Выпускница колледжа в Северной Дакоте стала первой в истории программы, получившей идеальный балл на экзамене для ассистентов физиотерапевтов

EAST GRAND FORKS — Madison Kraft was happy just to have passed the National Physical Therapy Exam for physical therapist assistants when she learned she made it through. It was an extra bonus to hear that she had achieved the highest possible score. ADVERTISEMENT “I tried to use different resources and pull from wherever I could to get the most knowledge and feel like I was prepared to go take that exam,” she said. “I do think the program did a good job of preparing us for the exam and going over all the content we needed to learn for it.” Kraft, of Casselton, North Dakota, is the first graduate of Northland Community and Technical College’s physical therapy assistant program to receive a perfect 800 score on the exam, which requires a score of 600 to pass, and is a major step in receiving a license. The exam is offered four times a year. Kraft took it in July after graduating from Northland in May. Shortly after, she began working at an inpatient rehabilitation facility in Fargo. It was exciting to hear she was the first Northland PTA grad to reach a perfect score, Kraft said. “I believe they’ve been a program since about 2007, if I’m remembering correctly,” she said. “It was pretty exciting to know that there have been so many people that have gone through here and that I was the first one (to get a perfect score). I felt proud of myself, like I had achieved something pretty great.” Justin Berry, director of the PTA program, said in a press release that Kraft’s accomplishment “demonstrates what is possible when talented students combine hard work and determination with the support and preparation provided by a high-quality program.” “She excelled academically from her first semester, consistently performed well on both written and practical exams and always sought to understand how what she was learning connected to patient care,” he said. “Her achievement is a testament to her dedication, work ethic and passion for the profession.” Kraft said her interest in physical therapy came mainly from wanting a career where she could work hands-on with people and feel like she was making an impact. She had also seen a few family members’ therapy sessions, and seeing it firsthand pushed her in the PTA direction. ADVERTISEMENT While at Northland, she and other students assisted in and presented research focused on electronic medical records and burnout in the physical therapy profession at a national conference in California. She also completed her clinicals in Ohio. “I like that our program lets us travel to different places for our clinicals if we’d like to,” she said. “It was a good experience.” Over the past two years, Northland’s PTA program has had an ultimate NPTE pass rate of 96.4%, the release said. It has also had a 100% pass rate in seven of the last nine years and maintained average exam scores above the national average the past three years.