DPTE Professional Pledge Ceremony

The Professional Pledge Ceremony is a tradition created by students to welcome new DPT students into the Elon family and into the profession of physical therapy, bound by a shared understanding of professionalism. During the ceremony, students join in reciting the pledge and sign their names to the pledge book, dedicating themselves to the highest standards of caring and excellence in practice as physical therapists. The book is a permanent artifact held in the School of Health Sciences.

Elon’s physical therapy pledge represents the collaborative efforts of students and faculty and integrates central themes from Elon’s School of Health Sciences vision statement and the APTA’s core values. It is meant to help guide students through their time as physical therapy students and reflects the hopes the Elon Department of Physical Therapy Education has for students as they grow to become therapists.

ELON UNIVERSITY

PHYSICAL THERAPY PLEDGE

In the presence of my colleagues and teachers, and in view of the honored profession into which I am entering, I solemnly and willingly dedicate myself to the following:

•     I will practice physical therapy with compassion for each of my patients and clients, preserving their dignity and promoting their health and well-being.

•     I will place the welfare of my patients and clients above my own self-interests.

•     I will respect the needs and desires of my patients, helping them achieve goals that are meaningful to their lives.

•     I will be honest and trustworthy.

•     I will exercise sound judgment based on best clinical evidence, ethical and legal obligations, and honest self-reflection.

•     I will respect human differences and will strive to remove all personal and cultural bias from my professional judgment and practice.

•     I will be humble, recognizing my limitations and seeking expertise from others when it will advance the welfare of my clients and patients.

•     I will respect the vulnerabilities of my patients and speak for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

•     I will care for myself so that I can care effectively for others.

•     I will work to improve the practice of physical therapy so that all who seek it will receive treatment that is effective, ethical, and just.

Thus, with this pledge, I freely accept the obligations and rewards which accompany the practice of physical therapy.