For Immediate Release

Contact: John M. Martino
Phone Number:  (215) 895-1186
Date: 06/10/03

USP Introduces Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree

As the life expectancy for Americans reaches new highs, the need for physical therapists to care for the elderly and other physically challenged individuals will increase as well. If you imagine yourself making a difference as a physical therapist, then University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP) will help you realize your ambitions in this exciting and rewarding field through a new six-year integrated undergraduate-professional graduate degree program leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree.

If you enter the professional phase of the program, you will earn a bachelor in health science degree in your fourth year of study and a doctorate degree at the end of your sixth year. On average, you will spend 22 hours per week in class. A thesis is not required, but you may elect to participate in a research project with members of the faculty. You will learn from faculty members who have a variety of clinical expertise in specialized areas of physical therapy.

You will have an opportunity to learn the world of physical therapy up close through several service learning and volunteer clinical experiences. Most of the full-time clinical rotations will take place within 100 miles of Philadelphia, but students receive training outside of this geographical area. The rotations include experiences in general hospitals, acute care settings, rehabilitation centers, and special interest facilities (e.g., pediatrics, sports medicine). Students in the professional phase of the program also rotate through the USP-Mercy Pro Bono Clinic, a community-based clinic, serving patients who lack medical insurance. Through these invaluable experiences, you'll learn how to provide care to your patients, help restore their function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities from injuries or disease.

USP’s physical therapy program prepares you for a life and a career as a physical therapist, where you continually strive to restore, maintain, and promote overall fitness and health in your patients. After receiving your DPT from USP, you will be able to:

• Conduct prenatal exercise classes.
• Work with athletes from high school, college, and even professional teams.
• Analyze work settings and recommend changes to reduce work-related injury.
• Develop exercise programs for people with chronic conditions such as spinal cord injury.
• Screen older adults for potential risk of injury.
• Work with accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions such as low back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, head injuries, and cerebral palsy.

In just six years, you will have an advantage over many graduating physical therapists. Imagine applying for a job with a DPT under your belt. And since your degree is from USP, employers will know you are well educated and experienced. One hundred percent of USP’s recent graduates were employed within weeks of graduation.

So there’s no time to wait. Your first step towards a promising and fulfilling physical therapy career should begin with USP.

To learn more about the Physical Therapy program at USP, contact 1-888-996-USIP (8747) or e-mail admit@usip.edu.

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