CHCS Perspectives Summer/Fall 2013

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER-FALL 2013 – Page 42 T he first few weeks in a professional graduate degree pro- gram can be both exciting and challenging. Incoming stu- dents have to adjust to new people, new surroundings, and new experiences. Some students may not know what to expect in terms of workload, time-management issues, resources available to them, and opportunities ahead. When asked about their admissions experience, many of them wish they had had a student mentor to help them on that journey and someone to turn to for peer advice and support once they ar- rived. In the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) Pro- gram, current students as well as faculty and staff members come together to ensure the transition process for incoming students is as smooth as possible. The D.P.T. Ambassador Program is a student-driven initiative by which current students actively participate in the admissions’ and orientation process under the guidance of a faculty liaison. The project was born from a group of current students that wanted to ensure each new student would have a peer to connect with, and that the department could get feedback for continuous improve- ment of the admissions’ and orientation process. Each year, approximately five or six students from the first-year physical therapy cohort are elected by their classmates to represent the program as ambassadors. The ambassadors from the first- and second-year cohorts then work together as a group of 10-12 people. Being elected as an ambassador is a source of pride and an impor- tant accomplishment. Starting with the class of 2015, the leader of the ambassadors is also the class vice president, which ensures smooth communication between ambassadors and class officers. The ambassadors are involved in varied activities sponsored by the Physical Therapy Department, such as • helping at physical therapy open houses, answering questions from prospective applicants, and taking them on tours of the school—one of the ambassadors is in charge of helping faculty recruit volunteers and leads the student group during tours and question sessions • monitoring a Facebook group for prospective students, where the ambassadors answer questions and provide varied information about the program, including campus maps, equipment lists, student-life tips, FAQs, etc. • coordinating with class officers for participation in outreach activities to represent the program The PT Student Ambassador Program: Extending a Warm Welcome By Alicia Fernandez-Fernandez, D.P.T., Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy Department – Fort Lauderdale