Rehabilitation Sciences
- Mission Statment
The mission of the Weber State University Rehabilitation Sciences Program is to provide a quality educational and pre-professional clinical experience for students. Students are presented with didactic and psychomotor experiences that will lead them to being able to exercise sound ethical judgment. The coursework and internships will prepare them to enter professional graduate programs in athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician's assistant programs, or medicine.
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Certificate (Not Applicable)
- Associate Degree (Not Applicable)
- Bachelor Degree
The Athletic Therapy major has been phased out in the Spring 2021 semester and replaced by the Rehabilitation Sciences Major, which launched in Summer 2021. With this change, the student learning outcomes have been revised along with the curriculum grid.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of their study at WSU, students in the Rehabilitation Sciences (BS) program will have a solid foundation in:1. Employ effective communication to appropriately care for a diverse patient population.
2. Implement evaluation techniques in the assessment of patients and formulate a clinical impression for the determination of a patients' plan of care.
3. Provide immediate care and administer therapeutic interventions to recondition patients for safe performance and function.
4. Educate patients in proper performance of exercise techniques to minimize risk during rehabilitation.
5. Identify and implement professional management practices and guidelines to ensure personal and organizational well-being.
6. Engage in critical appraisal of clinical reserach to advance the students' knowledge and provide quality care to their patients.
- Certificate (Not Applicable)
- Curriculum Grid
- Program and Contact Information
As a Rehabilitation Science major, you'll prepare for graduate studies in athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician's assistant, chiropractic, or medicine while gaining a strong foundation in orthopedics and working one-on-one with health care professionals. Students who graduate from this program will not be eligible to take the Board of Certification (BOC) exan to become a Certified Athletic Trainer.
In May 2021, the Athletic Therapy major was renamed Rehabilitation Sciences. Alongside this change, the program curriculum was also revised. Any undeclared students who are interested in this degree field should declare Rehabilitation Sciences as their major and pursue this new program of study. Students who declared Athletic Therapy as their major prior ro May 2021 will be allowed to continue the former curriculum of the Athletic Therapy program. These students will have until Summer 2025 to fulfill the graduation requirements. After that time, the Athletic Therapy program will expire, and any remaining Athletic Therapy majors will automatically be transitioned to Rehabilitation Sciences majors.
Contact Information:
Dr. Conrad Gabler *
Rehabilitation Sciences Program Director
Weber State University
3992 Central Campus Dr
Ogden, UT 84408-3504
(801) 626-8831Rehabilitation Sciences Program Website
* Dr. Valerie Herzog will serve as interim program director from January 2023 - January 2024
- Assessment Plan
Student Learning Outcomes (Direct Assessment)
Outcomes Measures Criterion / Threshold / Benchmark 1. Employ effective communication to appropriately care for a diverse patient population. 1. RHS 4890: Midterm Student Performance Evaluation
2. RHS 4890: Final Student Performance Evaluation1. 90% of students will score a 70% or higher on the Human Relations and Communication sections of the Midterm Student Performance Evaluation in RHS 4890.
2. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the Human Relations and Communication sections of the Final Student Performance Evaluation in RHS 4890.2. Implement evaluation techniques in the assessment of patients and formulate a clinical impression for the determination of a patients' plan of care. 1. RHS 3300: Evaluation podcast final project
2. RHS 3301: Evaluation podcast final project1. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for the evaluation podcast final project in RHS 3300.
2. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for the evaluation podcast final project in RHS 3301.3. Provide immediate care and administer therapeutic interventions to recondition patients for safe performance and function. 1. RHS 4150: Midterm oral/practical exam
2. RHS 4150: Final Oral/practical exam1. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for the Midterm oral/practical exam in RHS 4150.
2. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for the Final oral/practical skills exam in RHS 4150.4. Educate patients in proper performance of exercise techniques to minimize risk during rehabilitation. 1. RHS 4250: Skills labs
2. RHS 4250: Rehabilitation plan1. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on all labs in RHS 4250.
2. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the Rehab Plan assignment in RHS 4250.5. Identify and implement professional management practices and guidelines to ensure personal and organizational well-being. 1. RHS 4650: Facility design project
2. RHS 4650: Policy and Procedures Manual
3. RHS 4890: Final Student Performance Evaluation1. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for the facility design project in RHS 4650.
2. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for the development of a policy and procedure manual in RHS 4650.
3. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the Profession Orientation section of the Final Student Performance Evaluation in RHS 4890.6. Engage in critical appraisal of clinical research to advance the students' knowledge and provide quality care to their patients. 1. RHS 4150: Ignite Presentation
2. RHS 4250: Written annotated bibliography1. 90% of students will score an 80% or higher on the rubric for Ignite Presentation in RHS 4150.
2. 90% of students will earn an 80% or better on the written annotated bibliography.Program Effectiveness Outcomes (Indirect Assessment)
Outcomes Measures Criterion / Threshold / Benchmark 1. Prepare competent students to enter professional graduate programs in health care. 1. Graduate school placement rate via the Graduation Exit Survey
2. Preparation rating via the Graduation Exit Survey1. 80% of graduates will gain acceptance into a graduate school within 2 years of graduating from the RHS program.
2. Graduates will rate an average of 70/100 on how well the program prepared them for applying to graduate programs.2. Equip culturally competent students with foundational knowledge to prepare them for a career following graduate school. 1. Preparation rating via the Alumni Follow-up Survey
2. Employment rate via the Alumni Follow-up Survey1. Graduates will rate an average of 70/100 on how well the program prepared them to succeed in graduate school.
2. 70% of graduates will be employed in their chosen field within 2 years of completing their graduate degree. - Assessment Report Submissions
- 2021-2022
- 2019-2020
- 2017
1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?
- The Athletic Training/Athletic Therapy Faculty were satisfied with the outcomes achieved by the Athletic Therapy students during the 2016-17 academic year. We have already met all of the recommendations from our in-depth program review that was conducted during the 2013-14 academic year. The Athletic Therapy Program went through a curriculum change that was implemented for the 2015-2016 academic year. As the undergraduate athletic training program is phased out, the AT 3300 and 3301 (Lower and upper evaluation courses, respectively) courses will need to be modified to better accommodate pre-professional athletic therapy students. We are planning to submit a curriculum proposal in early Spring 2018 that will include course substitutions, additional elective courses, and modifications to existing courses. Our hope is that this proposal will be approved and be effective Fall 2018. Therefore, the Assessment Reports will likely change in the years to come.
2) We are interested in better understanding how departments/programs assess their graduating seniors or graduate students. Please provide a short narrative describing the practices/curriculum in place for your department/program. Please include both direct and indirect measures employed. Finally, what were your findings from this past year’s graduates
- We do not currently assess the outcomes of graduates from the Athletic Therapy program. However, we do have our graduating seniors complete a senior exit survey to determine their satisfaction with various aspects of the program. All Athletic Therapy majors do take the AT 4650 course (Management for Athletic Therapy majors) that serves to prepare students for their future careers and graduate programs. We help students prepare their resumes, cover letters/graduate school essays, and their career portfolios (LinkedIn profiles). We also talk about broader issues in healthcare such as insurance/billing, legal issues, ethical considerations, and management/leadership. This class culminates in a group project where they design a healthcare facility, hire staff, purchase equipment and supplies and develop a policies and procedures/risk management plan for the facility. This project requires them to apply all of the knowledge they have learned throughout the program. In the future, it would be my goal to implement an alumni survey for students who have graduated from the Athletic Therapy program. This would provide us insight into whether students are or have attended graduate school after obtaining their Bachelor’s degree, and or what type of career they are pursuing. I plan to discuss this project with our department’s academic advisor to determine its feasibility and implementation.
The full report is available for viewing.
- 2016
1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?
- The Athletic Training/Athletic Therapy Faculty were satisfied with the outcomes achieved by the Athletic Therapy students during the 2015-16 academic year. We have already met all of the recommendations from our in-depth program review that was conducted during the 2013-14 academic year. The Athletic Therapy Program went through a curriculum change that was implemented for the 2015-2016 academic year. We are continually assessing the plan and our Assessment Plan will likely change for next year’s annual report to capture this continual assessment. As the undergraduate athletic training program is phased out, we will be reviewing the AT 3300 and 3301 (Lower and upper evaluation courses, respectively) to determine what the curriculum in these courses should be in the future. We have also considered merging these two courses into a one-semester course, similar what we’ve done with the Modalities and Rehabilitation courses.
2) We are interested in better understanding how departments/programs assess their graduating seniors. Please provide a short narrative describing the practices/curriculum in place for your department/program. Please include both direct and indirect measures employed.
- We do not currently assess graduating seniors, regarding their retention of content knowledge. All Athletic Therapy majors do take the AT 4650 course (Management for Athletic Therapy majors) that serves to prepare students for their future careers and graduate programs. We help students prepare their resumes, cover letters/graduate school essays, and their career portfolios (LinkedIn profiles). We also talk about broader issues in healthcare such as insurance/billing, legal issues, ethical considerations, and management/leadership. This class culminates in a group project where they design a healthcare facility, hire staff, purchase equipment and supplies and develop a policies and procedures/risk management plan for the facility. This project requires them to apply all of the knowledge they have learned throughout the program.
- We also have our graduating seniors complete a senior exit survey to determine their satisfaction with various aspects of the program.
3) Are there assessment strategies within your department or program that you feel are particularly effective and/or innovative? If so, what are those strategies and what do you learn about your students by using them?
- The Athletic Therapy Program has the most similarities to the Athletic Training Programs (BSAT and MSAT) within the Department of Athletic Training and Nutrition. The Athletic Therapy program uses oral practical exams (AT 2300, 3300, and 3301) to simulate interactions with real patients. Through implementing oral practical assessments, we learn how the student applies the didactic knowledge to an interaction with a simulated patient.
The full report is available for viewing.
- 2015
1) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?
- The Athletic Training/Athletic Therapy Faculty were satisfied with the outcomes achieved by the Athletic Therapy students during the 2014-15 academic year. We have already all of the recommendations from our in-depth program review that was conducted during the 2013-14 academic year. The Athletic Therapy Program went through a curriculum change that was implemented for the 2015-2016 academic year. We are continually assessing the plan and our Assessment Plan will likely change for next year’s annual report to capture this continual assessment.
2) Are there assessment strategies within your department or program that you feel are particularly effective and/or innovative? If so, what are those strategies and what do you learn about your students by using them?
- The Athletic Therapy Program has the most similarities to the Athletic Training Programs (BS AT and MS AT) within the Department of Athletic Training and Nutrition. The Athletic Training Programs use oral practical exams to simulate interactions with real patients. This assessment strategy is also used in the Athletic Therapy Program, however more vital in the Athletic Training Program. Through implementing oral practical assessments, we learn how the student implement the written knowledge, assessed through written exams, is expressed with a patient. A different level of understanding and confidence in knowledge is required when interacting with a simulated patient.
The full report is available for viewing. - 2014
1) Reflecting on this year’s assessment(s), how does the evidence of student learning impact your faculty’s confidence in the program being reviewed; how does that analysis change when compared with previous assessment evidence?
- To answer this question, compare evidence from prior years to the evidence from the current year. Discuss trends of evidence that increases your confidence in the strengths of the program. Also, discuss trends of concern (e.g. students struggling to achieve particular student outcomes).
- During the 2013-14 academic year, the Athletic Therapy Program completed an in-depth program review process. Several issues were identified during the process and the faculty have already begun to implement changes to address these issues. See Appendix A on the previous page for details regarding the suggestions and how we have begun to make adjustments where possible.
- Overall, our student learning outcomes are being met and are students are successfully entering their graduate programs of choice. We have also submitted program changes through the curriculum process this year to allow more flexibility in elective choices for the Athletic Therapy majors. It has been approved by the College of Education Curriculum Committee and will be reviewed by the University Curriculum Committee later in the month of October.
2) With whom did you share the results of the year’s assessment efforts?- The outcomes results were reviewed and discussed with all full-time Athletic Training/Athletic Therapy faculty members and the Department Chair in the Department of Health Promotion and Human Performance.
3) Based on your program’s assessment findings, what subsequent action will your program take?- The Athletic Training/Athletic Therapy Faculty were satisfied with the outcomes achieved by the Athletic Therapy students during the 2013-14 academic year. Appendix A detailed other changes were are working on including hiring a lab manager, evaluating the advising plan to help students determine the correct prerequisite courses to take, hiring a 5th full-time faculty member, and establishing an external advisory committee.
The full report is available for viewing - 2013
The Athletic Therapy Program conducted a 5 year program review with full self-study during the spring of 2014. Those results are presented in place of the Annual Assessment. Please reference those documents for information that includes data for the 2012/13 academic year.
- 2021-2022
- Program Review