunity to see the memorials that have been erected in their honor.

Sue Wenker, PT, PhD program director and an associate professor, highlights service opportunities in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Ballroom Basics for Balance

This program provides intergenerational and accessible balance and falls prevention classes by inspiring creative movement experiences that fit into the culture of each community. Its curriculum is based in the best therapeutic principles of balance and falls prevention.

More about Ballroom Basics for Balance

Global Health Service

According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 650 million people with disabilities worldwide, and most live in developing countries with little or no access to rehabilitation. The American Physical Therapy Association encourages members and educators in their efforts to meet global rehabilitation needs.

In past years, DPT students have traveled to Belize, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and Uganda. Some financial assistance and fundraising opportunities are available for international service-learning experiences.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program supports global health experiences that:

Are of high educational value
Will be responsibly implemented with appropriate supervision and structure
Offer benefit to both trainee and host site
Are ethically sound and culturally appropriate
Will allow for prioritization of the safety and welfare of the students

GoBabyGo

This outreach program that modifies toy ride-on cars for children with mobility impairments is a joint venture of UW physical therapy, occupational therapy and engineering students along with American Family Children's Hospital therapists.

GoBabyGo Facebook page

Interprofessional Health Council

The Interprofessional Health Council represents multiple health professions programs and schools looking to engage in academic and non-academic activities. It is a student-led group within the UW Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education.

Legislative Day

DPT students (along with physical therapists in the community and faculty) attend the American Physical Therapy Association- Wisconsin (APTA- WI) annual legislative day at the state capitol in downtown Madison, to speak to Wisconsin State Legislators about issues related to physical therapy.

Senior Chats

This program began during the COVID-19 pandemic to help address the isolation many seniors were facing. Health professions students help support local seniors by calling individuals in various senior care facilities for regular social conversations.

The Dewane Neurorehabilitative Pro Bono Clinic

The vision for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program’s interprofessional pro bono student clinic is to create a unique and caring environment for treatment of uninsured and underserved patients. The clinic fills a gap in pro bono physical therapy services in the Madison area by allowing students to provide services with faculty oversight.

Facts about the pro bono student clinic:

All services are provided free of charge by current students who operate on a 100 percent volunteer basis
A high percentage of first- and second-year DPT students volunteer their time to treat clients
On average, two to three students are paired with a client on a weekly basis
Services focus on neurological rehabilitation such as gait, balance, proprioception and coordination training
There is limited space available. Services are available only through scheduled appointments on a first come, first served basis according to need
Speech-language pathology students also provide therapy in this clinic

On the final day of the [pro bono] clinic, [the patient] was able to walk up the stairs without assistance...it was an amazing and emotional experience. He motivates me every week and is a reminder of why I began this journey in the first place.

—

Ethan Taylor, DPT student