Physical Therapist Assistant Students Immerse Themselves in the Industry at the APTA Fall Assembly

On October 21, 2015, six physical therapy assistant (PTA) students, Kaitlin Kolesnikoff, Leigh Weisse, Peter Zhao, Jaclyn Masucci, Paulette Iannone, Phillip Jones and Brandon DeLuca attended the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) of MA Fall Assembly along with their professor Dr. Carolyn Cwalinski.  This was the first time students experienced such a meeting, and many reported feeling inspired by the proceedings. 

Kaitlin Kolesnikoff stated “I was shocked to see the lack of involvement from PTAs. There was not a single PTA on the attendance list out of 41 voters from 5 districts. Attending this assembly helped me to start thinking about how I can get involved and help to be a voice for PTAs in the near future. It was extremely helpful to start making connections with people and meet a few students who are involved at various different levels. While they were PT students, they seemed excited that there were PTA students who may be interested in getting involved.”

And Leigh Weisse found “being among a group of individuals who are so passionate about what they practice confirms every desire I have to enter the physical therapy world.  The debates, while back and forth and repetitive at some points, always seemed to reach a common conclusion that the majority would agree upon.”

One of the students, Peter Zhao (pictured), volunteered to assist the APTA of MA board and was responsible for managing the presentation materials and editing the proposed motions.  Peter handled the responsibilities with ease and as a thank you, was granted free registration for the APTA of MA’s annual conference.