Complaints

Grievances made by individuals that fall outside of the due process, such as complaints from clinical education sites, employers of graduates, and the public must be submitted in writing to the Program Director. Grievances should be filed within 30 days of the offending incident(s). The written document should include circumstances of the grievance, specific concerns, and a possible resolution. The program will use the following procedures to address any grievances received:

The Program Director (or designee) will:

  1. handle complaints that fall outside of due process.
    1. In the event the Program Director is not available or if it is inappropriate for the Program Director to handle the complaint (e.g., the complaint involves the program director), the complaint will be forwarded to the Dean of the College of Health Professions or the Assistant Program Director or Director of Clinical Education (whomever is most appropriate related to the content of the complaint).
  2. respond to the complainant within 15 business days of receiving the complaint.
  3. consult with other University offices (e.g., Dean of the College of Health Professions, University Legal Counsel, etc.) in addressing the complaint when necessary.
  4. meet individually or jointly with all parties involved to seek resolution.
  5. notify the individual in writing of the decision, including potentially a written corrective action plan.
  6. maintain documentation of the written grievance and any corrective action(s) on file in the password WSU secure server for a period of 5 years, after which any documents will be securely destroyed to maintain confidentiality.

The Program’s external grievance policy is aligned with WSU External Grievance Procedures (Policy 20.20). The WSU General Counsel has been designated as the contact point for any individual who prefers to file a complaint at the university level.

To file a formal complaint with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA, 22305; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.