Preparing students for future careers should go beyond the brick and mortar.
Prior to recently passed Illinois House Bill 4643, patients were required to visit a physician and get a referral to a physical therapist. But now patients can have direct access to their physical therapist without a physician’s diagnosis.
In the past few years, students and faculty from Bradley’s physical therapy department have been “front and center” in lobbying for the passage of this bill.
The bill allows a much more efficient process from a patient’s standpoint, according to Steven Tippett, chair of the department of physical therapy and health science.
It puts more responsibility on physical therapists, which is also the only doctoral program at Bradley. The department has prepared students for this increase in responsibility when they graduate and start their full- time jobs.
Recognizing that this bill would positively influence their futures, physical therapy faculty and students took initiative, traveling to Springfield to meet with state representatives.
As part of Bradley’s vision, student engagement is one of the most important parts of the Bradley experience, this effort has been consistently reflected by the high ranking by Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education both in the state and in nation past three years.
Having faculty members lead students to engage with not only the Bradley community, but at a state level legislature, is a great demonstration of this promise.
Many students come to Bradley because there is more individual attention from professors than there is at large schools. Students are able to feel like their teachers are there for them and not just concerned with their own research. This effort to get the bill passed by the physical therapy department shows their commitment to the idea that students come first, and even influence positive change.
It is refreshing to see Bradley professors and students engaging with the community and lawmakers in order to improve the future of students and Illinois residents.
As students, we must be responsible for not only what’s happening in the classroom, but what’s occurring at the local, state, and national level.
