[1] Rocky Mountain University of Physical Therapy was established in 1998 by Dr. Richard P. Nielsen and Dr. Michael Skurja Jr. as a post-professional graduate healthcare institution.
[3] Nielsen and Skurja, both board-certified electrophysiologists, had co-founded the Institute for Clinical Electrophysiology in 1993, and had been involved in developing continuing education courses for several years.
Nielsen and Skurja began the process of obtaining authorization from the Utah State Board of Regents, and on June 8, 1998, The Institute for Clinical Electrophysiology officially became Rocky Mountain University of Physical Therapy and began offering a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program with seven specialty concentrations, including cardiopulmonology, electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics, sports, and pediatrics.
The university gained regional accreditation candidacy status in November 2005 and added a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program the following year.
In May 2010 RMUoHP began offering a residency entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and became the first proprietary graduate institution in the NW region to gain accreditation by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities .
In 2018, Wasatch Educational Group, the parent company of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, announced plans to break ground on a medical school, which will open in 2021.
[6] ORSP's purpose is to remove barriers for faculty and students to conduct innovative research that will enhance knowledge and provide evidence for better clinical practice.