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While some students catch up on extra sleep Saturday mornings, a group of physical therapy students head down to Midvale and provide treatment and care to those who otherwise wouldn’t have access.
TODAY’S TOP STORY: PHONE SCAM TARGETS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT THE U
Scott Ward, a professor in the physical therapy department said the group is known as the Student Run Pro Bono Clinic, and is completely student-run and operated.
“There is a faculty member who is their advisor and they have a board that helps them, but it is student-run,” Ward said. “They administer it, schedule it, manage and maintain from top to bottom. It is theirs to run.”
This experience allows 81 students the opportunity to participate in leadership positions.
“They have come up with a plan to allow it to be an ongoing effort. They have a student board and they elect members of the lower years to be on the board to learn from the older students,” Ward said.
Ward said providing students with hands-on education gives them a chance to understand their field better.
“It’s a chance for them to provide community service and patient care. They manage the examination of the patients and create [and] outline treatments and protocols under the watch of the consultant,” Ward said.
Misha Bradford, the advisor for the group, supports the goals the students made for themselves. Bradford noted the two primary motivations to provide service were community need and a useful learning laboratory for the clinic to practice.
“The feedback all around has been so positive,” Bradford said. “The community is benefiting because the students are providing a resource that they wouldn’t have without them. The students think it is a great experience because they get to learn what they are passionate about and provide community service.”
To be involved in the Student Run Pro Bono Clinic, students must be part of the department as a matriculated student in physical therapy. The clinic is approaching its one year anniversary and Bradford said she thinks the group will continue to grow.
@JulianneSkrivan[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]