Complaints
Complaints Outside Due Process
The Physical Therapy program encourages those with a legitimate relationship to the program (e.g. prospective and enrolled students, clinical education sites, employers of graduates, the general public), to express their concerns to, or file a written complaint against, the Program. The Program takes all program-related complaints seriously and will act upon any complaints in an expedient, consistent manner without retaliating against the complainant(s).
This policy exists to address complaints about the program not overtly addressed by existing policies and procedures. Where an existing University or Program policiy or procedure conflicts with a provision of this policy, the University or program policy shall prevail.
To read the entire policy and procedure for filing a complaint that falls outside due process, click here.
File a Complaint with CAPTE
CAPTE has a mechanism to consider formal complaints about physical therapy education programs (PT or PTA) that allege a program is not in compliance with one or more of CAPTE's Evaluative Criteria (for complaints about events occurring before December 31, 2015) or the Standards and Required Elements (for complaints addressing events occurring January 1, 2016 and thereafter) or has violated any of CAPTE's expectations related to academic integrity. CAPTE will consider two types of complaints: those that involve situations subject to formal institution/program due process policies and procedures and those that involve situations not subject to formal due process procedures. In order for CAPTE to consider a formal complaint, several conditions must be met.
The complaint must be specifically linked to the relevant Evaluative Criteria (or Standards and Elements, as appropriate) (PT or PTA) or to the integrity statements.
The complainant must have exhausted all remedies available through the institution, if appropriate.
The complaint must be submitted in writing, using the format prescribed by CAPTE, and must be signed by the complainant. The event(s) being complained about must have occurred at least in part within three (3) years of the date the complaint is filed. To obtain the materials necessary for submitting a complaint, contact the APTA Accreditation Department at 703/706-3245 or at [email protected].
For additional information, please visit: http://www.capteonline.org/Complaints/
Effective April 25, 2023, Colorado Mesa University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: [email protected]). If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 970-248-2266 or email [email protected].
Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.
Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website).