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Dr. Scott House and Dr. Sarah House hold their newborn daughter, Jane. Scott recently was designated a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy, and Sarah is now board-certified as a geriatric clinical specialist. Both are graduates of the UTC Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2024.<\/p><\/div>\n
At 35 weeks pregnant, Dr. Sarah House sat for a demanding board certification examination.<\/p>\n
A few weeks later, she and her husband, Dr. Scott House, welcomed their daughter, Jane. Around the same time, both learned they had earned advanced specialty credentials in physical therapy.<\/p>\n
The couple, graduates of the UTC DPT Class of 2024, completed residencies at the James H. Quillen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, before beginning their careers in Richmond, Virginia. Sarah is now a board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric physical therapy. Scott is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy.<\/p>\n
Pursuing advanced credentials was a shared goal for the Houses, even though they chose different specialties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a partner to go through it all with,\u201d Scott House said. \u201cYou learn a lot about each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
They met as undergraduate Division I swimmers at Eastern Illinois University and came to UTC after a spring-break stop in Chattanooga turned into a three-hour tour of the Department of Physical Therapy. Already married when they entered the DPT program, they found a professional home that prepared them for more than graduation.<\/p>\n
Scott found the same study habits that had carried him through UTC useful once residency began.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made the process not as much of a memorization, but application to practice, which is really similar to how UTC approaches its curriculum anyway,\u201d he said. \u201cSo the transition was pretty easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
That foundation mattered when both began preparing for certification exams while starting careers, moving and preparing for parenthood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of studying and prepping for the certification all the while pregnant,\u201d said Sarah House, who works at an inpatient neurological rehabilitation center. \u201cI am very grateful to now have a 3-month-old and be a board-certified specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board certification recognizes advanced clinical knowledge beyond entry-level preparation. It also requires physical therapists to demonstrate continued growth in their specialty over time.<\/p>\n
Dr. Carolyn Blair Padalino, UTC director of clinical education and associate professor of practice in the Department of Physical Therapy, said the credential signals advanced training and knowledge to patients, communities and referring providers.<\/p>\n
Earning board certification, she said, is a commitment to stay current in a chosen specialty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hear a lot from clinical instructors that our students have an incredibly strong foundation that they can build off of to learn more challenging things more readily than students from some other programs,\u201d Padalino said. \u201cIt felt as though students who\u2019ve been out for two, three, four, five, even six years, they still have a strong enough foundation to then study for these board certifications and be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
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This summer, UTC DPT graduates Dr. Will Benson (Class of 2023) and Dr. Elizabeth Burcham (Class of 2021) earned board certification as clinical specialists in pediatric physical therapy.<\/p><\/div>\n
That continued learning reaches patients at every stage of life.<\/p>\n
Dr. Will Benson, a 2023 UTC DPT graduate from LaFayette, Georgia, is a pediatric physical therapist at Anna Shaw Children\u2019s Institute and in the neonatal intensive care unit at Hamilton Medical Center\u2014both in Dalton, Georgia. He recently earned board certification as a pediatric clinical specialist.<\/p>\n
Benson and his wife, Dr. Anna Adele Benson\u2014who earned her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from UTC in 2023\u2014were dating as undergraduates at the University of Georgia when they began looking for graduate programs together. They found a fit in Chattanooga.<\/p>\n
Benson entered the DPT program thinking he would work in outpatient orthopedics or neurology. Then he shadowed a pediatric therapist, watching children move beyond what they could do at the beginning of a therapy session.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just really opened up my eyes and I fell in love with it in a week,\u201d Benson said. \u201cI knew, \u2018Yeah, this is what I want to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He said his pediatric-focused clinical experiences at Erlanger, including outpatient pediatrics, acute care pediatrics and the NICU, made the decision permanent. His work now includes medically complex and fragile infants and children, and he sees certification as a source of confidence for their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they see those credentials and they see that I am a board-certified specialist in pediatrics, it gives them another level of comfort,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Benson also returned to UTC as a lab assistant in pediatric physical therapy courses, working with Dr. Ashley Schilling. He said the program\u2019s academic expectations helped establish the study habits and clinical reasoning that carried into certification preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cUTC DPT held us to a really high standard academically,\u201d he said. \u201cThey made that pretty clear from orientation. And I would say that the rigor of our courses from year one through year three really prepared us for our national examination and from there into board certification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Elizabeth Burcham, a 2021 UTC DPT graduate, has followed her own pediatric path. She works as an outpatient physical therapist at Dolly Parton Children\u2019s Hospital in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n
Burcham worked toward board certification over five years of full-time clinical practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been drawn to working with kids,\u201d Burcham said. \u201cWhen I started PT school, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what I thought I would end up doing. But in our second year, we do a lot more pediatrics and neuro, and I remember doing my ortho rotation and being like, \u2018OK, I could see myself doing this, but it\u2019s not really my favorite.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
After a second round of clinicals, she knew pediatric physical therapy was what she wanted to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really enjoying working with kids, motivating them and helping them get back to where they want to be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her decision to pursue board certification came as she and her husband, Dr. Ryan Burcham\u2014a 2022 UTC DPT graduate who is now an outpatient physical therapist at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Tennessee\u2014prepared to start a family. Elizabeth studied through her first trimester, took the five-hour examination during her second trimester and gave birth to their son, Graham, on July 29.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there was added pressure, but also I think a lot of motivation was like, \u2018OK, let\u2019s get this,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThis is something that I want for my career, but I also wanted it to be done so that I could focus on being a mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
While preparing for certification, Burcham also began helping to lead a seating clinic, working with families and a rehabilitation physician to evaluate equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs and gait trainers. The role expanded her responsibilities at Dolly Parton Children\u2019s Hospital and gave her another way to apply what she was studying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a certified specialist. It\u2019s helped my confidence for sure in that I can go in and explain something a lot better and be comfortable telling this family that this is what I\u2019m seeing and this is what we should do about it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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In June, UTC DPT program graduates Dr. Brooke Rogers (Class of 2024) and Dr. Shane Gregory (Class of 2022) earned specialty designation as board-certified clinical specialists in sports physical therapy.<\/p><\/div>\n
For Dr. Brooke Rogers, her path to becoming a board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy began years ago.<\/p>\n
The 2024 graduate from Huntsville, Alabama, played softball and volleyball growing up, worked with athletes during and after their injuries, and went straight from UTC into a sports physical therapy residency with ATI Physical Therapy in Birmingham, Alabama.<\/p>\n
As an undergraduate physical therapy technician at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Rogers worked with UTC physical therapy alum Katy Parsley Jumper. Watching Jumper work and talking with her helped Rogers see UTC as a fit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was seeing the type of therapist that she was and knowing that I essentially wanted to be a lot like her whenever I was a PT and treating,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n
She said the intensity of UTC\u2019s program gave her a head start in residency, where she encountered topics that had already been covered in the classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe professors at UTC and just the mentorship and the guidance that they gave me\u201d helped her reach this point, Rogers said. \u201cThere are also opportunities that we have at UTC that some other schools don\u2019t get.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board certification did not feel like an ending to Rogers. She said it put her in a good position to keep working toward the goals ahead in her career.<\/p>\n
Dr. Shane Gregory, another board-certified sports clinical specialist, took a different route. The 2022 UTC DPT graduate, a Michigan native, completed a sports physical therapy residency at TrinityElite Sports Performance in Livonia, Michigan, and now works at Peak Performance Physical Therapy in Detroit.<\/p>\n
During his final clinical rotation, Gregory sought an opportunity with Rehab 2 Perform in the Washington, D.C., area. The experience gave him exposure to a practice serving active patients across a wide range of sports and activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was another stepping stone to spur me on to seek out specialization,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
At UTC, Gregory found early encouragement to seek out specialized knowledge. He pointed to a sports elective taught by Dr. Betsy Myers and to a program culture that expected students to keep learning beyond the degree.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the pillars in PT is being a lifelong learner, always seeking more education,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cEven more so after you graduate, the onus becomes the PT to seek out that learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory said the certification helps him explain to coaches, parents and local high school athletic programs the advanced training he has completed and the care he can provide to young athletes working to return to their sport.<\/p>\n
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Dr. Callie Patterson (UTC DPT Class of 2023) is now a board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic physical therapy, Dr. Alex Woodard (Class of 2020) is now a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy.<\/p><\/div>\n
Dr. Callie Patterson\u2019s move to becoming a board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic physical therapy began with an unexpected turn during her time at UTC. The 2023 DPT graduate from Carthage, Tennessee, arrived with a different specialty in mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually was initially interested in orthopedics with very little to no interest in neurological physical therapy when I started PT school,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cNeurologic therapy began to pique my interest when I got to Dr. Derek Liuzzo\u2019s neuro class, where he made learning so enjoyable and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patterson\u2019s interest moved from the classroom to patient care during her second clinical rotation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter starting my rotation, I quickly realized that I was really excited to evaluate all of the neurologic patients, especially stroke and brain injury,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew I wanted to take our advanced neurological class as an elective during my final didactic portion of PT school. This class helped seal the deal on where I wanted to take my future career as a physical therapist.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduation, Patterson and her husband moved to Tucson, Arizona. She is now a senior physical therapist with Encompass Health and an adjunct professor in the University of Arizona\u2019s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, where she lectures on neurological content. She also helps onboard new clinicians and recently presented a case study at the American Physical Therapy Association\u2019s Combined Sections Meeting.<\/p>\n
Patterson said the habits formed at UTC remained with her as she prepared for board certification. She drew on the study strategies the DPT program used to prepare students for the National Physical Therapy Examination.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe continuous integration of clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, hands-on labs, practicals and direct patient care allowed me to have a deeper understanding of what I was studying and how to apply it into my future career,\u201d Patterson said.<\/p>\n
She sees board certification as a way to bring additional knowledge to the patients she serves and the students and clinical residents she teaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, I hope it helps me provide better care and education to the patients I see within the clinic,\u201d she said. \u201cAs I continue teaching students, as a clinical instructor and in the DPT program, I hope it helps me sharpen their clinical reasoning and help them truly understand just how special and rewarding it is to evaluate and treat the neurological population.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Alex Woodard, a 2020 UTC DPT graduate from Alabama, also chose board certification as a way to become a better clinician.<\/p>\n
Woodard is clinic director and a physical therapist at P4 Physical Therapy in Florence, Alabama. He became board-certified as a clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy in June.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always in the back of my mind, but I wanted to do it for the right reasons,\u201d Woodard said. \u201cI just kind of waited, waited, wanted to get some experience out in the clinic. And then suddenly one day I was like, \u2018I\u2019m going to go for it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
His patients include people recovering from knee replacements and rotator cuff surgeries, along with those living with chronic low back pain, nagging shoulder pain and other conditions that limit daily activity.<\/p>\n
The more he studies, Woodard explained, the more he recognizes what he does not know. That realization has made him more intentional about evidence-based care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a certain level of confidence you get when you have that because you know you\u2019re treating people with the best evidence we have now,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a certain level of almost peace, like peace as a clinician, knowing I\u2019m doing the best I can for this person in front of me to get them back to doing what they want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Woodard said UTC stood apart because it taught students how to learn and use material, not just memorize it. Years later, he still sees the program\u2019s focus on current research and evidence-based practice in his day-to-day work.<\/p>\n
That is the point, Padalino said. The DPT degree prepares graduates for entry-level practice, but their education cannot stop there.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at what people keep doing once they graduate,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Sarah House, that commitment to continued learning began with a personal experience. Her grandfather, who had multiple sclerosis, was the first reason she saw the importance of preserving mobility and independence as people age.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandmother, a small 4-foot-10 lady, actually was the sole caregiver of my grandfather for the entirety of his life as he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just months after they were married at the age of 20,\u201d she said. \u201cSeeing her preserve his independence to the best of her ability made me want to help older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
She has carried that purpose from UTC to residency, certification and her work with older adults. For the Houses, the profession\u2019s next chapter is arriving in parallel with a new chapter at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think doing something like this early in your career exponentially grows the opportunities in the future,\u201d Sarah House said.<\/p>\n
Learn more<\/h4>\n
UTC Doctor of Physical Therapy<\/a><\/p>\n Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n