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Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Pediatric Clinic
The pediatric clinic in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) campus in Austin, Texas, pairs students with children from the community.
Kids move and play during sessions, which is what they naturally want to do, and families are starting to see hope. Will is walking again, and Martin is working toward leaving the walker behind. For students like Phillip, watching a child who was not expected to walk get up and walk is what led them to choose PT.
Madison looked for a program with community impact, and the clinic delivers it: families gain a service, and students grow as professionals while changing lives.
Transcript
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Pediatric Clinic
[00:00:00] Phillip (DPT Student): This is a program where you get to see everything you’ve learned and worked for pan out and make a difference right in front of your eyes. [00:00:13] Madison (PT Student): Groundbreaking, totally cutting edge. This is a crazy experience. I’ve never heard of another campus or program that has this. [00:00:20] Darryn Atkinson (PT Faculty): I am, uh, really, really excited and proud that we had a chance to do this here. [00:00:25] Elizabeth Ardolino (PT Faculty): We are the only university with a doctor of physical therapy program that has integrated this type of a clinic into their curriculum. [00:00:34] Darryn Atkinson (PT Faculty): It’s a very different kind of approach from what the standard of care is. [00:00:38] Elizabeth Ardolino (PT Faculty): The traditional approach is to brace them and immobilize them, and kids don’t want to do that, right? [00:00:43] Kids naturally want to move and to play. By putting them now in an environment where they can move and they can play, I think they and their parents are starting to see hope for the future. [00:00:55] Will’s Mom: Being here, there’s hope. [00:00:58] Martin (Client): My goal is to get rid of the walker. [00:01:01] Will (Client): I used to not walk at my, whenever I was at the hospital, and then now I’ve started here, and I’m starting to walk again. [00:01:10] Phillip (DPT Student): Most of us go in this ’cause we want to make a difference. My hope is that he just gets as much independence as possible. [00:01:16] Elizabeth Ardolino (PT Faculty): The kids themselves are making tremendous progress. [00:01:19] Madison (PT Student): Huge changes. [00:01:20] Phillip (DPT Student): Just seeing this kid who, I mean, is supposed to never walk again, and then he gets to get up and walk. I mean, it’s incredible. [00:01:30] Elizabeth Ardolino (PT Faculty): It’s really positive and really encouraging to us and to our students here to see that. [00:01:34] Darryn Atkinson (PT Faculty): It makes me feel great, and I, you know, I really just enjoy giving them the opportunities. What’s really cool is to see their confidence grow and, and especially the kids where they’ve got their whole life in front of them. [00:01:46] Madison (PT Student): And without this kind of therapy, he wouldn’t have his best chance at making as much of a recovery as possible. We have this service, and we’re able to offer that to the community, and that’s really important. That’s one of the things that I looked for. How are you impacting the community? [00:01:59] Phillip (DPT Student): You feel like you’re making a real difference. [00:02:01] Will’s Mom: I just think his progress is where it is because we’ve been gifted with this opportunity to be here. [00:02:09] Will (Client): It makes me happy. [00:02:10] Madison (PT Student): You know, we’re changing their lives, and then growing as, as professionals ourselves, so that’s pretty cool. [00:02:18] Nathan’s Mom: I just cannot imagine Nathan’s life without PTs. [00:02:22] Martin (Client): Thank you for helping me. [00:02:24] Nathan’s Mom: Thank you. Thank you.
