Preparing for the DPT Clinical Education Experience at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Hybrid student Amanda Klein

Second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Hybrid student Amanda Klein from Spokane, WA, has started her third of four clinical education placements in the DPT program this summer. Klein, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was awarded a special clinical education placement at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, and is writing a short blog series about her experience. Her insight is valuable to any student preparing for their clinical education placement, whether in another city or in their hometown!

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Pitt DPT Clinical Education Placements

The University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program boasts 42 weeks of full-time clinical education experiences for all students: two six-week clinical education experiences occur during the first year and one 30-week, or two 15-week, terminal clinical education experiences occur in the second year. These terminal clinical education experiences are an opportunity to continue the progression toward being an entry level clinician who is prepared to practice in a variety of settings while also providing exposure to some specialty practice settings that may be of interest, such as sports rehabilitation, geriatrics, women’s health and pediatrics. The Department of Physical Therapy has dedicated faculty who coordinate with hospitals and clinics around the country to provide both hybrid and residential DPT students with diverse opportunities in clinical education within their community or with other select national partners.

While all of these clinical education rotations are excellent places to learn and apply skills and explore the variety of clinical practice settings that the physical therapy profession has to offer, some clinical partners have an application process to select students who have the background, experience and interest in their specialty setting.

View of Spokane River

View of the Spokane River back home

The Specialty Placement at Walter Reed

I am a U.S. Air Force veteran so a clinical education experience at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) is an honor I’m lucky enough to experience and share with prospective students. I’ll be writing a series of blog posts detailing my day-to-day experiences, some requirements and a reflection on the experience when I finish. I’ll be spending 15 weeks in Bethesda, MD, at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence adjacent to the Walter Reed facility, working with patients with vestibular disorders, traumatic brain injuries and more. I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.

My husband Zack and dog Maia at Coeur D’Alene Lake

My husband Zack and dog Maia at Coeur D’Alene Lake

I initially applied for the clinical education position at Walter Reed on a whim in March of 2022 during my first year in the program and received my acceptance that June. The application process is very easy, but there are some pre-requisites, the biggest of which is being either active duty military, a veteran or a dependent of an active duty servicemember. That’s not to say that a civilian can’t apply, but your chances of acceptance are lower. After the application is complete, the Pitt Physical Therapy clinical education team selects the application that is sent to WRNMMC, which makes the final choice. This clinical education experience is highly competitive, especially since Walter Reed only accepts one application per program.

Missing my dog, Maia!

Missing my dog, Maia!

The Logistics of Moving to a New City

So, you got your spot; now what? Get ready to move! It’s important to understand that when the clinical education position is away from your hometown then housing, transportation and food are all your responsibility while you are there. Another thing to consider is parking – currently Walter Reed doesn’t have parking available to students at the moment. If you’re like me and live on the opposite side of the country, finding a place to live can be tough. For example, leasing agents won’t start seriously considering applicants until they’re around 30 days out from their move in day.

I browsed apartment finders, furnished finder, Airbnb and Facebook groups until I found options that seemed like a good fit. I was able to find a one-bedroom basement apartment a mile away from the hospital. I’ll be bringing my bicycle with me as a means of transportation, and I was lucky enough to find a place that has an in-unit washer and dryer and a full-size fridge. Shopping around is important to find something that meets your needs. After that, you’ll have to figure out what to bring, where to shop, where to work out, what adventures you want to go on and budget appropriately.

One last note is that in-processing takes some legwork, and there are a lot of extra steps like online training, fingerprints and federal background checks, so be prepared far in advance so that nothing can hold up your start date!

Ready for What’s Next

Overall, I’m really excited for this rotation to learn more about traumatic brain injury and vestibular care in an outpatient setting. I’m interested in that area of practice so I’m hopeful that having this rotation under my belt will set me up really well for the future.

The DC airport welcoming me to my new (temporary) home