Contact Us

Essential Functions

Physical Therapist with PatientThe Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus is dedicated to providing professional education and to developing post-baccalaureate students to become competent physical therapists.

Graduates will be expected to function as autonomous practitioners and to provide a full range of physical therapy services.

Therefore, all students admitted to the program must be able to demonstrate the following essential abilities with or without reasonable accommodations.

  • Cognitive: Students must demonstrate the cognitive ability to measure, calculate, process, reason, analyze and synthesize information as well as problem solve in an effective and timely manner.
  • Judgment: Students must be able to make sound judgments with an understanding of the rationale and justification in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings.
  • Observation: Students must demonstrate adequate observation skills in order to obtain accurate information in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings. Examples of these skills include (but are not limited to) reading numbers on a goniometer, reading dials on electrotherapeutic modalities and assessing color changes of the skin.
  • Communication: Students must demonstrate the ability to understand and utilize verbal, non-verbal and written communication – including oral and written English – clearly, effectively and efficiently. These communication skills enable students to complete reading and writing assignments as well as to provide and obtain information in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings.
  • Sensorimotor: Students must demonstrate adequate gross motor, fine motor, equilibrium and sensory functions in order to accurately carry out physical examinations (e.g. palpation and auscultation), to provide physical therapy interventions (e.g. applying joint mobilization, training and assisting patient transfer and ambulation) and to administer emergency treatment to patients in a safe, reliable and efficient manner. 
  • Emotional, social and behavioral: Students must possess the emotional health required to make sound judgments; utilize their full intellectual abilities; develop mature, sensitive and effective rapport with other individuals; and complete all responsibilities in educational and clinical settings. Students also must be able to function effectively in environments with high physical and mental demands, and display flexibility and adaptive skills in response to altered conditions. In addition, professionalism, compassion, integrity, concern for others, interest and motivation are other personal qualities that students must possess.

A student with disabilities will not, on the basis of his or her disabilities, be excluded from admission into the program. More importantly, the student, not the University, maintains the responsibility to disclose and to provide documentation of any disability, as well as the request for reasonable accommodations, in a timely manner.