In July, Daemen hosted the 3rd annual Physical Therapy (PT) Institute, which introduced area high school students to careers in the PT profession. “An academic camp/institute is a unique way of putting a growing profession on the radar of high school students,” said Michael Ross, associate professor of physical therapy at Daemen and chair and program director of the PT program. Participants who successfully completed the institute earned two college credits and a Daemen scholarship.
Led by Ryan Boggs, DPT, DSc, associate professor of physical therapy, and Jennifer Schied, PhD, CSCS associate professor of physical therapy, and featuring sessions by over 8 faculty, the institute offered students exposure to PT specialties in orthopedic, pediatric, integumentary, cardiopulmonary, and neurologic PT, and offered experiential learning with lab sessions on gait training, running analysis and ankle wrapping, as well as concepts related to patients with orthopedic, cardiopulmonary, or neurologic impairments. Gary Styn, MD, assistant professor in physician assistant studies and director of graduate anatomical sciences taught an introductory course.
“Not only did students learn about the PT profession in a hands-on way, they also got a head start if they choose to pursue this path as a career,” said Ross, “They were introduced to one of Daemen’s signature programs while getting a feel for our campus and faculty.” Ross noted that “feedback from this class has been extremely encouraging, and many students have expressed a strong desire to enter the field and attend Daemen for their PT education.”