Integrated Clinical Experiences

To integrate classroom and clinical learning, the MGH Institute DPT program offers authentic and immersive clinical education experiences. Full-time and part-time clinical experiences are integrated throughout the academic curriculum.

Paid Physical Therapy Internships

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of our DPT program is the year-long, full-time, paid clinical internship. The internship follows the completion of our academic program. Internship sites are located within the Boston area and across the country.

Our program was one of the first and remains one of the relatively few in the country that offers this form of an internship as the culminating clinical experience. Given the unique opportunities for long-term professional development offered by the year-long internship process, a number of programs across the nation are developing internships specifically modeled on MGH Institute's concept.

The internship is arranged in cooperation with clinical sites, following interviews and a matching process that includes student and employer feedback. The payment structure model and amount of compensation for the internship is determined by each clinical facility.

Students receive their DPT degree four months into the clinical internship year. They then sit for state licensure and complete the remainder of the year as licensed physical therapists.

Interns make a commitment to the internship facility for the full year. The internship allows our graduates to enter the profession with a strong clinical background so that they can move into a variety of practice settings with solid experience, skill, and confidence.

All students take part in the internship interview and matching process. Students either match and complete a paid year-long internship, or complete the DPT program with a traditional 14-week unpaid clinical experience that ends upon graduation - after which the graduate independently pursues a clinical position.

Physical Therapy Affiliations

Thanks to our clinical education affiliations with high-quality health care systems and clinics in the Boston area and throughout the country, our students enjoy exceptional access to expert clinicians at the health centers that are setting the standards for physical therapy today - many of whom also teach in the classroom and labs.

Our MGB System affiliates include Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Mass General Brigham Home Care. We pride ourselves on keeping the number of relationships relatively small, to facilitate regular collaboration and partnering around education.

Clinical Affiliate Sites

Sites may accept students for part-time integrated placements, for full-time clinical experiences, or for one-year internships. We have sites across MGB, in and outside Boston, New England and across the country. Availability is not guaranteed.

PT Clinical Education Team

caitlin stands in front of a green bush and wears a seafoam colored blazer

Associate Director of Clinical Education Assistant Professor Physical Therapy

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Director of Clinical Education Assistant Professor Physical Therapy

Monica Arrigo, PT, DPT

Instructor Physical Therapy

Hailey Laflin

Clinical Education Placement & Systems Associate Physical Therapy