The medical profession is one that is constantly shifting; innovation and creativity have been used for thousands of years as tools for necessary growth and advancement in healthcare. It is crucial for the students who will become tomorrow’s health care professionals to receive an education that places emphasis on change, flexibility, and innovation.

The University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences is equipping our physical therapy (PT) leaders of tomorrow by offering third-year PT students the unique opportunity to volunteer at and attend the annual conference hosted by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT). For the past five years, physical therapy students have assisted management staff with the duties necessary to conduct the conference, and in return are allowed to attend as many conference sessions as they’d like. 

“It’s a great opportunity because our students learn so much,” said Chuck Hazle, PT, PhD, associate professor of physical therapy, who is responsible for organizing UK PT students’ involvement in the conference. “Our students are given the opportunity to interact with prestigious names in the profession and learn a variety of technical content because of the size of the conference.  Over the course of the three-day event, students might find themselves at the breakfast table with various elite clinicians or authors of important publications.”

“It’s a rewarding experience as a student to attend these lectures and learn from those who’ve been in the field for so long. I gained so much perspective on the profession,” said Luke Morgan, who was in attendance at the 2018 conference. “I actually met with Chad Cook, who’s a really renowned practitioner in the physical therapy arena. I found out we both went to college at Murray State. I was able to relate to him on a personal level.”

By taking part in such an intimate conference setting and interacting with some of the most knowledgeable and influential clinicians and educators in the country, students come back with a radically changed perception of their futures as medical professionals. “They come back understanding professionalism, professional behavior, commitment, and excellence on a completely different level than what we as a faculty could just tell them in lecture,” Hazle explained.

In addition to the unique chance for students to attend the conference, a group of third-year UK PT students and recent graduates including Lauren Cornwell, Haley Doyle, and Megan Stoner presented at the 2018 event. “It’s very unusual for students to present because it’s a high-caliber conference,” Hazle said. “I looked at the total number of abstracts submitted versus how many presentations there were, and our students’ presentations were in the top 13 percent of those submitted. Most abstracts are submitted by people who are already established in the field.”

The University of Kentucky’s PT program is the only program out of the 247 accredited PT programs in the United States that is asked to provide students to work the conference. “I think it speaks volumes about the high standards of our physical therapy program and how well-respected UK is,” said 2018 participant Briana Shandel. “I also think this opportunity demonstrates Dr. Hazle’s commitment to the profession as a clinician and a professor. Each year, he works very hard to have physical therapy students from the University of Kentucky represented at AAOMPT.”

“The professionals who present at the AAOMPT conference are pushing the agenda of how to be life-long learners,” Morgan added. “Everyone is pursuing the most current knowledge and that’s a long-term process. The College of Health Sciences truly wants us to advance as professionals by providing this opportunity.”