By: Julia Brewer ‘19, Staff Writer
The celebration of National Physical Therapy Month in October hits close to home for the hundreds of physical therapy majors at Lebanon Valley College.
The American Physical Therapy Association established National Physical Therapy Month in 1992 as a way for physical therapists to be recognized and celebrated for their work. This year, APTA is promoting the campaign #ChoosePT to encourage people to choose treatment through physical therapy rather than the use of opioids or other potentially addictive drugs.
National Physical Therapy Month can unite the campus in a unique way. Hundreds of members of LVC’s community #ChoosePT for a variety of reasons. For some students it may be a career goal while for others, physical therapy offers a better quality of life.
“Physical therapists strive for strong connections with their patients and endorse a healthy lifestyle for not only their patients, but the public as a whole,” Garrett Collins, President of LVC’s Physical Therapy Club, said. “It’s important to celebrate how far this profession has come and also how focused they are on their service to the public.”
LVC offers an excellent six-year Doctorate of Physical Therapy program, and as a result, the College is home to hundreds of aspiring physical therapists. The recognition of National Physical Therapy Month allows for reflection and inspiration for these students. In one class for PT majors, students learned about the history and progress of physical therapy as a profession in honor of Physical Therapy Month.
“It was so cool to learn about how far we have come as a profession to help optimize movement for all people and, in turn, improve the human experience,” said Laura Schmidt, a fourth-year physical therapy student. “I think it is important to recognize National Physical Therapy Month to help spread awareness that PT’s are very qualified health care providers and to acknowledge all that they have done to get to this point.”
LVC offers a variety of ways for students to get involved with the profession. Physical therapy majors can join PT club and participate in several events each semester ranging from community service to educational activities. This month, PT club is bringing recognition to the profession by encouraging students to thank any PTs they have seen in the past as well as educating the community about the occupation through open dialogues with PT students.