{"id":18829,"date":"2024-02-07T13:32:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/?p=18829"},"modified":"2024-02-07T13:46:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:46:45","slug":"marymount-partners-with-medstar-health-to-enhance-learning-opportunities-scholarships-for-physical-therapy-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/marymount-partners-with-medstar-health-to-enhance-learning-opportunities-scholarships-for-physical-therapy-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Marymount partners with MedStar Health to enhance learning opportunities, scholarships for Physical Therapy students"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Students in Marymount University\u2019s Physical Therapy programs can now receive new scholarships and enhanced training inside and outside the classroom through a new and innovative partnership<\/a> with MedStar Health. This includes five $20,000 scholarships that MedStar Health will offer students in Marymount\u2019s three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to providing the finest education for our students to achieve the highest level in their careers and provide our region with the finest specialized health care providers,\u201d said Dr. Pamela Slaven-Lee, Dean of Marymount University\u2019s College of Health and Education<\/a>. \u201cThis collaboration with MedStar Health will significantly enhance our students\u2019 classroom work and draw students to areas where the population demonstrates an increased demand for physical therapy services.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re creating a trend-setting learning environment that is without walls. It is realistic, impacts students, is sensitive to the needs of the health care environment and enhances an already exceptionally strong curriculum at Marymount University,\u201d added John Brickley<\/a>, Vice President of MedStar Health Physical Therapy<\/a>. \u201cThis partnership will further augment the already outstanding work Marymount does to prepare Physical Therapy students for the new health care environment that has evolved post-pandemic by learning side-by-side from physical therapists and other health care specialists who are currently working in their field.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, DPT programs nationwide have seen a drop in applications. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a> projects employment of physical therapists to grow 15 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 13,900 openings for PTs each year, on average, over the decade. Yet, a recent survey<\/a> from the American Physical Therapy Association found that, on average, outpatient providers are operating with a vacancy rate of about 11 percent, with company growth topping the reasons for an increase in openings for physical therapists, physical therapy assistants and support staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national health care worker shortage that includes physical therapists is real,\u201d Brickley said. \u201cAnd down the road, patients who need physical therapy in our community will start to feel this negative trend unless we address the need now by enticing future PT students to the region with a unique curriculum and financial assistance. This partnership with Marymount will encourage large numbers of those graduating to remain in the Greater Washington, D.C., and Baltimore region and will enable MedStar Health to meet the physical therapy needs of our expanding communities. Marymount graduates will have the opportunity to move quickly into good paying and satisfying jobs in a variety of rewarding specialty areas of rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of these specialties include:<\/p>\n