October gets physical

By Jaryd Wilson

Published Oct. 20, 2006

October is National Physical Therapy Month, and the MU physical therapy department coordinated several events to celebrate the occasion along with making students more aware of it.

"The goal of the month is to make people more aware and give them knowledge as to what physical therapy is," said Marian Minor, chairwoman of the physical therapy department.

On Oct. 7, the physical therapy class of 2008 held the eighth annual Run For Life, a five-kilometer event that starts and ends at Lewis Hall. The event cost $14 with proceeds benefiting the Physical Therapy Student Scholarship funds and the Student Physical Therapy Organization.

"It was nice because our students performed free foot-and-ankle screens, health screens and massages after the race," Minor said.

On Saturday, physical therapy students put on a continuing workshop called Pharmacology for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants in Memorial Union. The workshop's purpose was to invite the public to learn about physical therapy.

Next year the department is going to have a weekend dedicated to physical therapy month.

Physical therapy students do most of the advertisements for the events throughout the month.

"Our students advertise in residence halls, Greek halls and in places around campus," Minor said. "It is an effective way to get the word out to non-physical therapy students."

Minor said the physical therapy department has graduated approximately 2,000 students since its first graduating class in 1965.

The MU School of Health Professions also reports that physical therapy students who graduate from MU typically have jobs within three years.

"Physical therapy is one of the fastest-growing professions in the state," Minor said.

MU was recently approved to have a doctoral degree of physical therapy program that students can apply for after graduation.

"Students will need to either have a bachelor's degree or be within 30 hours of it when they apply," Minor said.

The program is set to begin in Winter Semester 2007.