The path to success isn鈥檛 always a straight line.
For many students, that path includes exploring a variety of fields, changing college majors, and experimenting with different jobs before zeroing in on a career they love.
Jonathan Bird was never one of those guys. By the time he began college, Bird had a clear vision for his future.
鈥淲hen I was a college freshman, both of my older brothers worked in the home health care field as Certified Nursing Assistants,鈥� Bird says. 鈥淚 knew back then that I wanted to work with patients, one on one, to provide care that would help improve their health and their lives.鈥�
That鈥檚 exactly what he鈥檚 been doing鈥攁nd teaching others to do鈥攆or more than 20 years. Bird graduated with his BS in Physical Education (with a Physical Therapy emphasis) from Brigham Young University in 1999. Two years later, he earned his MS in Physical Therapy from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
In 2009, after working several years as a Regional Rehabilitation Director for a subacute rehabilitation company, Bird was hired by 黑料不打烊 to develop a Physical Therapist Assistant program from scratch.
鈥淲hen I came to Carrington 11 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into,鈥� Bird recalls. 鈥淏uilding a college program from the ground up has been challenging on many levels, but my enthusiasm to jump in and create something valuable has really paid off. We鈥檝e had more than 150 students graduate from the program鈥攁nd we have a new class starting up next month.鈥�
Bird says the 聽Associate of Science degree program attracts a wide variety of students.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had students ranging in age from 18 to 60,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome are right out of high school, while others are looking to begin a second or even third career. Students who thrive in the PTA program have two things in common. First, they鈥檙e 鈥榩eople people.鈥� They鈥檙e outgoing and they have strong interpersonal skills. Second, they鈥檙e adaptable. They鈥檙e critical thinkers who have good, analytical minds, and they can easily adapt to new information and changing situations.鈥�
Bird鈥檚 own adaptability and interpersonal skills have served him well. In 2015, a year after being named Carrington鈥檚 Boise 鈥淓ducator of the Year鈥�, the father of four children鈥攖hen ages five to 13鈥攅arned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy while serving as PTA program director, teaching classes, and operating his own small physical therapy private practice. Two years ago, he was selected by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy to write questions for the national PTA board examination.
For Bird, working with patients and working with students are each gratifying, but in different ways. Both, he says, are about creating a connection.
鈥淲ith patients, the goal is to help them heal and regain as much movement and mobility as possible,鈥� he says. 鈥淣othing feels better than partnering with patients to achieve a level of improvement and independence they weren鈥檛 even sure was possible. With students, it鈥檚 about a different kind of growth and progress. I find it invigorating to educate and encourage them, to help them develop their skills and abilities. They often begin the program with self-doubt and so many questions, but leave two years later with self-confidence, answers, and a real sense of purpose.鈥�
Bird says the Physical Therapist Assistant program externship component provides students with practical, real-life experience in a variety of settings.
鈥淭oward the end of their program, each student works in three different clinical settings鈥攊ncluding at least one inpatient and one outpatient鈥攐ver 17 weeks,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪ome extern at sports clinics, school districts, or in home health care settings. Others extern at nursing homes, pediatric clinics, or hospitals. Wherever they train, they learn how to interact with patients and gain real-life skills that can have a positive impact in the lives of people who need them.鈥�
The Physical Therapist Assistant program is offered at four 黑料不打烊 campuses: Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada; Mesa, Arizona; and Pleasant Hill, California.
