Why Study Physical Therapy
Additional Information
Have questions? You may call the department at 814-472-3123.
Looking for Graduate Admissions? See Doctor of Physical Therapy
If you would like to work as part of a collaborative healthcare team, in a practice that involves health promotion, prevention, and rehabilitation, then a career in physical therapy might be for you. Physical therapists evaluate and treat patients using a variety of physical therapeutic measures (such as thermal agents and exercise) and education versus medicine or surgery.
Physical therapy is a healthcare profession concerned with the prevention of disability and the restoration of function following disease or injury. The goal of physical therapy is to help patients reach their maximum functional performance potentials while learning to live within the limits of their capabilities.
Physical therapy involves examination, evaluation, treatment interventions, instruction, consultative services, and supervision of support personnel. The therapeutic properties of exercise, heat, cold, electricity, ultrasound, massage, and other rehabilitative procedures are used during treatment. Areas of board certified specialization within physical therapy include cardiopulmonary, electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics, and sports physical therapy.
Degree Options
Academic Requirements
Failure to meet the progression standards will result in dismissal from the major.
- Essential Functions of the Student Physical Therapist - Activities that a student physical therapist must be able to perform in partial fulfillment of the requirements for successful completion of the professional curriculum.
- Progression Standards - All physical therapy majors in the three-year pre-professional curriculum must meet the following academic requirements in order to have a guaranteed seat in the professional curriculum.
Physical Therapy at SFU
Hands-on Study
Our class size is small so you have one-on-one time with the faculty. You also have access to hands-on learning in laboratory and research spaces including a human cadaver lab. You will also practice on state-of-the-art equipment including a motion analysis system and an underwater weighing system.
Academic Experience
Your first three years of pre-professional study will be spent building a strong academic foundation, followed by three years of full-time professional and clinical clinical work.
Accreditation
The Saint Francis University physical therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 706-3245. Saint Francis University physical therapy graduates are eligible to sit for the National Physical Therapy Licensure Examination. Licensure is required to practice
NPTE Pass Rates
Our graduates have excelled on the National Physical Therapist Examination (NPTE). Our graduates have a three-year average first-time pass rate of 92.33%. This quality indicator places our program in the top tier of all accredited programs in the country! By comparison the three-year average first-time pass rate is 87.31% for all Pennsylvania schools of physical therapy and 88.94% for candidates from all U.S. institutions taking the exam for the first time. Find out more details about our NPTE Pass Rates
Career Opportunities
Although a large number of physical therapists work in hospitals, now more than 70 percent can be found in private physical therapy offices, rehabilitation centers, community health centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, corporate or industrial health centers, sports facilities, research institutions, schools, pediatric centers, and colleges and universities.
Our PT students go far. Here are a few of the places our graduates have found employment:
- Center for Rehabilitation Services
- Keystone Rehabilitation Systems
- UPMC Medical center
- Procare Physical Therapy
- Health South Rehabilitation
- NovaCare Rehabilitation
- Allegheny & Chesapeake Physical Therapy