Creighton News
Creighton’s new sports physical therapy is lauded by new grads
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Athletes are often in need of physical therapy.
And graduates of Creighton’s sports specialization program are there for them.
The sports specialization track within the Doctor of Physical Therapy program addresses the acute management and clinical management of sports-related injuries, referral and return-to-activity decisions, injury prevention and performance enhancement.
It is available to any student in good academic standing during the fourth semester of the DPT program.
Creighton University has long stood at the cutting edge of physical therapy education nationwide. In 1993, Creighton improved the landscape of physical therapy training by creating the nation’s first Doctor of Physical Therapy program, a standard now followed by every PT program in the nation.
Three recent graduates from the program talked about how it was the perfect path to working in sports.
I knew coming in that I wanted to work in the sports setting, and being part of the sports track gave me a chance to focus on the material that was the most interesting and relevant to me.
— Alex Harms
Alex Harms
Alex Harms, PT, DPT, CSCS, USAW, knew from the beginning of his Creighton academic career that he wanted to work in a sports setting.
Creighton's newly created sports specialization track proved the perfect vehicle to fulfill his ambition.
Having followed the sports track to its conclusion, Harms is now part of the sports physical therapy program at Children’s Hospital in Omaha.
“The sports track was easily one of my favorite parts of PT school,” he says. “I knew coming in that I wanted to work in the sports setting, and being part of the sports track gave me a chance to focus on the material that was the most interesting and relevant to me.”
It proved a practical and active course, Harms says.
“It was a taste of sports residency,” he says. “We spent time taping ankles, collaborating with the strength and conditioning and athletic training staff at Creighton, and we discussed sport-specific case studies, which, it turns out, are a big part of residency interviews.”
In addition to the hands-on training, Harms says, the academic training proved extensive and valuable.
“Without sports track I would not have been introduced to some of the most recognizable names in the field of sports physical therapy,” he said. “We were given lectures by several prominent sports/ortho practitioners, which made it easier to make professional connections than I would have been able to on my own.
“I ended up landing the job that I wanted right out of school thanks to some connections that I developed through the sports track and Terry Grindstaff (associate professor of physical therapy). Overall, I loved my time in the sports track and can’t wait to see how it grows and develops.”
Paige Swanson
Paige Swanson, DPT, achieved an academic first in 2022 when she graduated from Creighton University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program with two specialty tracks.
As a result, she landed a sports residency at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, which is considered one of the best hospitals for children and women in the world and is currently ranked the #2 pediatric hospital in the United States in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Swanson attributes her strong landing to the specialty tracks available to students enrolled in Creighton’s nationally prominent Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
“I was the first student to graduate with both of the newly founded sports and research specialty tracks, which were created for students who are ambitious, eager to learn additional information not covered in the curriculum and have an interest in pursuing these specialties upon graduation,” Swanson says. “I have benefited immensely from the unique on-field coverage experience and networking opportunities provided for me.
“I can say without a doubt that the connections I made through these specialized tracks helped propel me into the sports residency I am currently completing at one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country, Texas Children’s Hospital.”
Creighton’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program currently offers three specialization tracks during the program’s eight semesters distributed over three years. Each of these tracks functions much like a minor does to a major, allowing students to gain knowledge and practical experiences in specialty areas of physical therapy beyond the required entry-level curriculum and opening pathways to advanced career opportunities or residency education.
Connor Chambers
Time flies, as any university undergraduate knows, so packing as much as possible into eight fleeting semesters is a chief goal of Creighton University’s sports physical therapy specialization track.
Creighton’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program currently offers three specialization tracks during the program’s eight semesters distributed over three years. Each of these tracks functions much like a minor does to a major, allowing students to gain knowledge and practical experiences in specialty areas of physical therapy beyond the required entry-level curriculum and opening pathways to advanced career opportunities or residency education.
Connor Chambers, PT, DPT, CSCS, a member of the first class to receive the sports specialty designation, graduated from Creighton in 2022 with a doctorate in physical therapy. He is currently employed with Lincoln Orthopedic Physical Therapy in Lincoln, Nebraska. A native of Yankton, South Dakota, and a competitive weightlifter, Chambers says the sports specialty track was “exactly what I was looking for during graduate education.”
“First, this program helped me grow my critical thinking skills and my process for clinical decision making,” he says. “Terry Grindstaff (associate professor of physical therapy) was a wonderful mentor and did a great job challenging our thought processes and our own biases.
“Secondly, the program offered practical applications specific to sports physical therapy. We learned how to implement strength and conditioning principles related to return-to-sport rehab and how to use objective measures to assess strength, rate of force development, and implement return-to-sport criteria
“The critical thinking skills and the practical applications of the sports specialty track were foundational in my formal education and to my practice today.”
