Aquacare/Fitness Forum Physical Therapy

Employee scores rise year over year, with 87% saying it is a great place to work

Aquacare Physical Therapy and Fitness Forum Physical Therapy are proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work® for the second year in a row. This prestigious recognition is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at the company. In the 2026 survey, 87% of employees said Aquacare and Fitness Forum are a great place to work, up from 85% the previous year and significantly higher than the national average of 57% for U.S. companies.

Repeating the certification is a different accomplishment than earning it the first time, and improving on the score is harder still. A single strong year can reflect a good moment. Two consecutive years of rising employee feedback reflect a culture that holds steady through growth, hiring, and the everyday demands of running 12 clinics.

Aquacare and Fitness Forum are sister companies with 12 outpatient physical therapy locations across Delaware and Maryland. Locally owned for 27+ years, the organization is women-owned, physical therapist-owned, and community-focused.

“Earning this certification once was meaningful. Earning it again, with a higher score, tells us something more important, which is that what our team told us last year was not a fluke,” said Cara Konlian, MPT, CEO of Aquacare and Fitness Forum Physical Therapy. “Our people are the reason patients come back to us and refer their families to us. Protecting the environment they work in is not a side project. It is the work.”

At Aquacare and Fitness Forum, employees benefit from a workplace culture that values clinical excellence, work-life balance, and meaningful professional growth. Leadership actively supports mentorship programs, continuing education, and internal promotion opportunities to invest in team members’ long-term success. The company also champions wellness initiatives and maintains a collaborative environment across all clinic locations.

The anonymous survey results point to why. Ninety-seven percent of employees said new team members are made to feel welcome. Ninety-five percent said they are able to take time off from work when they think it is necessary, and 95% said people care about each other at Aquacare. Ninety-four percent said they are proud to tell others where they work. Employees also gave the company a 97% score on whether patients would rate the service they receive as excellent.

“As physical therapists ourselves, we know what it feels like to be stretched thin, and we know what it feels like to be supported,” said Jennifer O’Neill, MPT, co-owner and chief operating officer for Aquacare and Fitness Forum. “Every year we ask our team to tell us the truth about which one they are experiencing. Hearing a better answer this year than last is the part we are most proud of.”

According to Great Place To Work®, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified™ great workplace. Employees at Certified™ organizations are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work and are more likely to be paid fairly, promoted equitably, and feel their work makes a meaningful difference.

Aquacare and Fitness Forum pride themselves on providing one-on-one care, a commitment to ensuring that every patient receives individualized attention to deliver the highest quality of care possible. That model shows up in the survey as well, where nearly all employees said the service their patients receive is excellent.

“Our team is different because we focus on offering specialized services that set us apart from other physical therapy practices,” Konlian said. “Pelvic floor and lymphedema therapy, dry needling, aquatic therapy, pediatric care, balance and vestibular rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation. Those programs exist because clinicians here wanted to build them, and because we gave them room to do it.”

The certification is valid for one year, through July 2027.

Learn more about our scoring & see team member testimonials!

We’re Hiring

Looking to grow your career at a company that puts people first? Explore current openings and learn more about our mission at aquacarephysicaltherapy.com/careers

About Aquacare and Fitness Forum Physical Therapy

Serving Delaware and Maryland for more than 27 years, Aquacare and Fitness Forum Physical Therapy provide advanced rehabilitation services throughout the Eastern Shore with specialties in orthopedic care, pelvic health, balance and vestibular therapy, lymphedema management, and aquatic therapy. The practice employs 182 people across 12 outpatient locations and is headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland. With a focus on individualized care and exceptional outcomes, the company remains rooted in its mission to improve the health and well-being of its local communities.

About Great Place To Work Certification™

Great Place To Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience, specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust environment. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Each year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply for certification.