Hi Michelle, thanks for joining us on the blog. To start, what's it like being a student in the Physical Therapist Assistant program at Green River?
Michelle: I love being a student in the PTA program here at Green River. The professors are amazing and the program is constantly evolving to keep up with the growing field. We cover so much in a two year time period. I feel much more prepared for the real world than I did with my original Bachelor's degree. We also spend so much time together as a cohort, it's like one big family. I am very happy that I made the decision to go back to school. This is a great program!
Can you tell us the story of how you decided to pursue a degree in this field of study?
Michelle: My original degree was in Exercise Science, specializing in corporate fitness. Unfortunately I was never able to find a job in the field. Since then, I had several long term office jobs, but was never really happy with my career. When the last company I worked for went out of business, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go back to school in the a field similar to my original degree. My neighbor had also graduated from this program several years ago, and loves the field.
What advice would you have for new students who are thinking about pursuing a similar degree?
Michelle: First of all, it's important to remember that it's never too late to go back to school. We have an age range from 19-60+ years of age in our program. Also, the Worker Retraining program at Green River helped so much in allowing me to back to school, so I would look into that funding program, as well as other funding programs offered through Workforce Education. The PTA program accepts only 32 students per year, so it's important to stand out. The application only asks for 20 hours of volunteer work as a requirement to apply, but I would do as many hours as you can. I would also suggest volunteering in several different types of Physical Therapy settings. It's a tough program regardless of your background, so I would be prepared to work no more than 20 hours per week outside of class, if that. A strong background in anatomy helps too!
$$$ Update! All four Workforce Education programs - BFET, Opportunity Grant, Worker Retraining, and WorkFirst - support Physical Therapist Assistant training at Green River.
