(Left to right) Health Science Center physical therapy faculty members Patricia Brewer, Ph.D., and Michael Geelhoed, PT, D.P.S., OCS, MTC, visit with Fernando Rodriguez of the Texas Physical Therapy Association.
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On March 26-27, alumni and students from the Department of Physical Therapy sponsored the Texas Physical Therapy (PT) Olympics and UT Health Science Center San Antonio PT Alumni Association Job Fair.

The annual event, hosted by the School of Health Professions (SHP) at the Greehey Academic and Research Campus, brought together more than 350 physical therapy students from eight universities throughout the state for some friendly competition and to meet with 72 potential employers from across Texas and other states as far away as California.

Biggest event yet
“We had the largest number of participants we’ve ever had and the largest number of vendors at the job fair,” said Mike Geelhoed, PT, D.P.T., OCS, MTC, assistant professor and director of clinical education in the Department of Physical Therapy. The event raises funds for alumni association scholarships.

Working together for success
Although this is the eighth year for the job fair, the SHP has hosted the PT Olympics for 11 years, since it was begun by Health Science Center physical therapy students as a way to get to know their future colleagues from other Texas physical therapy schools. Dr. Geelhoed has coordinated the event for about four years with the help of student leaders and the inaugural president of the alumni association, Chris Rabago, a 2004 PT graduate and a 2009 Ph.D. graduate of the Health Science Center.

Largest endowment in the School of Health Professions
Thanks to the growing success of the event, the alumni association has been able to establish the largest endowment in the School of Health Professions only six years since its inception. The association provided six $750-scholarships in 2009 and plans to continue increasing both the amount and number of scholarships offered every year to the PT students.

“None of our success would be possible without the support of the department, school and university, and especially the huge amount of labor put in by our PT students in organizing and running an event of this scale,” Dr. Geelhoed said. “I’m extremely pleased to see the PT students reaping the ultimate reward in terms of continually increasing scholarships.”

Connecting with colleagues
The activities started the evening of Friday, March 26, with a basketball tournament at the Spectrum Athletic Club on the Health Science Center campus, followed by a mixer and billiards tournament at a nearby establishment. On Saturday, March 27, the students visited the job fair from 8 a.m. to noon followed by a wheelchair obstacle course and tug-of-war, and volleyball, dodge ball, softball and football tournaments.

UT Health Science Center San Antonio physical therapy student Rebecca Oliver (in the wheelchair) prepares to mount a wooden platform in the PT Olympics, as her spotter, Judith Guerrero, stands ready to assist. Student Thuan Tran observes in the background.

Challenging events
One of the most challenging events was the wheelchair obstacle course, in which teams of two students representing their school manipulated a wheelchair down the handicap ramp at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, up onto a 4-inch-tall wooden platform, through cones on the grass, up a gradual hill, to finish up the steep handicap ramp. The teams were timed and received more points according to how much of the work was done by the teammate in the wheelchair. The other teammate assisted when necessary.

Students from UT Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas Woman’s University-Houston, UT Southwestern, Texas State University, Hardin Simmons University, Angelo State University and US Army-Baylor participated.