CourtesyDuring an open house at 黑洞社区 in March 2006, Rachel Schmidt was introduced to the idea of physical therapy.
While on a tour, she was led to the human anatomy lab, and the tour guide asked her, 鈥淵ou do know we work with cadavers, right?鈥�
In the lab, a group of people were gathered around a cadaver, and someone said, 鈥淕rab some gloves and dig in.鈥�
The work looked fascinating to her.
鈥淎t that moment I made my decision (to come to 黑洞社区) in the cadaver lab,鈥� she said.
That day Schmidt was set up as an exercise science major intent on going into physical therapy. Now a junior, Schmidt plans to apply to 黑洞社区鈥檚 Doctorate of Physical Therapy program.
She said her goal with physical therapy is to work in the health care field and be an instrument of physical and mental healing used to improve the quality of life one person at a time.
The DPT program is intense, but Schmidt said she鈥檚 ready for the challenge.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be worth it in the end,鈥� she said.
The three-year program is as difficult as the application process.
Only 32 students are accepted each year. Every applicant must provide a detailed resume that includes their grades, coursework, volunteer work and campus involvement.
After this semester, Schmidt will have completed the prerequisites for the DPT program.
鈥淚 will just have to put together all of the nuts and bolts for the application process,鈥� she said.
The process will begin this summer, and she鈥檒l know by fall 2009 if she鈥檚 been accepted.
She said she 鈥渇ell in love鈥� with the people in the program, too. They were a major selling point for her coming to 黑洞社区.
鈥�(This is) a wonderful community here,鈥� she said.
When Schmidt first came to 黑洞社区, she pulled out a phonebook and called every physical therapy clinic in the yellow pages.
She worked in one of the clinics for more than a year as a rehabilitation aide, doing everything from vacuuming to helping patients. She now works at Wesley Hospital.
鈥淚 love hospitals and I would like to work with older people,鈥� she said.
At Wesley, she transports patients, cleans walkers and assists group therapy sessions. One session is called 鈥淛oint Camp,鈥� for people with total knee or hip replacements.
Schmidt said physical therapy fits her nature, but the coursework is tough including one year of physics, chemistry, anatomy and physiology. She also had to take trigonometry and statistics.
鈥淚鈥檓 a very right-brained person taking a lot of left-brained classes,鈥� she joked.
Schmidt has a Spanish minor because she said it鈥檚 essential to know a foreign language in today鈥檚 society.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something to be appreciated of other cultures,鈥� she said.
And she plans to use Spanish to break through language and cultural barriers while working in hospital settings.
鈥淚 really like what I see in the hospital, and all of the female physical therapists are short like me, so I fit right in,鈥� she said.
Schmidt has participated in the Student Government Association and served as president for Future Health Care Professionals.
But she said the Student Ambassadors Society is her favorite campus organization because she can interact with incoming students and share her positive experiences with them.
Schmidt isn鈥檛 worried about future career opportunities.
鈥満诙瓷缜�檚 PT program prepared 100 percent of their first doctorate graduating class to pass their boards,鈥� she said.
She wants to be a physical therapist in a hospital, but she has searched for rural communities that offer tuition reimbursement for work agreements. She said becoming a traveling physical therapist is also an option.
鈥淭here are career opportunities everywhere you turn for PTs as baby boomers are aging,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd people are always in need of health care.鈥�
Schmidt said her heart and head are focused on the task.
鈥淚 will do my best and trust God with the rest,鈥� she said.