In September and November, the interdisciplinary subsection of The Differential interviewed Jenn Greer, a student in the U of A Master of Science for Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) program, and Thomas Yang, a student in the NAU Physician Assistant Program. This month, we are featuring Kristen Bennett, a student in the NAU Doctor of Physical Therapy program. We hope that through these interviews, you will gain insight into the many great programs with which we share the Health Sciences Education Building.
Madalyn: What drew you to physical therapy and why did you decide to become a physical therapist?
Kristen: I had always been an athlete growing up and found myself going through physical therapy numerous times. It was not until I fractured my hip that I knew I wanted to become a physical therapist. I was told recovery would be slow and I may always feel pain—not something a young athlete wanted to hear. I went to a physical therapist that reassured me that I would be back, and they were going to help me get there. It was then that I decided I too wanted to help others return to a an optimal level of function to improve the human experience mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Madalyn: How long is the DPT NAU program and what is the curriculum like?
Kristen: The NAU DPT program has always been 3 years, but we are the first year to go through with the advanced 2.5 year program design.
Madalyn: What are your classes like? Do you take any labs?
Kristen: We cover a wide array of topics that are needed not only for our boards exam but are also important depending on what field we decide to practice in. For example, we have classes on therapy in pediatrics, prosthetics and orthotics, gait analysis, pharmacology, and cardiopulmonary. We intensely focus on differential diagnosis, the musculoskeletal, and neural systems of the body, to name a few. Most of our classes have a lab component in addition to the class material and Vimeo lectures. We took our pathophysiology, anatomy class/lab, and evidence-based practice with the PA students. This semester, we had neurophysiological therapeutics and musculoskeletal therapeutics with four-hour labs each week.
Madalyn: How far along are you in your program?
Kristen: I am in my second year of the DPT program.
Madalyn: Do you have the opportunity to shadow physical therapists while in DPT school?
Kristen: We started shadowing in various settings (hospitals, outpatient, inpatient, neuro clinics, etc.) our first year. We are one of the only schools that is introduced to the clinical settings that early on. At the beginning of our second year, we were assigned a facility that we work at every week for the entire year. At the end of our second year, we are assigned to three different facilities in various specialties that we work full time in under the supervision of a clinical instructor at the facility. This makes up the last half year of our schooling with the addition of studying for our boards exam.
Madalyn: How many students are in your graduating class?
Kristen: We have 40 students in our graduating class in the downtown Phoenix campus.
Madalyn: Why did you choose the NAU DPT program?
Kristen: NAU’s DPT program is highly ranked and is known to have some of the best professors. The program’s overall pass rate on the boards exam is 100%, and employment rate of their students is 100%. Being able to find a job after school is always a major concern, so knowing they have a 100% employment rate is wonderful. It is also one of the most affordable programs, which is an added bonus!
Madalyn: What is your best memory of DPT school so far?
Kristen: I don’t know if there is any one specific event that has occurred that I’ll never forget, but one thing I am certain I will never forget is the family I have gained while going through this program. The 40 strangers I started school with 2 years ago have become my dearest friends and what I would consider my family. We care about each and everyone’s success in school, struggles, and life achievements. No matter how challenging our program is, it has brought our crazy bunch together and I will never forget them!
Madalyn Nelson is part of the 2020 class at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She is an Arizona native and graduated from Xavier University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology. Madalyn has a passion for traveling and global health. To contact Madalyn, please email her at madalyndnelson[at]email.arizona.edu.