The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
In partnership with Alamance Regional Medical Center, Elon’s Department of Physical Therapy Education enrolled its charter class for the Master of Physical Therapy (M.P.T.) program in January 1998.
In January 2003, the MPT was replaced by a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Elon’s DPT program seeks to produce graduates who will be highly skilled clinician generalists. Graduates will exemplify compassion for individuals of every age, means and ethnicity, and they will be well prepared for leadership, possessing professional integrity as they become part of the health care team.
Alamance Regional’s values mirror those of Elon University: excellence, compassion, efficiency, creativity and leadership. The partnership with Cone Health-Alamance Regional Medical Center provides continuing professional growth for physical therapy faculty.
The Department of Physical Therapy Education was created to extend Elon’s mission of excellence to a new arena of professional education. It offers students an opportunity to prepare for multifaceted roles in the physical therapy profession.
The educational philosophy of the DPT program emphasizes preparation for the continuum of care essential to the well-being of the individual client. The faculty incorporate teaching/ learning strategies appropriate for the more mature learner, utilizing current communication and computer technology. The program encourages critical thinking, active learning, strong clinical experiences and an evidence-based approach to treatment interventions.
Graduates will be prepared as clinician generalists to provide services throughout the broad spectrum of care, including intensive care, acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient care, home care and skilled nursing. Physical therapists work as members of the health care team, and they function as a point of entry into the health care system.
Elon University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum, in partnership with Cone Health-Alamance Regional, provides graduate professional physical therapy education and supports faculty and student scholarly activity. Solid principles of science and research are incorporated using the highest ethical standards, while looking toward the future of the profession and its role in all health care delivery systems along the continuum of care.
By pursuing this educational mission with integrity and the desire for excellence, the DPT Program will prepare physical therapists who reflect this vision of the profession as espoused by the American Physical Therapy Association:
• Graduates are Doctors of Physical Therapy with enhanced professional identity who are prepared for interdependent practice and direct access to consumers of health care, prevention and wellness services.
• Graduates are recognized by consumers as health care professionals for the diagnosis, management and prevention of movement-related impairments, functional limitations and disabilities.
• Graduates have a commitment to provide comprehensive and accessible health programs for all people with dignity, respect and sensitivity to and appreciation of individual differences.
• Graduates are motivated and guided by the desire for excellence and the highest possible professional, scientific, ethical, legal and moral standards.
• Graduates render evidence-based physical therapy services to consumers and are committed to lifelong learning through continuing professional education and by pursuing professional growth, development and advancement.
• Graduates are leaders and mentors in the physical therapy profession and promote the profession through their support and involvement in professional organizations, including the American Physical Therapy Association and community groups.