I worked at an in-patient rehabilitation hospital for 10 years. During the last five years, I started thinking about returning to school because I was feeling left behind, as most of my coworkers had their DPT. I had a bachelor’s in physical therapy at the time and considered myself a mature clinician. But I was surrounded by clinicians who had their DPT. I knew my education was nowhere near the DPT level and no amount of continuing education would catch me up. Frankly, I felt like I was in a rut, like I was missing something. I was feeling left behind.

When I changed jobs and was no longer working full-time, I realized I had the time to return to school. It was a “now or never” situation for me. I felt I was in the right place mentally to take on the challenge of returning to school.

I heard about ATSU’s DPT program by doing an online search of DPT programs. I had asked some of my colleagues what DPT programs they knew of and had gone to, and searched those as well. I narrowed down my search to ATSU and two programs in other states.

After reading about each of them, I communicated with the programs via email. I was really drawn to ATSU because it was the closest to my home. Living in Texas, frankly, I am a desert girl. I love the rugged beauty of this harsh climate. I especially love the way the desert comes alive after rain. ATSU really seemed like a natural fit. Once I was accepted, and to my surprise, I came across two colleagues who had also graduated with their postprofessional DPT from ATSU.

I also like ATSU’s whole person approach to health and their emphasis on diversity. The program not only talks about diversity, but their student body and faculty are diverse. Diversity leads to greater, richer experiences. I wanted to be part of an academic community that valued the entire person and actively sought to have a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

My mom was instrumental in making me seriously consider returning to school for my DPT. I vividly recall discussing my concerns about being too old to return to school. I clearly recall her response which was, “more education is good; don’t let your age stop you.” I realized I was letting my fear of being too old stop me from pursuing what had been a dream of mine for several years.

I also recall a colleague of mine, a physical therapist assistant, who was planning on applying to DPT school. She was completing her undergraduate degree and intended on doing a PTA-to-DPT program. This gave me the final push I needed to make my dream of earning my DPT a reality. I realized I was the only person holding myself back.

In researching other DPT programs, I saw the wide variability of costs. This was another reason I chose ATSU; it was not the least expensive program, but it was the right combination of location, cost, and “feel” for me.

I had money saved up and thankfully had little debt but despite this, it has still been challenging. I learned to cut back on non-essential items in my day-to-day life and when I had unexpected expenses, such as when I needed a new water heater and laptop, my family helped me cover these expenses.

The DPT program definitely imparted more clinical knowledge; I was sorely lacking in that area. I was happy that one of the courses in my degree plan was on reimbursement. Since I am not in private practice, I did not think I needed to know much about reimbursement, but boy, was I wrong. This class was crucial as it taught me about fraud, waste, and abuse. The classes I have taken have elevated my knowledge, and thus, my confidence. I feel like I am a more knowledgeable practitioner and in turn, am a better clinician to my patients.

My intent is to do something different in healthcare such as utilization review. Although I love one-to-one patient care, I am ready to explore different avenues. I am hopeful the DPT will open doors for me.

Going into the program, I did not know what to expect. I was hoping for patient, kind, and supportive staff. My first positive experience with ATSU came during the admission process. The enrollment counselor was very helpful and patient. She was so supportive and encouraging; she made me feel like I could do this.

The instructors have made me feel like they truly care about my learning. The quality of the curriculum is excellent and includes up-to-date information. The instructors are excellent at returning emails and texts.

During the Texas freeze of early 2021, when much of the country was hit by the arctic freeze and power was out, the director of the program, Dr. Roehling, reached out to check up on me, which was unexpected and touching. I was shocked when I saw her email checking in on me to make sure I was ok. She said my instructor was aware that I was in a state dealing with power outages, and they would work with me. I was touched by her reaching out and thinking of me during that time.

I am loving being in this program and am happy that I chose to move forward with my DPT. I have had to give up a lot of my free time to study and complete assignments, but it is so worth it! I'm proud of myself for doing this as I consider myself an older clinician (30 years of practice) and wondered if I still had it in me to complete what I knew was going to be a rigorous program (plus all the technology "stuff"). Ironically, not only have I become a better physical therapist just in the few courses I've taken thus far, but I have become a better speech pathologist as well due to the program's emphasis on using current, evidence-based research and practice.

The instructors have been excellent. The amount of work they put into their course is evident. I appreciate their quick responses to my emails and their support and encouragement. I truly feel like they want us to learn and succeed. They are also good at working with us when our work/home life prohibits us from turning assignments in on time.

I was so happy to be accepted into the postprofessional program. It is a privilege to be at ATSU. I knew my life would not be the same and I was nervous and excited. Although it has been challenging with many long days and nights, I am grateful for it all. I would do it all over again. This is exactly where I am meant to be, and I am excited for my future.