Physical Therapy

Rewarding. Relationships. Worthwhile.

By Jantzen Haley | Photography by Jeff Montgomery

Harding’s physical therapy program sat its first class in 2011 and for the past 10 years has trained students to be leaders and innovators in physical therapy, providing their communities and the profession with Christian service. The eight-semester program seats a cohort of around 35 students each fall. While year one focuses on didactic classroom instruction, and year two combines classroom teaching with real-world experience, the final year of Harding’s physical therapy program is devoted completely to clinical rotations. At the time of this writing, these three students are concluding their final clinical placements, preparing to graduate and take the national licensing exam to enter the field as certified physical therapists.

Emily Enoch

What drew you to the field of physical therapy?

I love the idea of working in a medical field that allows me to make such a significant impact on a patient’s overall quality of life. Physical therapists get to spend a significant amount of time with patients, which allows us to build strong relationships with them.

What do you have planned after graduation?

I will be specializing in pelvic floor physical therapy and working at a local outpatient clinic in Little Rock.

Give one word to describe your physical therapy experience at Harding.

Rewarding.

What have you learned about yourself throughout the program?

I learned that by having good friendships with my peers and professors I am able to handle a lot more stress than I initially thought I could.

What do you want people to know about physical therapy?

Physical therapy doesn’t only offer rehab for sports injuries and orthopedic issues. There are a number of different fields physical therapists can help with including things like pelvic floor, pediatrics and vestibular impairments.

What has been your favorite experience at Harding?

My husband and I are both in the Harding physical therapy program. Getting to learn and grow together during this time has been very fulfilling.

What has been your most memorable moment during a clinical rotation?

This past rotation I have had the opportunity to treat many pediatric patients with pelvic floor dysfunction. Being able to help them return to the activities they love to do and make such a big impact on their daily lives has been the most gratifying experience so far.

Nelson Borchardt

What drew you to the field of physical therapy?

Initially, I was interested in physical therapy because of my own experiences as a patient. Throughout my teen years, I spent a lot of time in physical therapy as I recovered from several different injuries. As I became more interested in being a physical therapist, I saw it as an opportunity for me to serve and love on others who are hurting.

What do you have planned after graduation?

My wife and I currently live in Fort Worth, Texas, as I finish up my clinical rotations. I will have the summer to study for my upcoming board exam at the end of July, and I hope to find a job working in a hospital setting in the DFW area.

Give one word to describe your physical therapy experience at Harding.

Relationships.

What have you learned about yourself throughout the program?

Physical therapy school has definitely taught me to have discipline. I had to learn how to focus my energy on the task at hand instead of worrying about the number of other things I had to accomplish. This is a great skill that I will carry with me throughout life.

What do you want people to know about physical therapy?

Working as a physical therapist is a great opportunity to show love and compassion to individuals who are experiencing a low point in life. I really enjoy and take pride in helping my patients feel better and improve their ability to be independent and in control of their lives.

What has been your favorite experience at Harding?

My experiences during my clinical rotations have been my favorite part. I was blessed with several great clinical instructors who allowed me to learn and grow as a therapist.

What has been your most memorable moment during a clinical rotation?

Seeing the progress that a young man about my age made during his stay at an inpatient rehab hospital. He was recovering from the negative effects of
COVID-19 and was initially unable to get out of bed. However, in a matter of weeks he was able to walk independently. We became good friends during his stay, and I enjoyed getting to work with him.

Hailey Jackson

What drew you to the field of physical therapy?

I am very passionate about exercise, and I believe our bodies were designed to heal. Physical therapy uses exercise as a means of healing, and I love it!

What do you have planned after graduation?

My husband and I are going to spend a week at the beach, and then I will spend most of the summer preparing for our national exam. After that, I plan on going into women’s health physical therapy.

Give one word to describe your physical therapy experience at Harding.

Worthwhile.

What have you learned about yourself throughout the program?

My brain is capable of storing a lot more information than I imagined prior to physical therapy school, but also I really love sleep.

What do you want people to know about physical therapy?

It’s a great profession with a lot of opportunity. There are a lot of things physical therapy can resolve that I wasn’t aware of before starting physical therapy school — our bodies are pretty resilient, and movement heals.

What has been your favorite experience at Harding?

I really enjoyed the cadaver lab. It was neat to see how intricately detailed the human body is, plus we all bonded pretty quick in the lab.

What has been your most memorable moment during a clinical rotation?

Not one specific moment, but watching people’s confidence grow as they return to their hobby or sport or regain functional independence is really rewarding. The transition from feeling like a student to feeling like an actual physical therapist was pretty cool, too.