University of Nebraska Interim President Chris Kabourek announced today that the Physical Therapy Department at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is the recipient of the 2024 University-wide Departmental Teaching Award.
The UDTA, one of the President’s Excellence Awards, is the University of Nebraska’s most prestigious honor for departmental excellence in teaching. Since 1993, the UDTA has recognized departments or units within the university system that have made unique and significant contributions to NU’s teaching efforts and demonstrated outstanding commitment to the education of students at the undergraduate, graduate or professional levels.
Honored departments are selected by a committee of faculty members from across the university. The award includes a $25,000 prize to be used as the department sees fit, for example for travel to a conference, instructional equipment or improvements to classroom space.
Members of the Physical Therapy Department will be honored along with other President’s Excellence Awards recipients at the Aug. 8 Board of Regents meeting.
“The fundamental mission of the University of Nebraska is to provide outstanding education to our students. The faculty and staff of UNMC’s Physical Therapy Department are answering that call every day,” Kabourek said. “The department has been a pioneer since its earliest days, leading the way in offering high-quality, accessible physical therapy education that meets workforce and healthcare needs across our state.
“We are a healthier and stronger state thanks to the Physical Therapy Department’s commitment to excellence and innovation. I’m honored to publicly celebrate their extraordinary impact on many generations of students and on the well-being of our communities and all Nebraskans.”
Housed within UNMC’s College of Allied Health Professions, the Physical Therapy Department offers a three-year professional curriculum leading to a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. It is the only public program in Nebraska for the professional education of physical therapists, serving a crucial workforce need for the state. The department is currently home to about 15 FTE faculty and 200 students. Last year the department celebrated 50 years of graduates.
The quality of teaching in the department is reflected in student outcomes: A 97 percent licensure exam pass rate for the Class of 2022-23 and a 99 percent graduation rate. More than 60 percent of recent department graduates are employed in Nebraska, many of them in rural areas, helping address a growing demand for physical therapists as the population ages and more job opportunities are created.
The department is committed to serving the entire state, educating future physical therapists at UNMC’s Omaha campus as well as at the Health Science Education Complex on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus, ensuring a strong workforce pipeline for Nebraska’s urban and rural communities alike. The Physical Therapy Department also participates in the Kearney Health Opportunities Program (a partnership with UNK) and the Rural Health Opportunities Program (a partnership with the Nebraska state colleges), pathway programs that encourage students from rural areas to practice in rural Nebraska after they graduate.
Faculty in the department have been leaders in adopting new technologies to enhance their teaching, including simulation experiences that allow students to practice in realistic, hands-on clinical scenarios. The department also supports its students outside the classroom, for example with a ”buddy” program that pairs incoming students with upper-class mentors on their first day of class to ensure they have peer support throughout their course of study.
Additionally, faculty, staff and students in the department are actively engaged in serving the community, participating in programs that provide affordable healthcare to Nebraskans in need, volunteering to offer companionship to Nebraskans with long-term conditions like multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury, and working with UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute to create mobility devices for children with movement limitations.
U.S. News & World Report ranks UNMC’s Physical Therapy Department No. 34 among 279 accredited programs, placing it in the top quartile nationwide and affirming its reputation for excellence.