GW Manual Therapy Club Offers New Learning Opportunities for DPT students

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Hands-on experience is one of the best ways to learn and a new student-sponsored lecture series at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program allows students to do just that.

The series, sponsored by the program’s American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) Manual Therapy Club, featured a presentation in December on regional interdependence by Devin Christman, PT, DPT, OCS. Christman, who’s completing a fellowship for orthopedic manual PT at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, discussed how other areas of the body can refer pain and symptoms to the shoulders, and how treating these areas helps with the shoulder problem. His talk included hands-on demonstration and practice of several techniques that students could utilize with patients. “It was very helpful to see how the various manual techniques were administered and to have time to practice and test out what we just learned,” said Kaitlyn Barnett (DPT ’21).

The AAOMPT club at GW SMHS was started in 2017 by DPT students interested in advancing their hands-on skills.

“The goal of the club is to expose the practice of manual therapy to entry level physical therapists,” said Joseph Signorino, DPT, assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences, who’s the club’s faculty advisor. “This club provides additional didactic and hands-on learning opportunities outside of what students learn in the general curriculum.” Besides weekly meetings, the club also hosts the guest lecture series which is open to all students and faculty members. “I love being in a club that provides an outlet for students interested in this subset of physical therapy practice,” said club co-president Michael Datiles (DPT ’21).

“I look forward to this club continuing to draw more interest into the field of manual therapy and providing all GW DPT students with the opportunity to broaden their scope of knowledge,” added club co-president Megan Culp (DPT ’21). “Guest speakers, such as Dr. Christman, add a unique feature to the club and boost student interest and engagement.” Signorino said the club is always on the lookout for other speakers who are interested in discussing a manual therapy topic.