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PA students present at international healthcare communication conference
By Kate Hunger
Health insurance can be complicated and intimidating, says Ana Diaz, a Physician Assistant Studies student set to graduate in December.
PA students research the impact of a smartphone app on patients’ health insurance literacy
That’s why Diaz, along with nine Physician Assistant Studies students, two medical students and four pharmacy students, participated in an interdisciplinary, community service-learning project aimed at increasing community health literacy. Their goal: To test the effectiveness of a smartphone app designed to improve community health insurance literacy in a clinical setting.
New “3+2” program enables students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in respiratory care in 5 years
The School of Health Professions and the University of Texas at San Antonio in October launched a new program for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a master’s in respiratory care.
The Respiratory Care Early Acceptance Program (RCEAP) allows undergraduate 91PORN students majoring in biology or kinesiology to receive conditional acceptance to 91PORN. Upon completing the program, students will have earned a bachelor of science in biology or kinesiology and a master’s in respiratory care.
First speech-language pathology cohort hit 100% rates for graduation, passing national exam and landing jobs
All 15 students in the first cohort of the speech-language pathology master’s program graduated on time, passed their national exam on the first try and landed jobs within two months of graduation.
Two-thirds of the class had lined up jobs before graduation, said Associate Professor Fang-Ling Lu, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, speech-language pathology program director and interim chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Professor elected president of Texas Physical Therapy Association
Michael Geelhoed, PT, DPT, Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education was elected President of the Texas Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) in October.
Geelhoed previously has served TPTA as vice president, delegate-at-large and chief delegate, and he is president of the Texas PT Foundation. The election coincided with National PT Month.
“I chose to become a PT because I have always believed in healing the body through exercise,” he said.
Respiratory care students train PA studies students on mechanical ventilation
Second-year respiratory care students showed Physician Assistant Studies students how to use five different types of mechanical ventilators in training sessions held Oct. 21.
Mariana Castillo is one of five respiratory care students who provided the training to 46 first-year Physician Assistant Studies students. She trained students on the Servo-U ventilator, explained how to customize settings for different patients and provided patient scenarios.
PT professor chosen for selective grant-writing workshop
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Gustavo Almeida, PT, Ph.D., has been selected to be a mentee of the Training in Grantsmanship for Rehabilitation Research (TIGGRR) 2020.
The four-day intensive grant-writing workshop and mentorship program will be held at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., from Jan. 7–11.
OT students simulate telehealth therapy sessions
Occupational Therapy doctoral students this summer learned how to use telehealth to deliver therapy services.
Occupational Therapy Associate Professor Karin Barnes, Ph.D., OTR, FAOTA, created the telehealth assignment as part of the Pediatric Service Delivery course she teaches for second-year OTD students. Forty-two students participated in the assignment.
Telehealth can help address challenges to providing occupational therapy services, such as transportation, work schedules and remote home or school locations.
Speech-language pathology program gains new faculty member
The Speech-Language Pathology master’s program welcomed a new faculty member in June.
Assistant Professor Casey Taliancich-Klinger, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, grew up bilingual in South Texas.
“I’ve always had an interest in language and communication, so I felt this was the right field for me,” she said.
Taliancich-Klinger earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology, as well as bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Communication Sciences & Disorders, all from The University of Texas at Austin.
Inspired to help others, SLP student receives immunology scholarship
Second-year Speech-Language Pathology graduate student Joy-Alexandra Sabattus was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis at the age of 17.
“I wanted nothing to do with this disease,” she said of her initial response to her diagnosis. “I was very hard-headed and would push myself harder in a lot of ways.”
PT faculty and alumnae publish article in national journal
Two 91PORN physical therapy professors and two alumnae of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program have published an article in a national journal on the attitudes of students toward the homeless.
The article, “Attitudes of Physical Therapy Students Toward the Population Currently Experiencing Homelessness,” appeared in the fall issue of the Journal of Allied Health.
Surgical resident found passion for patient care in the EHS program
Raised in a military family, Michael Sippel moved frequently growing up. When he graduated high school, he wasn’t enthused about jumping into a four-year college setting.
So he took his dad’s advice and enrolled in an emergency medical technician program at 91PORN. When he realized he was interested in studying medicine, he enrolled in the paramedic program. That training led him to apply to the Emergency Health Sciences bachelor’s program, which he attended while working full-time as a paramedic.
EHS faculty member seeks to identify victims of human trafficking
Emergency Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor and Civilian Training Officer Matt Short is leading a project to create a validated tool to identify victims of human trafficking encountered by emergency responders.
Short, the continuing education instructor for the San Antonio Fire Department, saw the need for such a tool after noticing gaps in several continuing education conferences he attended to renew his paramedic license.
SHP to host Frontera de Salud volunteer information session
Janna Roberts wants students in the School of Health Professions to know they are welcome to volunteer with Frontera de Salud, an interprofessional, student-run organization that provides preventive health services and education to the medically underserved in San Antonio and South Texas.
Two OT faculty members appointed to national leadership positions
Two faculty members in the Department of Occupational Therapy recently were appointed to leadership positions within national professional organizations.
Respiratory Care students have preclinical competencies ahead of ICU internships
Second-year Respiratory Care students practiced their preclinical competencies this summer before beginning internships in intensive care settings this fall.
The purpose of the preclinical competency checks is to ensure students are familiar with various types of ventilators and other equipment.
PA students are trained on how to stop the bleed
The Department of Physician Assistant Studies trains students how to stop uncontrolled bleeding during trauma situations before the arrival of emergency responders.
The Stop the Bleed campaign, part of a national initiative, aims to give people with the skills to effectively apply tourniquets to stop bleeding resulting from trauma such as car accidents or mass violence, said Physician Assistant Studies Assistant Professor–Clinical Roland Paquette, PA-C.
Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Gustavo Almeida, PT, Ph.D., found his passion all because of a knee injury.
“I was a swimmer and triathlete for years and my knee got bad,” he said. “I went to do physical therapy myself after knee surgery and I just fell in love with the profession. Then, I went to investigate what the students do, what they have to go through, and I said, ‘That’s it.’”
Almeida joined the Department of Physical Therapy in June. He is course director for Exercise Physiology in the coming fall semester and will co-teach Movement Science in the spring.
Professor attends signing of bill allowing patients access to PT services
Patients in Texas soon will be able to receive physical therapy treatment without a physician referral.
Signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 14, HB 29 allows patient access to physical therapy without a physician referral. Michael Geelhoed, D.P.T., OCS, MTC, associate professor and director of clinical education, attended the bill signing on July 14.
Virtual dissection tables are fully integrated into PA and OT curriculum
Students in the Departments of Physician Assistant Studies and Occupational Therapy have recently augmented their study of anatomy by using digital dissection tables as part of their curriculum.
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