Caden Prahl, a second-year DPT student, works with a patient at the clinic under the guidance of Clinical Associate Professor Chris Durall. (Courtesy UWSP)

UWSP physical therapy clinic offers free services, hands-on student training

May 4, 2025

By Patrick Lynn

STEVENS POINT – A partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the Stevens Point Area YMCA is providing free physical therapy consultations to the public while giving graduate students hands-on training in a clinical setting.

The UWSP Physical Therapy Clinic, located at the YMCA, is staffed by first- and second-year students in the university’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program as part of their Integrated Clinical Practice course sequence. The program begins at the start of the two-and-a-half-year curriculum and continues until students begin full-time internships.

“We start our students’ in clinical experiences right away,” said Chris Durall, a clinical associate professor in UWSP’s DPT program. “In the very first semester of the program, students are working with patients and attending to their needs. As their education progresses, the students continue to apply their classroom learning in a clinical context.”

The clinic operates from noon to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with each session staffed by six students—three from each year—rotating through roles including physical therapist, assistant and administrator. A UWSP DPT instructor or a volunteer licensed physical therapist supervises each session.

Durall, who joined UWSP in 2021 to help establish the DPT program, said the clinic began in a campus classroom but transitioned to the YMCA due to space and parking limitations.

“The program approached the YMCA about using space there and they’ve been very accommodating,” Durall said. “We are providing a service for under or uninsured community members, but we also see insured patients and help them connect with another local PT provider if needed. We want to help our clinical partners in the community.”

First-year student Ben Hoeger, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, works at the clinic on Wednesdays. He said the experience is a challenging but rewarding opportunity to grow professionally.

“It’s a bit of a trial by fire,” he said. “We encounter different scenarios that apply our learning to real life situations. Our professors are exceptional, allowing us to try with safeguards in place. They assure patient safety but also allow us to apply our learning and take a leadership role.”

Hoeger said he chose UWSP’s program for its focus on serving rural communities, which aligns with his goal to bring therapy services to underserved areas.

Second-year student Caden Prahl, of Iola, earned his undergraduate degree in health science at UWSP. He was inspired to pursue a career in physical therapy after receiving treatment for knee and shoulder injuries in high school.

“The clinical experience at the YMCA has allowed me to practice my interpersonal and manual therapy skills, think on the fly, prescribe exercise plans, as well as everything else that comes along with being a student physical therapist,” Prahl said.

He credited Durall as a valuable mentor.

“From great conversations about clinical practice on the walks over to the YMCA, to our mid-examination talks about what the next steps could be with individual patients, Dr. Durall has been extremely supportive of our learning,” he said.

Durall, who plans to retire in August, said the highlight of his career has been working with students in both the classroom and clinical settings.

“Seeing them develop into professionals over time and seeing their growth during patient interactions as they pull their training together is very gratifying,” he said. “I’m fortunate to be able to share what I’ve learned, and also to learn from them.”

Appointments at the UWSP Physical Therapy Clinic at the Stevens Point Area YMCA can be scheduled at www.uwsp.edu/ptclinic, by emailing [email protected] or calling 715-346-2115.