First 30 Days of Physical Therapy School

Written by Raajan Patel and Sabella Volansky
December 2025

First things first: Breathe. Starting any new chapter is bound to be filled with a mix of contradictory feelings, but it’s best to just take it one exciting moment at a time. As you begin your journey into The Gerald L. Francis Center as a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student, look no further than this blog for a guide into the first 30 days.

Program Structure:

The DPT program is organized in modules instead of semesters, and Module I is purposefully set in place so new students can get their bearings and adjust to life in graduate school. The entire module is one month, which allows for time to ease into the program and get used to the style of classes and the rigor. This module is all about the basics of being a socially conscious, well-rounded therapist, with a little bit of content from other classes like Anatomy mixed in.

You will get to meet so many different professors, they’ll do nothing but get you excited about what is coming and make you feel comfortable in your new home. Classes about learning styles, about treating patients holistically, and about physical therapy (PT) as a profession kick off your student physical therapist (SPT) career.

Unique Things About Elon’s DPT Program:

Elon DPT has a smaller cohort size to most programs in the area and throughout the nation. All professors genuinely want to get to know you and will take time to learn everyone’s name, sometimes before you even have class with them. Most, if not all, staff in the DPT office have an open-door policy, and it’s unlike anything students from larger undergraduate schools would have experienced.

If you want more clinical experience, joining a treatment team at the HOPE clinic is a wonderful opportunity. The HOPE clinic is a DPT student-managed pro bono clinic and joining a treatment team early is highly encouraged. Teams with a mix of first-year, second-year and third-year students monitored by a clinician is a great chance to learn from peers in and help the community.

DPT Anatomy starts right off the bat, and there are some special things to consider: Elon has a wonderful and ethical Anatomical Gift Program, and the professors are very conscious of different students’ comfort levels with Anatomy Lab–especially for those who may not have experience. Reading the assigned books before or during the module will help prepare you, and anyone would be willing to talk through any anxiety or other feelings associated with the Lab, including the professors.

Fun Class Activities You Might Encounter:

Another thing you will experience in your first module is a “Standardized Patient” event. Standardized Patients are actors brought in specifically for you to practice skills in a setting that simulates a patient environment. These events can be super nerve-wracking but breathe through them and trust yourself. It’s an opportunity to learn and practice skills on people other than your classmates.

Two words…Wheelchair Assignment. In your first month, you will experience 48 hours (a day of class and a day in the community) in a wheelchair. Through this assignment, you will gain perspectives on how society provides or comes short of providing ramps and automated doors for wheelchair users in the community. This experience is no joke, and may make some students feel uncomfortable, but it can make you far more familiar with wheelchair maneuvers and etiquette that will make you a more inclusive provider.

Get Social!

These first thirty days are also a time to get to know your classmates, as you will have the same schedule and classes as them for most of your time in school. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and take advantage of opportunities to engage with your cohort and become connected. Getting to know people early on is so important because later in the year, you will be practicing skills on each other where comfort and trust are needed. Consider branching out in groupwork that you have early in the module or hanging around the Francis Center during lunch.

How do YOU Learn?

Knowing your cohort can also help you learn about your study habits. The first module is lower stakes and is not as content-heavy, so you can take time to learn about yourself and how you study best. Try different things: try studying in the morning, try studying in a group, use the Pomodoro Technique, see if flashcards work for you, and talk to your classmates about what works for them. This is the time to experiment and rediscover how you learn. You may also want to find out your learning strengths by taking this Learning Styles quiz. When you find out your learning preferences, think about working with people of the same and different learning styles as you. A visual learner may benefit from seeing a tactile learner do a skill, for example. Find people that you work well with and have a mix of learning and fun with every study session.

Finding new places to study can also be a refreshing change. There are many different classrooms and study rooms throughout the Francis Center, but it is also worth venturing onto Central Campus and exploring different spaces to get work done.

Something unique about PT school as well is that studying is not always by-the-book. You can’t learn everything there is to know about PT in the silence of your bedroom with a textbook. You need to practice specific skills, and you need to practice language. You could know everything on the face of the planet, but you need to be able to explain it in terms anyone could understand without unnecessarily scaring a patient by using words like “damage” or “fall”. These words sometimes come out without thinking, so scheduling time to practice in the way you would want to perform as a PT in the clinic is just as important as setting time aside to review content.

Taking Care of Yourself:

During your time as a DPT student, it’s also important to remember that you are more than a student. Take time for yourself to take breaks and do things other than studying. Try out new hobbies, take a look at events or clubs on campus that are available to you and try something new. You can’t be expected to take care of clients or patients if you’re not taking care of yourself. Make sure to sleep, eat, and move your body. Remember to practice self-care and listen to what your body needs. For additional recommendations and strategies, check out the Defining Thriving blog.

All in all, remember that PT school is a fun, incredible overload of information, and a time to grow as a person, so absorb all of it and take every day as a chance to learn something new. There is support all around the Health Sciences building so use it!

If you have questions about any of the topics below or the DPT program, feel free to contact us!

Sabella Volansky, DPT class of 2027, svolansky@elon.edu
Raaj Patel, DPT class of 2027, rpatel43@elon.edu