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Wrapping Up My Time at UU

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  https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/good-bye-words Hello everyone! If you’ve been following along, you likely know that I am going to be finishing up my final semester of classroom work here at UU. I have learned so many things and have grown so much as a student, physical therapist and person. I remember my first day of class and all of the emotions that rushed over me for what was to come - all the people I’d meet, the things I’d learn, the places I’d go. I look back on my time here and remember the days going by so so slow, but man have these past two years f l o w n by. I definitely will miss some of the aspects of coming to campus everyday and learning things in a classroom as I have my whole life up until now, but I am VERY excited to head out on clinical for my final year of the program.  I had the best time at my clinical last summer, getting a chance to work hands on and apply everything I had learned. It is really a setting I thrive in. I have always been a hands-on learner
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Clinical Education: Part 2

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Clinicals are a very big part of our education here at UU, so it is important that the sites we choose are in locations and settings that we’d really like to check out for the future! After all, our clinicals could easily turn into a job post-graduation. In my previous post about clinical education, I mentioned the process for site developments and making a site wishlist, but here I want to touch on the different locations we get to go to and when the clinicals occur within the curriculum. Clinical education is split so that it occurs at 3 different times throughout our 3 years. Our first clinical rotation is following the first year, during the summer before our second year. This one is for 6 weeks and is in an outpatient orthopedic setting. This is really our first chance to apply everything we’ve learned and see how it all comes together. Then, our remaining 2 clinicals are during our last year of the program. There’s one in the fall semester and one in the spring semester. These on
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One Last Semester

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  https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/physical-therapy Hi all! I remember thinking about this spring semester of my second year when I was in gross anatomy. Envisioning all of the information that I would know and all of the time spent on becoming a PT. Although in the moment, each day felt like it lasted 100 hours and there was always something new to learn, this semester came up much quicker than I anticipated. As I head into my last semester in the classroom and my last semester on the UU campus, I find myself reminiscing about all of the wonderful experiences that I’ve had thus far. Going in the donor body lab for gross anatomy and neuroscience, learning all about the musculoskeletal system and the neuromuscular system, meeting great people - both students and professors, who will be my colleagues in a little over a year, going out on clinical and having patients of my own for the first time, and so much more.  Although I feel like I have learned so much since I started the progra
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Clinical Education

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  Hi everyone! I wanted to talk a little bit about the process for selecting clinicals here at UU. Clinical education is about ⅓ of our curriculum, so it's a big part of our learning process. There are two different routes a student can take to get a clinical. One would be to do site development. As of right now, each student can do up to two site developments. For this, the student can fill out a form and contact the potential site to arrange affiliation. This process can take weeks or months, but is nice because you are able to decide where you want to go. Some of my friends have gone to Denver, Nashville, Cincinnati, and so many other fun places! I hope to create site developments for my clinicals next year. The other way that a student can get a clinical site is through making a wishlist of already existing affiliated clinics. Here at UU, we use a website that has all of our clinical sites listed. On the site, everyone builds a wishlist 1-10, 1 being their top choice and 10 bei
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A Break Down of Our 3 Years

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  Hello all! The fall weather here in Utica has been just perfect lately, sunny and 70 (some would say 75, but that’s a smidge warm for me!). And, the leaves are changing which is super exciting! I’ve got to get to the Adirondacks mountains for a hike this fall - it’s a very simple drive about an hour north of here and it's gorgeous! Last post I briefly touched on how the curriculum is sectioned out here, but I want to dive a little deeper into the 3 years. Year 1 is primarily musculoskeletal based, year 2 is mainly neuromuscular based with a clinical experience and year 3 is all clinical experiences.  Year 1: Musculoskeletal In this year, we take gross anatomy and courses like examination, evaluation, interventions, clinical science, and movement science to begin applying our knowledge of the human body. After spending 6 weeks during the summer of your first year in the donor lab, you basically know every muscle - its action, its innervation, where it attaches, etc., you will know
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Start of Year 2

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Hi everyone! I am writing this a few weeks into my second year of the DPT program here at UU and I am feeling great about the school year to come. I had a great summer completing the first part of my clinical education and gaining so much knowledge that I will take forward with me for every patient interaction here on out! My clinical was six weeks long at an outpatient physical therapy clinic and I had the best time! It was so nice having the opportunity to apply all of the things that I learned here in class to the real world and with real patients. It made me realize I knew more than I give myself credit for! I got to see people of all ages and abilities, helping them get better with every visit. This is what I’ve been dreaming of ever since I started my path toward becoming a physical therapist. The difference you make as a PT is unmatched and I am thrilled to eventually do this every single day. They do say, “if you love your job, you'll never work a day!” Now that I am back i
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Utica R.I.S.E

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Utica R.I.S.E is a pro bono clinic that provides health services for the disadvantaged population in the Utica area. R.I.S.E  stands for Rehabilitation and Integrative Services for Everyone. This clinic is run by physical therapy students, second years and first years, with supervision from professionals in the field (including some of our pt faculty and staff). Utica R.I.S.E provides students with a great opportunity to get involved and give back to the community. These services help those who may not otherwise have an opportunity to receive therapy or health care services in general for a variety of reasons. They help restore physical capacities through a holistic approach focusing on wellness promotion. Not only does it help patients who come in, but it gives students a chance to interact with people and practice communication with patients through hands-on experience. One of the main goals of Utica R.I.S.E include educating new health care professionals in competency, character, ci
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