DPT 742 Health Promotion, Wellness, and Advocacy
This course provides students with an overview of health promotion issues across the continuum from the individual to the community to the global stage. Beginning with an emphasis on the fundamental role of the physical therapist within the continuum, the course focuses on the leading health indicators and domains that have the greatest influence on the health of individuals and communities. A variety of theoretical frameworks will be explored to provide the foundation for developing strategies to identify current health information and promotion issues, identify and challenge paradigms related to health and healing, and facilitate changes in behavior that lead to more effective patient-practitioner collaborative relationships and improve patient health and outcomes. Combined with a service-learning component, the goal is to establish a foundation of knowledge and experience designed to enhance the role of physical therapists as health care providers in the realm of health promotion and wellness-centered care for individuals and communities, as a complement to their role in the more traditional realm of restorative care.
In addition to classroom discussion and learning, students also design and participate in service-learning projects with community partners, organized through the Stephen D. London Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice here at Simmons. This experience provides students with the opportunity to apply health promotion/wellness concepts, theories, philosophies, and research to help meet the health needs and missions of various populations and community organizations.
Prerequisite
None