February 8, 2019
Pictured left to right: Stacey Piche, Northland student; Emily Omberg, Northland student.
February 8, 2019 Northland Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students, Emily Omberg and Stacey Piche recently presented a research study at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in Washington D.C.
The Combined Sections Meeting is the nation’s largest physical therapy conference, attended by over 16,000 physical therapy professionals and students annually. The study titled, Autonomy and Productivity Among Physical Therapists Licensed in North Dakota: A Survey and Analysis, was conducted in conjunction with fellow Northland PTA students Tyler Carr and Katelyn Stasney.
It is uncommon for PTA students to present original research at a national conference, and this is the sixth year in a row that a Northland PTA student has had the opportunity to do so.
Of the hundreds of research studies chosen to be presented at the conference through a peer review process, Omberg and Piche were the only PTA students chosen to present. Stacey and Emily did a great job representing Northland. It is uncommon for PTA students to present original research at a national conference, and this is the sixth year in a row that a Northland PTA student has had the opportunity to do so, said Northland Physical Therapist Assistant program director Justin Berry.
Northlands PTA program has been accredited since 2009 and boasts excellent graduate outcomes, including employment and licensure exam pass rates. The demand for graduates of the PTA program is on the rise. By 2026 the projected need for new PTA in the field nationwide is expected to increase by 31%. In this high-demand field, PTA graduates can expect a salary of around $54,000 annually, according to Minnesota State CAREERwise Education (careerwise.minnstate.edu). A shortage of healthcare and other skilled trades workers nationwide is the pushing wages in these growing fields exponentially higher.