Thirteen students recently graduated from Surry Community College’s Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) degree program.

The graduates are: Michaela Bullins of Lawsonville, N.C., Trent Carter of Winston-Salem, N.C., Bethany Clark of Millers Creek, N.C., Jenna Clement of Mount Airy, N.C., Victoria Cohn of Yadkinville, N.C., Tom Dunning of Mount Airy, N.C., Emily Durham of Yadkinville, Martha Gonzalez of Boonville, N.C., John Hall of Madison, N.C., Robert Phillips of Mooresville, N.C., Paul Smith of Stuart, Sidney Vanhoy of East Bend, N.C., and Stephen White of Winston-Salem.

SCC’s competitive Physical Therapist Assistant program prepares graduates to work in direct patient care settings under the supervision of physical therapists. Assistants work to improve or restore function by alleviation or prevention of physical impairment and perform other essential activities in a physical therapy department. Upon completion of the degree program, graduates are eligible to take the National Licensure Exam.

Graduates of Surry’s PTA program can seek employment in a variety settings including general hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, outpatient clinics, and public schools. Five of the program’s recent graduates have already acquired full-time employment as licensed physical therapist assistants.

Surry’s 2017 PTA cohort celebrated not only by attending the recent SCC commencement ceremony, but by holding a pinning ceremony and cookout at Fisher River Park in Dobson, N.C., to share their accomplishment with family and friends.

For more information on Surry’s Physical Therapist Assistant program, visit www.surry.edu or contact the program’s director, Eileen Coleman at (336) 386-3513 or colemanei@surry.edu, or follow the program on Facebook @SurryCCPTA.