Mission, Vision and Goals

The DPT program has been designed in consideration of the Lewis University Mission and the distinctive values that shape it. The program’s admission criteria will allow for unparalleled access by a diverse student body, including gender and ethnic diversity, so that the DPT program can prepare healthcare providers who are as diverse as the clients they serve. The program vision embraces the value of association, and the importance of partnering with fellow practitioners and with PT clients to deliver person-centered services. The program mission resonates with the Lewis values of fidelity, wisdom and justice as faculty seek to prepare transformative, culturally informed, and socially responsible clinicians. The vision, mission, and goals of the DPT program at Lewis University are as follows:

Vision

Lewis physical therapists will work hand in hand with families, caregivers, educators, and health care providers to offer compassionate, holistic care to people with movement disorders and functional disabilities. Upholding the dignity of all people, they will enhance their ability to move, function, and work in association with one another.

Mission

Guided by its Catholic and Lasallian heritage, the mission of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is to develop Doctors of Physical Therapy who will optimize movement and function across the lifespan in diverse populations, communities, and individuals through innovation and integration of education, scholarly activities, service, and clinical care. Students will become reflective, ethical, culturally informed, socially responsible, and innovative clinicians who will lead and work collaboratively in the ever-evolving health care field. The tagline for the DPT program states, “Using Movement to Improve the Human Experience.”

Program Goals

  1. The program will produce autonomous practitioners who are movement specialists in the field of physical therapy using an innovative curriculum.
  2. The program will show a commitment to the profession of physical therapy through service, leadership, scholarly activities, and advocacy.
  3. The program will achieve and maintain accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

Student Goals

  1. Students will provide services to medically underserved individuals who have experienced declines in physical function and health status.
  2. Students will participate in interprofessional education learning experiences to gain an awareness of interprofessional practice/work.
  3. Students will participate in an innovative/scholarly product over the course of their matriculation.

Graduate Goals

  1. Graduates will be prepared for entry-level employment as licensed physical therapists.
  2. Graduates will function as productive members of interprofessional healthcare teams.
  3. Graduates will possess effective analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, which they apply in clinical and professional situations as scholar practitioners.
  4. Graduates will demonstrate professional behaviors and social responsibility through advocacy for their profession and their patients/clients.
  5. Graduates will provide effective and holistic healthcare to diverse populations in an ethical, culturally appropriate, and compassionate manner.

Faculty Goals

  1. The faculty will teach in their area of content expertise.
  2. Program faculty will engage in the pursuit of continuous professional development through scholarly activities and the promotion of evidence-based practice.
  3. The faculty will participate in activities related to service to the university, the profession, and the community.

Accreditation

Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.

Lewis University is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on May 1, 2024. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.