{"id":174740,"date":"2023-03-24T15:56:12","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T01:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=174740"},"modified":"2023-03-24T15:56:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T01:56:12","slug":"perfect-score-on-national-physical-therapy-exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/03\/24\/perfect-score-on-national-physical-therapy-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect score on National Physical Therapy Exam for Kapi\u02bbolani CC<\/abbr> graduate"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Clinical skills prepare the PTA<\/abbr> Program students to enter the workforce with confidence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA<\/abbr>) program<\/a> at Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a>—the only associate\u2019s degree program in the state of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>—recorded a big win in October. Carter Lam<\/strong>, a 2022 graduate of the program, scored an 800 (the highest possible score) on the National Physical Therapy Exam<\/a>—an achievement attained by less than 1% of all test takers nationwide and a first for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"Carter
Carter Lam is a recent PTA<\/abbr> Program graduate and a newly hired PTA<\/abbr> at Straub Medical Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The biggest reflection on our program is our students,” said Bennett Zazzera<\/strong>, director of the PTA<\/abbr> program. “We\u2019re really lucky in this program that we get really outstanding students. Our program is the way it is because of them, not because of anything else.”<\/p>\n

Lam, who received the 2022 Clinical Excellence Award from Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr>, spent one of his clinical rotations at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu. After graduating from Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> and passing his licensure exam, he was hired as the first physical therapy assistant at Straub.<\/p>\n

“My success is really because of how well run the program is,” Lam said. “The way they teach and the way they schedule classes, it just worked out really well for me. And I think it was very enjoyable to go through the program with my classmates.”<\/p>\n

The program has impressive statistics: 94% of students (2018–21) graduated, 96.2% (2019–20) passed the licensure exam, and 100% (2018\u201320) are employed as a physical therapy assistant within a year of graduation.<\/p>\n

Strong foundation<\/h2>\n

Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> utilizes a 12-month hybrid program to educate a cohort of about 20 physical therapy assistant students each year. Students are required to complete about 14 weeks of clinical rotations (one four-week rotation in the spring semester and two five-week programs in the summer) with community partners around Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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“It\u2019s a strong academic foundation,” said Michelle Dela Cruz<\/strong>, director of clinical education. “We have many of the same classes they teach in a doctorate degree program with the same textbooks, same information. It\u2019s a strong clinical skills program. The student comes out confident that they\u2019re ready to work right after they pass their licensure exam.”<\/p>\n

Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> has developed community partnerships with clinics and hospitals around the state, including Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island, Maui, Kauaʻi<\/span> and Lānaʻi<\/span>. The school is in the process of creating a partnership with a clinic in Molokaʻi.<\/span> Eventually, Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> students will be able to receive hands-on training opportunities on six of the seven populated islands in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“We really try to serve our local community,” said Zazzera. “Almost all of our students are from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. We want to produce PTA<\/abbr>s who are going to be here and going to serve our local population, and also serve the local clinics that need the help.”<\/p>\n

—By Kim Baxter<\/p>\n

\"P
Graduates of the PTA<\/abbr> Program with program directors Michelle Dela Cruz and Bennett Zazzera.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a first for Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span> Carter Lam earned the highest score possible on the National Physical Therapy Exam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[63,1583,660,71],"class_list":["post-174740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-physical-therapy","tag-student-recognition","tag-uh-community-colleges","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t