E17 - Nebraska's PT and PTA Program Updates

This episode features updates from three of Nebraska's PT and PTA program directors, detailing recent developments within their institutions. Discussion points include program structure (e.g., small cohorts, hybrid options), expansion of clinical and community partnerships, and active research serving real-world patient needs. We also delve into new course offerings, notable student and faculty awards, dual-campus access, and hands-on learning initiatives focused on developing clinical judgment.

Links:

• Nebraska Methodist College PTA Program: Physical Therapist Assistant Associate's Degree Program
• Clarkson College PTA Program: Physical Therapist Assistant Program 
• UNMC PT Program: Physical Therapy Program 

Don't forget to subscribe, share, and join the discussion because together we're driving the future of physical therapy forward

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (00:01):
Welcome to the APTA Nebraska Podcast, where we dive
into the stories, challenges,and innovations shaping physical
therapy in our state.
We are here to advance, promote,and protect the practice of
physical therapy, optimizing thehealth and quality of life for
all Nebraskans.
Join us as we connect withexperts, share insights, and

(00:22):
build community throughout ourprofession.
Welcome back to the APTANebraska Podcast.
My name is Brad Dexter, yourhost, and today's episode is a
little more unique.
Every fall, APTA Nebraska triesto put out information from each
of our PTA and PT programs toshare the good work that's going
on within those institutions.

(00:42):
And this year we wanted to try adifferent approach to that by
sharing what's going on in eachof our institutions via podcast.
And so in this episode, you'llhear from three of our programs
the PTA program at MethodistCollege, the PTA program at
Clarkson College, as well as thePT program from UNMC.

(01:06):
Admittedly, we'll try tocontinue to work out some of the
kinks in the future so that wecan represent more of our
programs in the state, as manyof you have been a part of those
programs and are still investedin them as well.
But without further ado, let'shear from each of our program
leaders in those finedinstitutions.
And I hope you guys, aslisteners, enjoy this different

(01:28):
way of interacting with theinformation.

SPEAKER_03 (01:31):
Good morning, everyone.
My name is Josh Walkenhorst.
I'm a physical therapist here inNebraska.
I recently have taken over theposition of program director and
clinical coordinator here atNebraska Methodist College for
the Physical Therapy AssistantProgram.
We recently had some staff thathave retired and now get to
enjoy their lives.
So I'm the new fresh face thatgets to come in and looking

(01:54):
forward to learning a lot aroundhere and as well as the
community.
I'm from the Nebraska Med Centermyself, so I'm looking forward
to bringing some of my expertiseto help our students learn.
A little bit about our program.
So we have uh up to 19 studentseach year that we're accredited
for.
Um so usually a smaller samplesize, but that leads to a very

(02:16):
good cohesion within our umclasses.
Um and you get a very wide rangeof birth of classes here.
Um, you'll get your standardorthopedic knowledge and neuro
knowledge, but we'll take thetime to go through even some
specialties such as amputationsand um uh aquatics and things
like that.
So very fun settings to be in.

(02:39):
Um most recently here, weactually are planning to help
out with a women's health uhclinic here in the community um
where we're gonna be offeringmassages and stuff from our
students to the community to uhjust kind of teach our ways of
of getting involved in thecommunity and helping out as we
can.
Um things that we're excitedabout here is in the next uh

(03:01):
year we're gonna be adding acouple new classes.
So one being uh physical therapyacross the lifespan, um, which
we'll kind of go through a lotof physical therapy topics,
starting all the way at birth,and then moving all the way up
into our geriatric age andthings like that, um, which
hopefully is gonna help uscohesively put a picture

(03:21):
together of working with ourpatients.
Um another class that we'regonna be adding is uh orthopedic
interventions, where it's justgonna take our time to really
focus about specific orthopedicuh orthopedic injuries.
Um so it really kind of gives usa chance to really hone in and
and learn a lot more uh aboutspecific things, whether it's a

(03:41):
rotator cuff or a knee or anankle, anything like that.
Um what I've learned so far asI've been here and what I really
like about this program is it isvery family feel.
It is small, but man, you reallyget to know a lot of the
students and the teachers.
Um, and we all want to see eachother succeed, you know.
We we want the students tosucceed, um, and even the

(04:03):
students are very helpful tohelp the teachers sometime, you
know, and uh um but that's wherea lot of the fun is, and you
know, we get things to do likeuh Halloween events or um
Christmas events, potlucks,things like that, um, and it
makes it a lot of fun.
Um the nice thing too is we tendto only have class about four
days a week, so it does allowfor people to work and things

(04:26):
like that, because we know thatstudents um need to make money
while uh going into school.
Um so that definitely is helpfulum while they're completing
their studies.
Anyway, we're really excitedabout all the stuff that's
coming and the new people likemyself that is coming in, um,
and we're really excited for thenext batch of students.
So um thank you, and we're uhlooking forward to hopefully

(04:49):
seeing you guys here soon.

SPEAKER_00 (04:51):
Hello everyone, I am Jessica Neiman.
I'm the PTA program director atClarkson College, and I am
thrilled to be able to sharewith you some of the remarkable
highlights from this past year,everything from student and
faculty awards to curricularexpansions.
Uh, but first, before we getinto that, I'll give a quick
overview of our program.
I like to think of our programas a hub for PTA education

(05:14):
because we offer two programoptions for the associate's
degree.
We offer a two-year traditionalin-person option and a 16-month
hybrid option for those with aminimum of 35 college credits.
And then we also supportlifelong learning for PTA and
PTA clinicians by hostingmultiple continuing education
courses throughout the year.

(05:35):
And we offer a Bachelor ofScience in PTA degree for PTA
clinicians who are ready tolevel up their career.
We're going to start first withan inspiring story from one of
our recent graduates, OliviaEstrada, who was honored with
the Clarkston College MalteseCross Service Award at the

(05:55):
Clarkston College Augustcommencement ceremony.
Olivia completed over 300 hoursof community service while she
was in the program.
She volunteered weekly at theHealthcare Heroes program,
inspiring and educatingelementary students about
healthcare professions.
She also supported children andadults with neurological

(06:15):
conditions during volunteerismat MS Forward and the Pediatric
Therapy Center.
And while doing this, she wasalso dedicating time to her
church.
Olivia's dedication andcompassion are a reminder of the
powerful impact our studentsmake beyond the classroom.
Our faculty also had a standoutyear.
Ms.

(06:35):
Kat Purcell received the AppleAward for Excellence in
Teaching, and she completed hermaster's degree in healthcare
administration.
Miss Greta Schoneman waspromoted to assistant professor,
and Dr.
Nathan Holm earned hisaward-certified orthopedic
clinical specialist credential.
And then additionally, Dr.

(06:56):
Jessica Wisink completed anemerging leadership program in
which she developed a projecttitled Elevate and Appreciate
the Key to Employee Engagement.
These accomplishments reflectthe passion and professionalism
that define our PTA faculty.
The program itself continues toevolve in really exciting ways.

(07:18):
Our transfer PTA program,delivered in the hybrid format,
was uh ranked number one in thenation by Nurse.org for top
online PTA programs.
And I believe that thisrecognition speaks volumes about
our commitment to accessiblehigh-quality education.
We also expanded ourintra-professional education

(07:39):
efforts this year.
Our program has a long historyof PT student and PTA student
collaborations with UMC andCreighton, but this past year,
in the summer, the experiencesincluded client-centered care
through a partnership with MSForward, which is a gym serving
individuals with neurologicalconditions, and PT students at

(08:03):
College of St.
Mary.
Students collaborated in asemester-long project in which
PT students conductedevaluations and developed plans
of care while PTA studentsimplemented treatments.
It was a real-world learningexperience that benefited
community members whilestrengthening teamwork,
communication, and clinicalskills for students.

(08:26):
And finally, this year welaunched uh capstone poster
presentation events.
Graduating PTA studentsshowcased their research and
clinical insights to faculty,peers, and the broader
community.
It was a proud moment for all byhighlighting the depth of their
work and their readiness toenter the profession.
I truly am encouraged byeverything our students and

(08:47):
faculty have accomplished, andI'm excited for what's ahead in
the landscape of PTA education.

SPEAKER_01 (08:53):
Hello, everyone.
My name is Betsy Becker, and I'mthe program director for the
Doctor of Physical Therapyprogram.
I'm a professor there, and Ialso serve as the chair of the
Department of Health andRehabilitation Sciences, which
includes our PT program as wellas the occupational therapy
program.
And I'm really thrilled torepresent the University of

(09:14):
Nebraska Medical Center andshare a little about who we are,
what we do, what my role is, andwhy we're really just proud of
our program.
So as the program director, Ioversee the curriculum, the
development, our facultyengagement, student success, our
research enterprise, and theservice and administrative
initiatives.

(09:35):
I'm also proud to say that I'man alumni of this program, which
gives me really a deep sense ofloyalty and commitment to the
excellence that we have.
And my passion lies in preparingfuture PTs to deliver the
evidence-based patient-centeredcare while advancing our
profession through the researchand community service that we

(09:55):
do.
Our program spans just underthree years and operates across
two campuses in Omaha andKearney.
So we really serve both an urbanand rural community area.
And this dual campus, oneprogram model, allows us to
really meet Nebraska'shealthcare needs.
And we emphasize clinicalreasoning, evidence-based

(10:16):
practice, PT and society, andteam-based care that are all
threaded through the curriculum.
And in addition to our DPTprogram, we have a comprehensive
continuing educationopportunities, as well as our
orthopedic physical therapyresidency.
Guess a few things about recenthighlights.

(10:49):
And this last year, they raisedover$6,000 for the Nebraska
Arthritis Foundation.
We recently had a career fairwhere we connected with 60
employers, a lot of who arealumni or are clinical
instructors.
We also have a Go Baby Go eventthat's interprofessional with
OTs, engineering students, andin collaboration with the Monroe

(11:11):
Meyer Institute, where we modifythe small electric mobility cars
for children.
And then at their low cost, easyaccess way for young children
with movement delays to reallystay active.
And these activities reallyshowcase our academic
excellence, but also ourstudents are great leaders and
engaged in service.

(11:32):
A little about our specialprojects or research.
Research is central to ourmission.
You know, we're an academicmedical center, and students and
faculty collaborate on projectsranging from fall risk reduction
to rehabilitation strategies forpatients post-ACL surgery, heart
failure, innovation witheducational technology,

(11:52):
including virtual reality, bloodflow restriction training,
educational scholarly work.
And I know I'm leaving somethings out, but those are maybe
some highlights that are off thetop of my head.
And these efforts have led topresentations at national
conferences and partnershipsthat really move health forward.
We also have a faculty memberwho has two patents, which is

(12:12):
just really interesting.
A little about some newdevelopments.
Um we've had some recentmilestones in 2024.
Our program received theUniversity Wide Teaching Award,
which recognizes our commitmentto excellence in education and
an esprit d'accord of ourfaculty.
We've welcomed new facultymembers who bring our fresh

(12:33):
perspectives and expertise toour team while our emeritus
faculty continue to stayactively involved even though
they've retired.
We host continuing educationcourses on a variety of topics.
We're practicing clinicians.
Recently hosted a three-weeksummer educational experience
for international students,which really strengthened our

(12:53):
global connections.
Alongside these achievements,we've introduced anatomy
e-learning modules to complementthe gross dissection course.
And we've expanded ourcurricular theme integration of
lifestyle medicine andinterprofessional teamwork to
really keep our programinnovative and responsive to the
needs of healthcare and theworkforce.

(13:14):
So we think we stand out.
We have an excellent reputation.
And our students, graduates,alumni, and friends of the
program really provide theenergy and resilience to inspire
us every day.
And that's something that we'rejust really proud of.
If you'd like to learn moreabout our program or ways to
collaborate, we can connect onsocial media, uh, visit our

(13:35):
website, and uh we look forwardto hearing from people and um
sharing the good work we do.
Until next time, keep movingforward.
And uh we think that's literaland figurative.

SPEAKER_02 (13:48):
Thanks for tuning in to the APTA Nebraska podcast.
Stay connected with us for moreconversations that elevate our
profession and improve the livesof Nebraskans.
Don't forget to subscribe,share, and join the discussion
because together we're drivingthe future of physical therapy
forward.