Mission of the Department
We believe in the right of each individual to have ready access to health care. We endorse promotion of health, preventative health care, and rehabilitation as major roles in physical therapy. We believe in the human right of each patient, student, and faculty member to access the best evidence based practice as a reflection of academic and clinical truth.
We believe that the search for the best evidence based practice should occur in an environment that fosters growth of the individual, personally and professionally. We believe that learning is a life-long, on-going activity and we strive to instill in the students responsibility for their own education. We support the faculty in teaching the knowledge and skills necessary for entry into the physical therapy profession using techniques that stimulate intellectual development. We support the sharing of ideas, values, and philosophies between patients, students, and faculty. We seek to provide an environment for the achievement of quality in human actions and the attainment of self-actualization.
Scientific research is recognized as an absolute necessity in our profession to give credence to the content of physical therapy and to provide the best evidence for clinically based practice. The responsibility for advancing professional knowledge through research and creative endeavors should permeate faculty activities and attitudes in such a manner that it is conveyed to the entry-level and post-professional students through daily classroom and clinical activities.
We support the profession of physical therapy through involvement in its professional organizations. We believe in serving as guardians; observing, contributing, and shaping the growth of the profession in its organizational, legislative and societal responsibilities. We strongly advocate faculty and student participation in patient care, inclusive of pro bono services, and as contributing members of the health care team. Through serving as role models, the didactic and clinical faculties strive to help students develop these values and to nurture their desires to be contributing members of society.
