Next Steps

Pre-Physical Therapy Advising

Pre-physical therapy advising spans all the years of a student’s Whitworth education. Explore your career interests, receive personalized guidance, and gain skills and experience outside of the classroom that will prepare you to be a competitive applicant for physical therapy school and a compassionate future practitioner.

Why pursue pre-physical therapy advising at Whitworth?

Find your calling. Vocational discernment is interwoven into all aspects of pre-physical therapy advising, from mentoring to seminars and guest speaker events.
Form connections with professors and advisors who want to see you succeed and will support you every step of the way. Our advisors even continue to assist students after their Whitworth graduation, particularly as they prepare their physical therapy school applications.
Take a specialized seminar course that will help you explore career paths.
Gain experience working with individuals who are different from you. Enroll in a study abroad program that includes a medical internship, or join a student-run club like En Christo that serves low-income residents in Spokane. You will develop important perspectives you can apply toward a career in which you'll be working with patients from all walks of life.
Build leadership skills that will strengthen your résumé. At Whitworth, you will have many opportunities to develop into a capable and caring leader, whether by volunteering for a worthwhile cause, getting involved with student government or residence life, or serving as a teaching assistant.
Develop transferable skills that will make you more effective in your future career in healthcare and in other areas of life. A Whitworth liberal arts education will prepare you to think critically and communicate clearly.
Become who you're meant to be.

Our pre-physical therapy advising grads make a difference (and get jobs)

Our graduates are working as physical therapists across the country.

Recent job placements include:

Shannon Zalewski, physical therapist and clinic director, Performance Physical Therapy, Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Paul Werhane, acute care physical therapist & PT supervisor, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, assistant professor of physical therapy, Whitworth University
Sara Peterson, pediatric physical therapist, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix
Jared Descoteaux, board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy, Deer Park Physical Therapy, Deer Park, Wash.
Lizzie Choma, board-certified specialist in geriatric physical therapy, Lee Silverman voice therapy BIG certified clinician, assistant professor of physical therapy, Whitworth University

Our recent pre-physical therapy advising graduates further their studies in top physical therapy programs at institutions including:

University of Washington
George Washington University
Wake Forest University
University of Southern California
University of Colorado
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
Quinnipiac University
Des Moines University
Eastern Washington University
Pacific University
Loma Linda University
University of Montana
Regis University
Whitworth University
Midwestern University

Ask our pre-physical therapy faculty advisors

Ask Smokey

Associate Professor of Health Sciences Smokey Fermin teaches courses in athletic training.

Ask Matt

Professor of Health Sciences Matt Silvers' area of expertise is exercise physiology.

What related majors can I explore?

You may be surprised to learn you can choose any major as a pre-physical therapy student. While it's more common to choose a major in the sciences, physical therapy school applicants can also choose majors in the humanities like history, English and theology, and complete a significant number of credits in the sciences.

The most typical majors chosen by pre-physical therapy students include: