HIGH POINT, N.C., July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Students in High Point University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program will be the first in the nation to be trained and equipped to perform diagnostic ultrasound imaging during their clinical experiences, thanks to a nearly $77,000 HPU Think BIG grant.
The Think BIG ultrasound imaging initiative is being led by three physical therapy faculty members — Dr. Nathan Savage, Dr. Kimmery Migel and Dr. Becca Medendorp. As part of this initiative, second-year DPT students learned diagnostic ultrasound imaging during a lab-based, interactive workshop on June 23 and 25. It was the first time that such a seminar course was taught at HPU.
Students will integrate training in ultrasound imaging across their coursework, laboratory experiences and clinical education, helping prepare them for the evolving demands of contemporary physical therapist practice. Ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves to create images of the inside of the body to help health care providers diagnose and treat conditions.
“This has never been done in Doctor of Physical Therapy education,” Savage said. “Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is viewed as an advanced skill that’s not taught or required by our accrediting body. We will be certainly the first in the United States, and we think the first in the world, to have DPT students going to the clinic with ultrasound devices to scan patients.”
The Think BIG funding will enable the DPT program to acquire portable ultrasound imaging technology and provide necessary training, creating lasting value for students and strengthening the distinction of HPU’s program.
Approximately 30-40 DPT students in each cohort are expected to complete ultrasound imaging training each year. Training is also open to graduate physician assistant and athletic training students, as well as undergraduate exercise science and health and wellness students. Each student will be reviewed by a third-party ultrasound imaging agency for certification, which provides graduates with another marketable skill and increased opportunities for employment.
Quinn Hopkins, a second-year DPT student who wants to work in professional sports, said ultrasound imaging adds value for diagnostics or treatment. Because of his experience working a rotation with the Minnesota Vikings, he witnessed the NFL using ultrasound imaging to help diagnose and treat injured players.
“It’s the cutting-edge of physical therapy practice and will be more heavily leaned on in clinical practice,” said Hopkins, who is from Durham, North Carolina. “It’s another tool that you can have in your bag. As far as being trained in musculoskeletal ultrasound, this gives you a one-up on students from other universities. I’m a student who is trying to attend a sports residency after graduation from High Point University. This, among other things that HPU offers, is unique. Students at other universities don’t have the option to go on rotation with a tool like this and learn how to use it in practice.”
Hopkins expects other DPT schools to add ultrasound imaging to future curriculums. “We’re a few steps ahead of that,” he said.
If a physical therapist suspects a patient has torn a tendon or ligament, ultrasound imaging takes away the guesswork and provides proof, said Isaac Jaloszynski, a second-year DPT student.
“It’s a super valuable tool, and I think clinical practice is leaning toward incorporating it more,” said Jaloszynski, who is from Middletown, New York. “It’s on the cutting edge of what the physical therapy profession is moving toward. I think this would be a valuable tool to offer in private practice. It allows you to be more accurate with your diagnoses and to make more revenue.”
Jaloszynski, who wants to open his own private practice, thinks an ultrasound imaging certification will add a negotiable skill and immediately increase the value of new graduates to employers and patients.
“It helps your patients; it helps you and it helps whatever business you end up working for,” he said. “It’s just another way to set yourself apart.”
The ultrasound imaging training reinforces DPT students’ knowledge of anatomy, tissue structures and tissue healing in real time, Medendorp said. Without this skill, physical therapists normally refer patients to other providers who may order a CT scan or an MRI, she said.
“It can elevate our ability to differentially diagnose,” Medendorp said. “As a doctoring profession, this is within our scope of practice in many states. It’s just not used. We’re stepping into a space that’s not defined as whether it’s a physician or PA or PT who must do ultrasound imaging. We’re saying, ‘Why not us?’ You don’t want to have to go to three different providers to figure out you have a torn ligament when you can go to one provider, who can help expedite that process and have documented images that a physician or surgeon can review.”
- HPU Ultrasound 1
- HPU Ultrasound 2