EUGENE, OR - Three years ago, Damien Kruziki, 35, worked as a professional photographer, hauling photo equipment from one photo engagement to the next. But when the economy soured and he lost his job, Damien, who previously had earned a bachelor in fine arts degree, began preparing for a new career in physical therapy at Lane Community College.
"I'm not one to sit at a desk," says the Eugene resident. "I need to be doing things with my hands and feet."
One of the first to graduate from Lane's two-year Physical Therapist Assistant program, launched in 2009, Damien accepted a full-time job with benefits just prior to graduation, working between two skilled nursing facilities with long-term geriatric patients and other adults who are rehabilitating from neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions and incidents of cardiac arrest.
Students in Lane's Physical Therapist Assistant "hybrid program" learn though online materials and on-campus lab practice one day a week. It's a study option that has attracted students from across Oregon, says Christina Howard, the program's coordinator.
In a spacious new lab in the Health and Wellness Center on main campus, students practice physical therapy techniques and learn the essentials of collaborating as a member of a health care team.
Altogether, students receive 420 hours of practicum and lab training, Howard says. In the second year, students apply their new knowledge of body mechanics and rehabilitative techniques in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and outpatient clinics, for a total of 648 supervised hours. Upon completing the program, graduates are eligible to take the National Licensing Exam for Physical Therapist Assistants.
The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education awarded the program a five-year accreditation in November, allowing the students to obtain licensure. "Unlike other health professions programs offered at Lane," says Howard, "our first graduating class started and finished the program without the assurance that their degree would result in employment. It was up to these students, faculty, and the college to prove Lane's program would meet national standards."
Only one other Oregon community college — Mt. Hood Community College — offers a PTA program.
Job prospects for physical therapist assistants are very good, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between the present and 2018, the field is expected to grow by 33 percent.
For more information about the physical therapist assistant program at Lane Community College, go online at www.lanecc.edu/hp/pta
Lane is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Visit online at www.lanecc.edu or www.twitter.com/lanenews or www.facebook.com/lanecommunitycollege
Physical Therapist Assistant grads pose outside the Health and Wellness Center at Lane Community College. From left: Ian Standish, Damien Kruziki, Marie Williamson, JoNel Hood, and Shannon Gaul
###
Media contact:
Joan Aschim, PIO, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu