LC opens new physical therapy doctoral program

Lynchburg College launched its Doctor of Physical Therapy program Wednesday, unveiling a state-of-the-art facility in the former Capps Shoe Co. warehouse on Monticello Avenue.

Classes are slated to begin next week in the 37,000-square-foot facility, which includes a high-tech anatomy lab for cadaver dissections, two instructional labs for hands-on practice and research labs for motion analysis and other experiments.

“Having taught at two major state universities, this just dwarfs what you’re likely to see in physical therapy education,” founding director Kevin Brueilly said of the new facility.

During the opening ceremony, LC President Kenneth Garren signed an articulation agreement with leaders from four nearby colleges — Hampden-Sydney College, Randolph College, Roanoke College and Sweet Briar College — guaranteeing graduates from those schools a limited number of spots in the physical therapy program starting next year.

Garren said there is a “tremendous need” for physical therapists in both the Lynchburg area and country at large.

In recent years, local health care provider Centra Health, a financial backer of the school, has experienced a shortage of physical therapists in the region.

“Centra has told us it’s very difficult for them to recruit physical therapists to the area,” Brueilly said.

Centra donated $250,000 to help pay for the facility and equipment and has pledged another $250,000 when the program receives its full accreditation. Centra also has contributed $100,000 in scholarship money for students.

Classes begin next week for the inaugural class of 52 students. Lynchburg College has hired seven full-time faculty members and plans to hire five more over the next two years.

Lynchburg College had no trouble reaching full capacity with its first class. The school received approximately 200 applications for its 52 spots, and Brueilly expects applications to climb to 300 to 400 for fall 2011 now that the program is under way.

During the first year, the curriculum provides a foundation in science with classes like anatomy, physiology and pharmacology.

In years two and three, students study the four main physical therapy specialties — musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary and body/skin treatment — and spend a total of 40 weeks in a clinical practice, working under the guidance of licensed physical therapists.

The program is more than three years in the making.

In 2007, LC’s board of trustees conducted a feasibility study about what type of health services degree to bring to the college and identified physical therapy as a high-growth profession.

Brueilly was hired as director in July 2009, and he has worked to design the curriculum and facility, hire faculty and oversee the accreditation process. Brueilly taught physical therapy at Louisiana State University in New Orleans before taking the helm of Lynchburg College’s fledgling program.

The program has been granted preliminary approval by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and is on track for full accreditation by May 2013, when the first class graduates.

Lynchburg College is accepting applications for fall 2011. For more information, visit www.lynchburg.edu/dpt.xml.