Welcome

As a part of our clinical education faculty, thank you for your time and talent. This site is intended to provide you with easy access to the information and tools needed during your Pacific DPT student's clinical experience. We know that an important part of supporting our students during their clinical education is to support you—our clinical instructors (CIs) and site coordinators of clinical education (SCCEs). Please let us know how we can be the best possible partner for you.

Our DPT program is committed to providing high-quality clinical education, starting with the first trimester of the program. Integrated clinical experiences (ICE) are concurrent with didactic course work where students are primarily placed in outpatient orthopedic settings. The purpose of the ICE is for students to practice the subjective exam, objective measures, prescription of therapeutic exercise, movement analysis, and early clinical reasoning. Clinical education experiences (CEE) occur after the student’s complete all didactic coursework. They take place in a variety of settings and provide students with exposure to patients from across practice areas and the lifespan.

Clinical education is one-third of the DPT program here at Pacific. There are five clinical experiences in total:

Fall FridaysTrimester 1Part-time ICE5 Fridays, 4hours each
4-Week ICETrimester 3Full-time ICE4 weeks
CEE1Trimester 5Full-time CEE8 weeks
CEE2Trimester 6Full-time CEE8 weeks
CEE3Trimester 6Full-time CEE10 weeks
   30 weeks total

The academic and clinical education faculty strive to prepare clinicians to become autonomous and competent practitioners with the skills to advocate for optimal health, wellness and performance for all members of society. The emphasis on self-assessment and professional development prepares our DPT students to be skilled, reflective practitioners dedicated to lifelong learning.

Prior to each clinical education experience, a resource manual is emailed to the SCCE at the facility where the student is placed. The SCCE then distributes this information to the student's CI within their facility. You can find our clinical experience resource manuals here.

The University of the Pacific DPT program uses the web-based CIET via the Exxat platform. CIs access this tool via a link sent to the CI from the student. The CIET is used for evaluation of the student's clinical performance during their final CEEs. If you have not used this tool before, you must first view a 10-minute training video found here CIET training video and successfully complete a short quiz that you will access via Exxat only for the first time you use the CIET (see the CIET User Guide for specific steps). Once you have completed the training, you can access the CIET. You can find the CIET user guide here.

Our program uses the APTA Physical Therapist Student Evaluation: Clinical Experience and Clinical Instruction. These forms include the student's evaluation of both the overall clinical experience provided by the site and evaluation of the CI(s). Please email the DCE if you would like copies of these forms.

Additional Resources

Are you interested in becoming an APTA Certified Clinical Instructor? If so, you must complete this formal CI education program composed of interactive didactic education sessions followed by an Assessment Center. The program is approximately 15 hours long and is offered frequently through APTA, CPTA, and our Northern California Clinical Education Consortium.

Per Sections 1399.90 -1399.99 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), California licensed PTs and PTAs who are APTA CCIP Level 1 credentialed and serve as CIs can earn one hour for each week of any full-time affiliation for a student from an accredited PT or PTA program. Each affiliation must be a minimum of 4 weeks, and each PT or PTA may earn up to a maximum of 12 hours of continuing competency hours in one license renewal cycle.

The NCCEC is an organization with representation from all Northern California physical therapist and physical therapy assistant education programs and clinical site representatives from the region. Learn more at northerncalclined.org where there are numerous clinical education resources and announcements for future APTA CCIP Level 1 courses that are sponsored by the NCCEC. Our prices often involve a discount of at least $100 compared to the same course offered by other organizations.

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has information regarding clinical education site development and federal regulations related to students. Learn more at https://www.aptaeducation.org/clinical-educator-resources.

The California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) has information regarding continuing education opportunities, legislative updates and CPTA sponsored Clinical Instructor Education and Credentialing Programs. Learn more at ccapta.org

Clinical Education Team

If you have any questions about our clinical education program, please don’t hesitate to connect with a member of our team. 

Alicia Rabena-Amen, PT, DPT
Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education
Email: arabenaamen@pacific.edu
Phone: (209) 946-2399

As Direct of Clinical Education (DCE), Dr. Rabena-Amen invites collaboration to support CI success with the clinical education of our students. Together, we can work on teaching and learning strategies in the clinic and tailor learning to a specific student’s learning style as needed. Dr. Rabena-Amen also can schedule an inservice regarding clinical education at your facility or clinic to answer frequently asked questions. Please don’t hesitate to email or call for any matter, especially for student concerns; the earlier we identify potential challenges, the better Dr. Rabena-Amen and her team can support both you and the student toward a successful outcome. Thank you for being our partner.

Maureen Gillette, PT, MPT
Assistant Director of Clinical Education
Email: dptclin-ed@PACIFIC.EDU

The DCE and Assistant DCE work closely together. As our primary scheduler of student placements, Professor Gillette synthesizes the needs of our clinical partners and students into the best possible match between site and student. When the DCE is away from the office, Professor Gillette is our main go-to person. She can assist with placement and student issues or direct you to someone in the department who can get the answers you need.

Cherise Munoz
Administrative Assistant III, Department of Physical Therapy 
Email: physicaltherapy@pacific.edu           
Phone: 209-946-2886         

  • PT department contracts
  • Student compliance
  • Exxat technical assistance and training


 

Marjan Hazrati
Director of Clinical Education, School of Health Sciences
Email: mhazrati@pacific.edu

  • Strategy and partnerships
  • Interdisciplinary clinical education
  • Contracts involving multiple disciplines