Pine - Fall 2013 - (Page 8)
COVER
PHOTO (BOTTOM) BY BRANDON SULLIVAN
SPOTLIGHT
CONNECTIONS
Q&A
FEATURED
LINKS
Putting PT on
the Healthcare Map
Bryan Vitagliano took a “roundabout path” to physical therapy that landed him in the first cohort of NAU
students in Phoenix. After getting a master’s degree
in kinesiology and an MBA and entertaining thoughts
of starting a business, “I realized that my passion
coming out of high school was for physical therapy,”
Vitagliano says. “I figured if I’m going to be working
the rest of my life, I might as well do something I love.”
Callie Shawcross took a more direct route. “I’m
on the other end of the spectrum,” she says, having
left the Phoenix area to attend Gonzaga University,
then returning right after graduation with a degree in
human physiology. “What’s great about this program
is that we have quite a variety of students with different experiences from different parts of the country.”
For both students, the idea of a new program in a new
building had its attractions, but it also came with some
risk. They interviewed while the Phoenix campus was
still under construction, knowing that once they arrived
there would be no upperclassmen to guide them.
“We all knew that coming in,” Shawcross says.
“You always have to be open to changes. Even just
the technology in this building took everyone a little
while to get used to. Now, we’re just amazed.”
But the certainty was that physical therapy at
NAU has enjoyed a national reputation since it
established its roots in Flagstaff during the 1970s.
Now successful applicants for the program may
indicate a location preference, and while they can
expect outstanding quality in both Flagstaff and
Phoenix, they will find that the two locations already
have divergent personalities.
“One of the things that is unique about this campus
is we’ve been in clinical settings throughout our first
year,” Shawcross says, “and we will throughout our
second year as well. We’ve been at seven different
sites—some in the acute setting, some in outpatient
orthopedic, some in pediatrics—so we were able to
see a really wide spectrum early on.”
“The technology
in this building
took everyone
a little while
to get used to.
Now, we’re
just amazed.”
Callie Shawcross, PT student
Above: Physical therapy students
learn in a high-tech lab that allows
faculty to give real-time feedback
thanks to cameras and display
screens. Left: Students Callie
Shawcross and Bryan Vitagliano
are no stranger to collaboration.
nau.edu/alumni
PINE � FALL 2013 � PG 8
http://www.nau.edu/alumni
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Pine - Fall 2013
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