A young woman is in a crippling car accident. A soldier’s arm almost blown off, then sewn back on. An athlete pulls a muscle in the 100-meter dash. What do all these examples have in common?

These people, along with countless others, visit physical therapists who work to help patients improve their health and quality of life, to help strengthen muscles and relieve pain. It is a caring profession, without needles – for those who want to go into the medical field but can’t handle some of the chores.

Most medical professions have many years of education attached to them, and physical therapy is no different. Some physical therapy students spend seven years in school working toward their doctorate.

The need for PT’s has increased so much in the last few decades, though, that an alternative solution was needed. That solution is physical therapy assistants, and MHCC has its own program to train these very people.

“Four years ago I graduated from college and didn’t know what I wanted to do,” said Josha Moss, a second–year PTA student and president of the Physical Therapists Assistants Club on campus. When she heard about the program, she was working in an area she had little passion for, and along the line someone mentioned the program to her. It excited her because physical therapy can be very important for athletes, and Moss been involved in sports.

“I wanted to impact people’s lives some way,” Moss said. Now she is making it possible to do that, and has direction and is energized about her future. The program itself, she said, is excellent. “The teachers are wonderful, they believe in us. They’re making us into good PTAs,” Moss said.

The program attracts people who want to help others, so it’s natural they help their classmates as well.

“The friendships are well worth it,” Moss continued. “We learn from each other and we help each other become better students.” In two years a student can complete the program and go on to work with a physical therapist, often making $15 to $20 an hour to start. One of the main differences between a PT’s job and a PTA’s job is that PTAs cannot assess, but they still have a lot of freedom to do whatever the physical therapist has instructed in the plan of care.

The students in MHCC’s PTA program are reminded that they’re not just assistants. They still do much of the manual labor working one-on-one with the patient.

Every year, the program accepts 24 students. Because of the few openings, those who are accepted must be committed and give it their all.

For more information on MHCC’s Physical Therapy Assistants Program and the application process, go to www.mhcc.edu and enter “pta” in the search menu.