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Students in field

Geri Hawley explains why Physical Therapist Assistant is a great degree option

April 13, 2018


Geri Hawley, an instructor in the Physical Therapists Assistant (PTA) program, stopped by Finlandia Fridays this week to discuss the PTA degree offered at Finlandia. “We are designed to prepare students to go out into the clinical field and work with patients under a physical therapist to be able to treat patients and get them better in any pathology they have,” stated Hawley. The program is a two-year program, with students receiving more intensive training in their second year.  Known as the “technical phase,” students, in the fall semester, will be in class for 11 weeks, while the last four weeks of the semester will be spent doing clinical work. In the spring, students will study for 13 weeks, with two more clinical sessions, both lasting five weeks, pushing students to finish in the summerGeri Hawley

Hawley mentioned that each school’s clinical sessions vary. Some will do their sessions at the end of the degree program, while others will do it while the students are learning the material. The PTA program at FinnU has discovered that the best way to do clinicals is at the end of the semesters, due to the availability of work sites and the unique mix of classroom and hands-on learning.

Transfer students, who have completed their general education, can come into the PTA program and graduate in as a little as a year, which is something that is becoming more common, Hawley said. With Finlandia’s new transfer pricing, potential students can earn a degree more efficiently and at a lower price. More information about transfer pricing can be found in the links below.

This spring, 14 students will graduate from the PTA program. When asked about the graduating class, Hawley stated “Every year, I don’t know what it is, we just have great students in our program, and I can honestly say that every year I am impressed with our students.”

Mobile Food Pantry

Next week, FinnU, as well as Feeding America and Ontonagon Area Schools, will be hosting a mobile food pantry. The pantry will take place in Ontonagon, Hawley’s home town, from 4 to 7p.m. Anyone in need can show up to the pantry and receive a plethora of fresh food.

Additional links:

Transfer links:

PTA Program Links:

Mobile Food Pantry Facebook Page

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