The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology proudly invited family and friends to join the celebration of the inaugural Commencement Exercises for the first graduating class of Physical Therapist Assistant Program on Thursday, August 20, at the Springfield County Club.
Twenty-six proud graduates received their Associate Degree in Science – Physical Therapist Assistant. The Graduates were: Kamell Ean Alston, Arsen Arutyunyan, Jennifer Avellino-Gardner, Shbend Betsa, Jason Boccella, Michele Ann Dangerfield, Marilyn Elizabeth Dutch, Jena Ferrigno, John Fleshman, Donna Marie Giordano, Deborah Anne Gorodesky, Matthew Robert Holzerman, Colleen Johnson, Michael James Lombardo, Ronald J. Maloles, Jamar L. Mofield, Samantha Virginia Nusspickel, Kathryn M. Phillips, Bryan Steven Preston, Tabitha Lynn Reilly, Daniel James Spayd, Jerin J. Thomas, Dalton Van Horn, Justin Michael Williams, Joseph J. Wood, Brenton Wyman.
The Valedictorian Award was presented to Tabitha Lynn Reilly, who graduated Magna Cum Laude. The Personal Growth Award was presented to Ronal J. Maloles and the Caring and Compassion Award was presented to Dona Marie Giordano who graduated Cum Laude.
Donna Giordano Fedena, Jena Feggigno, Daniel James Spayd and Tabitha Lynn Reilly were elected to the Phi, Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Who helps individuals gain mobility and reduce pain after injury or surgery? The answer is licensed Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA) who work under the direct supervision of licensed Physical Therapists in hospitals, health care clinics, nursing homes and physician’s offices.
The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.), a Middle States-accredited two-year college with its Media Campus, located at 800 Manchester Avenue, has been approved as one of the few colleges in the region for the preparation of Physical Therapist Assistants.
The Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) announced that Pennsylvania Institute of Technology’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program has received full accreditation. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that only graduates from a CAPTE- accredited program are eligible to take the state licensure examination.
New PTA students are accepted after successfully completing the first two terms of the PTA track of the A.S. Health Science Program and meeting all PTA standards. They immediately begin “hands-on” training in physical therapy procedures and modalities and invest considerable time practicing learned skills under the direction of a physical therapist and/or a physical therapist assistant in the College’s two new physical therapy laboratories. Students spend over 600 hours providing care for patients at various physical therapy facilities in the region toward the end of the program.
“This STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program strongly supports our College’s mission of STUDENT SUCCESS.” Walter R. Garrison, the College’s Founder and President offered, “A graduate from this exciting program has a wealth of employment opportunities – the demand is now!”
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program is interviewing students now for admission to the new PTA track of P.I.T.’s Health Science Program for classes opening on November 13, 2015, at the Center City Campus, 601 Walnut Street, Suite 703 East, Philadelphia, PA, 19106, and on January 7th, 2016 at the Media Campus, 800 Manchester Avenue, Media, PA 19063.
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is a two-year College accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, 267-287-5000. P.I.T. is approved as a two-year college by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
President Walter R. Garrison with Ronald Maloles
L to R: Marilyn Dutch, Michele Dangerfield, Michael Lombardo, Jason Boccella,
Colleen Johnson
L to R: Shbend Betsa, Jennifer Avellino-Gardner, Arsen Arutyunyan, Kamell Alston
L to R: Kathryn Phillips, Samantha Nusspickel, Jamar Mofield
