DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY STUDENTS FULFILLING THE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT EXPECTATION OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Ashli J. Taite*; LaTanya M. Pinkney; Millee Jorge School of Physical Therapy, Langston University, Langston, OK UNIQUE: DPT students at Langston University have the unique opportunity to develop and demonstrate social responsibility specific to the profession of physical therapy. The students engage in a clinical integration model within a free-clinic that serves outpatients with neurological disabilities. The clinic was founded by a physical therapist and operates three evenings per week to serve clients with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and other neurological impairments. The physical therapists and other rehabilitation professionals who work in the clinic donate their time, energy, and expertise. DPT students work alongside these indiviuals learning how to fulfill their professional duty of social responsibility. PURPOSE: The purpose of the presentation is to highlight a unique clinical education approach developed to assure that entry-level physical therapists graduating from Langston University with the DPT degree are prepared to fulfill their professional role of being socially responsible. The presentation features physical therapy professionals demonstrating generosity of time, effort, and expertise to those individuals who need physical therapy services but are limited in access due to a variety of reasons. The students learn about social responsibility and directly observe professionals who are socially responsible and provide pro bono care routinely in a free-clinic environment. Students have the opportunity to learn alongside clinical faculty about practice the physical therapy management of individuals with neurological impairments of all ages. FOUNDATION: The Normative Model of Physical Therapist Education describes the Professional Management Practice Expectations for entry-level education. One of the professional practice management expectations is social responsibility. Education programs are responsbile for ensuring that students demonstrate social responsibility. Although there are many ways of educating students about social responsibility, none is more powerful than placing students in a clinical setting where they see the patients, assess their needs, and work alongside professionals determined to support others maximize their human potential. Professional behavior that demonstrates genrosity of time, energy, and resources through pro bono service delivery is a foundation for devloping social responsibility in students. DESCRIPTION: DPT students at Langston University enrolled in the neuromuscular physical therapy courses participate in clinical education integrated experiences at the Rylyn Meacham Center in Oklahoma City. The students are assigned to work alongside clinical physical therapists at the faculty one of the three nights the clinic is open. They rotate their time between the spinal cord clinic and the stroke and traumatic brain injury clinic. The students have the opportunity to apply the physical therapy patient/client management expectations and the professional practice management expectations. The students interact with professionals who serve as role models for professional social responsibility. The students spend two semsters working in the clinic and experience physical therapists provide pro bono services. OBSERVATIONS: DPT student have demonstrated social responsibility. Students report they have benefitted greatly from the clinical education integrated experiences at the Rylyn Meacham Center. They experience the appreciation of the patients, the family, and caregivers. They work alongside therapists and patients to alleviate the strain of the high patient and low therapist ratio. They feel that though the environment may appear hectic, it is a stress-free environment for learning. They recognize the social strain the health care system in the United States places on communities. The students are innovative in their client management and appreciate feedback provided by clients and clinicians alike. The DPT faculty participate in the clinic and observe first-hand the learning in the area of social resonsibility to which the students are exposed. CONCLUSIONS: Educating DPT students in each of the professional practice expectations requires a concenetrated effort in developing social responsibility. The faculty at Langston University has developed a model of clinical education specific to social responsibility while learning about the physical therapy management of individuals with neurological impairments. The students report they are the benficiaries of the pro bono services because they interact with clients and learn to fulfill their professional roles as clinicians, teachers, and citizens. The free-clinic is run and operated by physical therapists and the role models for social responsibility are abundant. FUNDING SOURCE: None KEYWORDS: clinical education, social responsibility, professional management expectations, pro bono services Copyright 2009 by the American Physical Therapy Association. Requests for reprints should be directed to the corresponding author of the article. 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