After 50 years, the Marquette physical therapy program is ready to showcase its accomplishments — and October's Physical Therapy Month is a perfect time for PT students to celebrate through education, vocation and service.
In 2004, Marquette's PT program switched from granting a Master's of Physical Therapy to a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. For the first three years of the program, PT students choose any undergraduate degree in the College of Health Sciences they wish. Most opt for an exercise science or athletic training degree. The second half of the six-year program is devoted to completing the students' doctorate degrees.
Shilpa Patel, a sixth-year graduate student in the PT program and president of the Physical Therapy Student Council's executive board, attributed the program's success to a variety of classes and volunteer opportunities.
Marquette's physical therapy program ranked 16th in the nation in the 2005 U.S. News and World Report rankings. That information came as no surprise to Meghan Swiderski, a College of Health Sciences junior majoring in exercise science in the PT program.
"The teachers are incredible," she said. "They are on a first name basis with almost all of the class."
The PT program at Marquette also offers internships and volunteer opportunities for its students to explore different avenues of physical therapy. It promotes vocational discernment and clinical training, with students volunteering as early as their freshman year. Some volunteer at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, 9000 W. Wisconsin Ave., the YMCA and as athletic coaches.
Marie Coffey, a College of Health Sciences sophomore in the physical therapy program said she was thankful for the opportunity to volunteer in a clinical setting.
"I was able to see a physical therapist work with a medically comatose boy, checking his range of motion after his heart surgery," Coffey said.
PT students and faculty are also involved in campus and national events, Coffey said. From a Massage-a-Thon and PT Olympics to its clothing sales and blood-drive, the PT Student Council has worked on an array of events supporting Physical Therapy Month. Earlier this month, the PT Student Council also raised $1,000 for the American Lung Association's Asthma Walk.
The remainder of October has a slew of events to keep the PT program busy. Some students will attend the National Student Conclave in Dallas, Texas Oct. 27-29. The program will host brown bag lunch sessions today and Tuesday. The first will discuss hippotherapy, which uses the movement of a horse as a treatment strategy for those with disabilities, while the other will focus on a physical therapist's summer adventure. For more information and a full list of events, visit the PT student activities page at http://www.marquette.edu/chs/pt/activities/.