Travis Booe, PTA Instructor, lectures students in the PTA program. Afterward, students performed the different treatments they had learned. Haley Martin, Lindsborg, and Cayleena Koehn, Enid, Okla., practice strengthening triceps and doing shoulder extensors. This improved arm and shoulder mobility.
things. They’re also good about reminding us to balance life with everything else too and not just completely burn ourselves out,” Carp said. Some students chose to move on after the PTA to become a physical therapist. However, the PTA program was completely separate from a PT program. Students who wanted to be a PT had to start over anew. “I chose this route as a means to see if physical therapy was really for me before I spent eight years in school receiving my doctorate degree,” Hurst said. Hurst graduated from the PTA program the spring of 2013 and had returned to HCC to obtain a Pre-Physical Therapy degree. Being a
PTA allowed Hurst to earn an income while working toward a PT degree. She also enjoyed meeting new people and developing relationships. “My classmates were exceptional; I would consider us to be a family by the end of the program. When you are with the same people 6-8 hours a day, you realize how close you can really be,” Hurst said. “I love the students. I love the interaction with the students; I love getting to know them in their life outside of wanting to be a PTA, I love their drive but yet their personal connection and getting to know them over the course of the year is my very favorite part,” Douglas said. “At the end of the year, at the end of the day, I truly believe
in my profession and what we do and the fact that every year we have 20 students going out there that can make a difference in someone’s life,” Booe said. In the PTA program, students and instructors practiced day after day and strove together to develop important social and personal skills and academic knowledge to prepare to change peoples’ lives for the better.
Jessica Nenneman, Clinton, Wisc.; Tyan Scott, Mulvane, and Trent Mazanec, Colby, practiced gait training using an obstacle course and cane. This treatment emphasized balance.
Physical Therapy Assistant Program
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Dragon’s Tale
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