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Physical Therapy

    Doctor of Physical Therapy
    Erie, Pennsylvania

Program Overview

Physical Therapy is a health care profession that primarily focuses on the preservation, development, and restoration of optimal human movement and function. Physical therapists provide evaluative, rehabilitative, and preventive health care services designed to alleviate pain; prevent the onset and progression of impairment, functional limitation, disability resulting from injury, disease, or other causes; and restore, maintain and promote overall fitness, health and optimal quality of life. Physical therapists work with individuals of all ages who demonstrate movement dysfunction, or the potential for such dysfunction, of the neurological, musculoskeletal, integumentary, and cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.

Physical therapists practice in a hospital setting, or provide services in out-of-hospital settings through home health agencies, in nursing homes, in industrial settings, through public health agencies, in private physical therapy clinics, in public schools and in a variety of other nontraditional settings.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at ÌÇÐÄVLOGÍøÒ³°æ in Erie, PA is accredited through June 2029 by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: . If needing to contact the program directly, please call 814-871-5639 or email legters001@gannon.edu. To verify accreditation status, click on the link below:

To verify accreditation status, click on the link below:

Employment Outlook

Employment opportunities for physical therapists remain robust. The need for PT's is expected to remain strong into the foreseeable future as the US population ages, chronic conditions increase, and the demand for physical therapy services grows. The Bureau of Labor suggests that with changes in restrictions on reimbursement from third party payers, there will be an increase in demand for service. Improvements in medical technology will also increase the manner in which PT's are able to provide service to individuals with movement dysfunction. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016-2017 report) forecasts a 34% growth in employment of physical therapists from 2014-2024, much faster than the average for all occupations (). The average annual starting salary for a physical therapist ranges from $55,000 - 75,000.

Current workforce information reported by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) on job vacancy noted a 10% vacancy rate in acute care/hospital facilities, 11.2% in private practice settings, and 12.1% in skilled nursing facilities (; accessed 06-08-2017). The APTA also notes a 1.1% unemployment rate among physical therapists. Physical therapists rank 16th in a list of the 100 "Best Jobs in America" as reported by US News and World Report.

Graduates of the DPT program in Erie who choose to work in the field of physical therapy enjoy a 100% employment rate.

Student Learning Outcomes

Physical Therapy Doctorate

Degree: Graduate | Doctor of Physical Therapy
College: Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences

Our Faculty Experts

Carolyn Galleher

Associate Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Chairperson
Physical Therapy Program

Coordinator, Undergraduate Phy
Physical Therapy Program

Ashley Greenthaner

Assistant Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Coordinator, Undergraduate Phy
Physical Therapy Program

Beth Gustafson

Assistant Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Chelsea Lasky-McFarlin

Asst Teaching Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Constance Lewis

Assistant Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Co-Director of Clinical Ed.
Physical Therapy Program

Courtney Roca

Assistant Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Assc Director, DPT (Erie)
Physical Therapy Program

Co-Director of Clinical Ed.
Physical Therapy Program

Donna Skelly

Associate Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Kristen Snarski

Associate Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Minor, Innovation/Creativity
Physical Therapy Program

Jonathan Ulrich

Assistant Professor
Physical Therapy Program

Catherine Alfery-Darling

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Thomas Galleher

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Brian Gustafson

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Benjamin Homan

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Victoria Lavery

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Zachary Mattern

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Rachel Mauro

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Rebecca Nick-Dart

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Dominic Rios

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Adjunct Lecturer
Education Program

David Russo

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Elizabeth Salem

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Amanda Sweeney

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Mary Jean Taylor

Adjunct Lecturer
Public Health

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

James Washek

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Shannon Will

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Janelle Woodruff

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program

Jessica Wrigley

Adjunct Lecturer
Physical Therapy Program