What is your advice for prospective students?

Apply early! You can be very organized prior to the PTCAS even opening. If your Pre-PT club has a meeting on how to manage the PTCAS website – go to it! It will be extremely helpful because the process is somewhat confusing.

Things you can have ready to go before it opens:

1. Have all of your volunteer hours organized! PT’s names, emails, phone numbers, and facility name, how many hours, etc.
2. Previous job locations and amount of hours worked
3. CONTACT your REFERENCES EARLY! – Don’t wait until PTCAS opens to contact and ask. Contact them early (even months early) so that they have a good head start. That way they are able to email their letter right when PTCAS contacts them.

What is your advice for prospective students?

Come into the first year being flexible. I had what I thought were great study habits from undergrad however, after the first month of classes I had to completely change my way of doing things. The classes here move at a faster pace; being flexible and willing to adapt will help make a smooth transition.

Why do you want to be a physical therapist?

I have always wanted to be in the health field, but I was unsure of where exactly. I love working with people and after observing several therapists and getting to see the amazing changes that were made I knew that is what I wanted to do.   

What are your extracurricular activities?

Running, hunting, boating, rollerblading, shopping, road trips, bonfires, traveling,  

Why did you choose DMU?

The technology used at DMU is awesome.  The price of the school is unbeatable; a private school at a state cost. Lastly, the facility itself has a professional feeling when you walk through the door. I was sold after my tour.

What are your career objectives?

At this point in time I want to work with pediatrics. However, I still have a ton to learn so once I complete my internships at DMU this may change.

What do you do when you’re not studying?

I work out, go to Grey’s Lake or Saylorville Lake, eat at Orange Leaf (best froyo shop ever), relax and hang out with friends. 

What is your favorite thing about Des Moines?

Des Moines has so much to offer. Saylorville Lake is my all-time favorite. It has a clean beach, great spot for bonfires and a small marina with a restaurant on the lake.

What is your advice for prospective students?

Make a list of pros and cons for each school that you visit to help figure out which one fits you best.

Why did you choose DMU?

I visited DMU for the first time on a Discover DMU day and really enjoyed learning about the program.  I really like the way the program is set up with Clinical Internships spread throughout the curriculum and the emphasis on manual therapy.  After my interview, I knew DMU was the right school for me because it felt really natural.

Why do you want to be a physical therapist? 

It is such an exciting field and it is rapidly growing.  I like that I can work in different settings throughout my career and I enjoy the patient-therapist interaction. 

What do you do when you’re not studying? 

 I like to relax with my friends and family, go shopping, try out new restaurants downtown, and enjoy the Des Moines nightlife. 

Were you surprised by anything in the program?

 I was surprised by how much my professors care about my personal life and my success in and out of the program.  They want to know me as an individual and build a good relationship.

What are your career objectives? 

I am interested in geriatrics but I am open to any setting.

What is your advice for prospective students?

My advice for prospective students is to make sure you get your observation hours done early and in many different patient settings. Also, try to have everything ready to go before PTCAS opens to make sure you get your application early.

Why do you want to be a physical therapist?

I actually didn’t know I wanted to be a physical therapist until my sophomore year in college. I had always wanted to either be a teacher or become a doctor (or nurse). When both of those options weren’t extremely appealing to be, I choose something that combined both of them. I feel like as a physical therapist, you have to have the medical knowledge to know what’s going on with your patients but you also have to have the ability to teach them what they need to do to improve.

Why did you choose DMU?

I chose DMU because of the small campus. All of the faculty and staff here are focus on helping you succeed from the minute you step foot on campus.

Were you surprised by anything in the program?

One thing I was really surprised about was how available the faculty members are. Most of the faculty members here have an open door policy so if you need anything, you can usually stop in and they are more than willing to help. This was something that’s nice because you don’t have to worry about trying to schedule time around office hours.