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Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions offers Fort Lewis College students preferred acceptance
As John Donne famously wrote, “No man is an island.” Another just as accurate statement could be that no college is an island. Developing partnerships with schools and organizations off campus is a key in offering students more opportunities to succeed.
Fort Lewis College (FLC) and Utah's Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) have signed an articulation agreement that would offer preferred acceptance for FLC students. Each year, up to three Fort Lewis students who complete the required courses with at least a 3.5 GPA and who score well on the GRE can matriculate into RMUoHP’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.
As the national need for healthcare professionals continues to grow, Fort Lewis College is putting more and more focus on preparing students for these professions. This new partnership, along with new FLC programs like the Pre-Health Certificate, will add to the College’s health sciences offerings, giving students more avenues to join the healthcare field. The College was also recently awarded just over $3 million to begin designing a new Health Sciences & Athletics Complex on campus.
“I believe that this partnership with RMUoHP and other institutions provides excellent opportunities for our students,” says Dr. Melissa Knight-Maloney, chair of the FLC exercise science program. “I am excited about this partnership as this allows our students to set themselves apart from other applicants. We provide our students with an excellent knowledge base and hands-on experiences to prepare them for health professions and this agreement will allow those students another opportunity to be more competitive in the admissions process.”
“We know various alumni and faculty from Fort Lewis College. We feel that the faculty offer a quality education in preparation for a DPT degree,” adds Dr. Joel Tenbrink, assistant program director at RMUoHP. “Additionally, those alumni with which we have had interactions have impressed us in their passion and integrity. We wanted this type of person in our program. As such we felt it appropriate to offer preferred admissions to these qualified students. We look forward to meeting more Fort Lewis College alumni and making them alumni of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. They will represent both institutions well.”
One of the FLC alumni that ties Fort Lewis College and Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions together is one of RMUoHP’s co-founders, Dr. Michael Skurja (Biological Science, ’67). After earning a degree in biological science at FLC and serving more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Skurja helped begin the accredited, private university that has awarded master’s and doctorate degrees for 20 years in Provo, Utah.
“I majored in biological science at Fort Lewis, and have been thankful for the quality of the instruction that provided me with a solid foundation,” Dr. Skurja says. “I thought that some of the students graduating from the science department might be interested in the healthcare degree programs offered by Rocky Mountain University.”
RMUoHP’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program boasts a 98 percent graduation rate, with 99 percent of those graduates going on to pass the National Physical Therapy Exam. In addition to their studies, the University’s students put their skills to work on service trips to Africa and Guatemala, in addition to working at the Community Rehabilitation Clinic in Provo, which offers free physical therapy services to the uninsured and underserved.
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