September 2011

Editorial- PTA Program

Labette Community College allied health programs are m= aking a significant impact on the quality of healthcare within Southeast Kansas a= nd the surrounding areas. The allied health programs at Labette Community Coll= ege include the Nursing, Respiratory, and Radiography Programs. Through a Title= III grant program, the Physical Therapist Assistant and Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs were added in fall 2011. These programs are responsible= for a significant amount of community service and service learning and are well-known for the successful pass-rates and job placement after graduation= .

The Nursing department hosts free blood pressure clini= cs, while the Radiography students bring awareness to Breast Cancer awareness month. The Respiratory Care department hosts a Walk for Cystic Fibrosis each year. These are just a few community service initiatives our current progra= ms do locally. I can’t wait to see what exciting things the Physical Therapist Assistant students can do for our community!

The newest addition to the LCC allied health division = is the Physical Therapist Assistant Program making its debut this fall. With more = than 60 applicants and only 23 accepted into the program, LCC quickly knew the interest generated in the program would be as well received by students and= the healthcare industry as the current three programs. Admissions criteria, like the other programs, PTA has strict requirements for admissions, making obtaining the degree more difficult but more respectable in the workforce. A rigorous process of essay writing, testing, observation hours, background checks, and interviews are a few of the things students must go through for entrance into the PTA program. Approval for such a program began with a wri= tten grant for a Title III grant. Finding a qualified program director proved to= be a lengthy process, finally able to hire Lisa Bradley in October 2010 and Ja= mie Rathjen as Clinical Coordinator in February 2011. The future of the PTA pro= gram looks promising as LCC has seen strong community support and the healthcare field is growing, because of a nationwide shortage.

Many of LCC’s allied health teaching staff are employed locally as well as our students which graduate with honors and the= n go onto work in Labette Health and other local clinics. These students are well-prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation. The outstanding, near= ly 100%, pass rates for each of these programs speak volumes for the instructi= on staff and the hands-on training experiences students receive during clinica= ls.

Like the current three programs, the rigorous PTA curr= iculum coupled with top notch instruction will help cement LCC as a hub for quality healthcare education in southeast Kansas.

Stop by the main campus and I will be happy to show you around campus and visit about the exciting things happening at LCC. It̵= 7;s a great year to be a Cardinal!