ANNOUNCING THE FORMATION OF THE UTC PT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION!
On January 18, 2002, the first meeting of the UTC PT Alumni Association occurred at he Patten House on the campus of UTC. Over 75 alumni showed up to catch up with one another and check out what's going on with the PT Program. The UTC PTAA was born as the result of ideas and efforts of faculty, interested alumni, and the UTC Alumni Affairs Department. The mission and goals of the Alumni Association were outlined as follows:
** Please make plans to attend the next meeting on August 16, 2002. There will once again be a learning opportunity as well as a time to socialize and contribute to the further development of the UTC PT Alumni Association. Dr. Randy Walker will provide a free 4-hour course "Introduction to Mulligan." It will be offered in the PT department from 1:00-5:00. RSVP to Yvonne-Kilpatrick@utc.edu. **
CEU REQUIREMENTS FOR TENNESSEE PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
While many therapists in Tennessee choose to continue their education for personal growth, state requirements for continuing competence are underway. A menu approach is being proposed that allows one to choose from a variety of options (ie. Inservices, serving as a CI, completing a related college course, etc.). Each licensed PT and PTA may be required to participate in a minimum number of experiences over a two year period in order to promote continuing competence. A four hour course in ethics and jurisprudence will be required for all therapists. Dr. Debbie Ingram will be offering this 4 hour course FREE to all UTC PT alumni at our meeting in August, 2003; so mark your calendars and plan to attend!!
The proposed rules for continuing competence for the state of TN are posted at the following site: http://www2.state.tn.us/health/Downloads/OPT.pdf
NEWS FROM THE FACULT
Dr. Nancy Tripp Fell is the proud mother of Ethan Cole Fell, a 6 month old cute little fellow. Nancy is serving on the APTA's Annual Conference Program Committee.
Dr. June Hanks spent the fall semester in Haiti and will be returning this summer to provide physical therapy services in a missions hospital. The students didn't get to make the trip this spring because of security reasons.
Dr. Debbie Ingram just returned from Washington, DC as the Federal Government Affairs liaison for PT Education. She got to visit with our legislators and promote co-sponsorship of the two PT bills before Congress. Please go to the APTA website and contact your legislator immediately! We need to repeal the $1500 Medicare Cap for PT services and gain access for payment of PT services through direct access (TN already has direct access, so it would allow PTs to be paid). You can easily send email notes to your legislators. The address is: http://capwiz.com/amerpta/home/
Dr. David Levine is working in cooperation with the UT Vet School in offering a certification program in Canine Rehabilitation. The introductory course will be offered August 8-9 in Knoxville. Information is available at www.neseminars.com. Dave & Allie are the proud parents of two daughters.
Dr. Cathie Smith will be off to Europe for the summer. Ray finished his PhD and they will be hosting a group of US students who are studying abroad. Her youngest daughter will graduate from Ooltewah High School tonight.
Dr. Larry Tillman is coordinating admissions for our program. Please encourage people to pursue physical therapy as a career. The job market is great right now! Opportunities abound. We now do early admissions and qualified candidates may actually hear of acceptance in October! Refer candidates to our website for application materials: http://www.utc.edu/~phyt/
Dr. Randy Walker spent a couple of weeks in New Zealand, studying with Brian Mulligan. He is stepping up to a faculty position this fall and we are actively seeking a new director. He has finished a beautiful log house up on Signal Mountain that has an incredible view of the mountains in the distance. His grandson brings much joy to him right now!
Dr. Mike Whittle has moved the gait lab onto campus. It is providing opportunities for not only our PT students, but also other UTC students to also learn of his great talents. Mike just coordinated and served as the host for an international gait conference held at The Chattanoogan (our new downtown conference hotel).
DPT
Thank you to so many of our graduates for completing the survey in regards to our plans to establish a doctoral program at UTC. We submitted the proposal to convert our existing master's program to the doctoral level. UTC's Graduate Council and Faculty Council approved it. The Chancellor and Provost are supportive and the plan is for the UT System to take our proposal to THEC in early fall. UT-Memphis is also planning to convert at the same time. Our hope is that our existing students will be able to complete the additional requirements and actually graduate with the DPT.