Clinical Education
Thank you for your interest in learning more about physiotherapy clinical education at the University of Toronto. The Department of Physical Therapy has a vibrant clinical education program with many opportunities for students to engage with the clinical community.
If you have any questions about clinical education, please email us at ptclined@utoronto.ca.
Clinical Education Requirements for the MScPT Program
Each student is required to complete 30 weeks of approved full-time clinical practice as well as Active Clinical Exposure (ACE) sessions throughout the curriculum.
Students will complete 5 six-week internships throughout the program. The number and length of internships have been selected to provide students with an opportunity to develop skills at the various stages of their education, while allowing adequate opportunity for exposure to different areas of physical therapy practice.
Students must complete an internship in each setting along the continuum:
- acute care,
- rehab, and
- the community (e.g., out-patient practice).
In addition, students must accumulate a minimum of 100 hours in each of these areas:
- cardiorespiratory practice,
- neurological practice, and
- musculoskeletal practice.
Students must also demonstrate that they have had sufficient geriatric experience across their clinical internships.
Students may also have the opportunity to do a project, administration, or research-based internship within the program. These are unique opportunities to provide students with a broader sense of the possibilities of working in physiotherapy and healthcare.
Students are required to keep a record of their internship experiences on the Clinical
Experience Record Forms and it is the students’ responsibility to record the caseload variety experienced during internships.
Clinical Education Requirements for the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program (OIEPB)
For a full description of clinical requirements in the OIEPB program, please visit PROGRAM DESCRIPTION – University of Toronto Physical Therapy Department (utoronto.ca).
MScPT Internship Schedule and Descriptions
Internship Schedule
Internship dates and mapping of the MScPT curriculum can be found by clicking these class links: Class of 2025 and Class of 2026. You can also download the 2025 calendar year internship schedule and course descriptions
Internship Descriptions
Students will be required to spend six full-time weeks in approved Physical Therapy sites coordinated by the Director of Clinical Education and the Academic Co-leads of Clinical Education.
Upon successful completion of all previous components, students have the opportunity to integrate the theory and science into the practice of Physical Therapy.
OIEPB Program Internship and Descriptions
Please visit the OIEPB’s program website for more information about clinical internship and curriculum dates in addition to internship descriptions.
Active Clinical Exposure (ACE) Sessions
ACE sessions provide students with early exposure and opportunities to observe how theory and practice are aligned and participate in physiotherapy clinical care in a variety of clinical and healthcare settings. The objective of these sessions is to expose students to a variety of client/patient populations and healthcare environments with minimal alterations to the physiotherapist’s schedule or caseload.
ACE sessions are typically in-person learning opportunities that require students to be actively engaged in the session through direct interaction with patients and/or a health professional (e.g., physical therapist or healthcare team member).
Catchment Area
The clinical catchment boundary falls within Barrie in the north, Pickering in the east, and Oakville on the west.
Image courtesy of Google Maps
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.109005,-78.5884714,8.5z?entry=ttu
Handbook for Clinical Supervision
The Handbook for Clinical Supervision provides clinical sites with information about the Department of Physical Therapy, the MScPT and OIEPB Program curriculum and clinical internships; policies and procedures governing Physical Therapy clinical practice, roles and responsibilities; hosting students in the clinical environment; and various forms used in clinical education assessment.