For American Career College's first physical therapist assistant cohort, November ended up being a month with a lot to be thankful for.
Class of 2015
Cohort 1
Paul Alvarez
Syntyche Amacio
Mario Anzures
Jonathan Arcinas
Steven Barrett
Catherine Basilan
Tricia Bataclan
Lauren Blue
Theodor Lorenz P. Botones
Briana Camp
Michael Celi
Jessica Chesmore
Nino Fabian
Jake Gilbert
Ken Hamashima
Jason Helwig
Krystal Helwig
Monica Hernandez
Dominique Hill
Cristina Kalbermatter
Bakhat Khatri
Thien Le
Isaiah Leano
Janice Madarang
Patrick Madriaga
Jose Mancilla
Jennifer Menard
Earl Morgia
Jovanna Murga
Jacqueline Ocariz
Ivan Pamintuan
Nathan Pickering
Roxanne Pond
Rodrigo Racho
Anthony Rosales
Ryan Shows
Fernando Sibayan Jr.
Jeffrey Sokolovsky
Cynthia Torres
Erik Vasquez
Kathleen Villanueva
On Nov. 14, nearly 200 friends and family from across the county and around the world showed up to help celebrate ACC's inaugural physical therapist assistant pinning ceremony. Two weeks later, it was announced the PTA program was granted full accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
"I want to take this time to share my thanks and appreciation for the many individuals that impact our student experiences each day, and for all of you who have influenced our program's journey," ACC Physical Therapist Assistant Program Director Dr. Jennifer Whitney said. "We are thankful for the opportunity we have to impact our physical therapy profession, and the education of professionals who will improve the quality of lives for individuals with mobility challenges."
Before Nov. 14's pinning event, the PTA cohort began their day with a tour of the Doctor of Physical Therapy facilities at West Coast University's Center for Graduate Studies. Dr. Whitney kicked off the event by welcoming the more than 180 people in attendence and thanking their host.
"I wanted to extend my sincere thanks for the support from WCU, the DPT team, in helping make our pinning such a special day for the family and graduates of our charter cohort," Dr. Whitney said at the ceremony. "We created a day to impart the passion we share for our family of professionals and our professional organization, embraced our commitment to lifelong learning, and our ability to improve the human experience for our communities and our patients."
Student-selected speaker Paul Alvarez then addressed the audience, followed by Dr. James Syms, PT, Dsc, the recent past president of the California Physical Therapy Association.
The students then recited an oath committing to the professional values of physical therapy and commitment to actions indicative of the values and ethics of the physical therapist assistant. ACC staff and faculty shared the many accomplishments of the year, including the vast community outreach and service learning, and the development of the pro bono physical therapy services.
Not surprisingly, Whitney said, many of the graduates mentioned their hope to continue on with the DPT program.
"We appreciate the institution and the opportunity to set new standards for PTA education, and as we all work toward improving the futures for our professionals, and embracing lifelong learning," Whitney said.
