Foundation for Physical Therapy 2017 Intern — Courtney Kruggel
Each year, the Foundation for Physical Therapy provides an internship opportunity to a Marquette physical therapy student. The opportunity is in conjunction with the “Marquette Challenge,” a fundraising effort for physical therapy research that began 30 years ago at Marquette. In that time, the Challenge has raised nearly $4 million.
This year’s FPT intern is Courtney Kruggel, who shares her internship experience below:
“Sitting at my desk at the front of the Foundation for Physical Therapy’s office space, I cannot believe how quickly these past twelve weeks have flown by. It feels like it was just a few days ago when I nervously took my first Metro ride from Washington, D.C. to Alexandria, Virginia to begin my internship with the Foundation. The staff immediately calmed my nerves and welcomed me on board.
Throughout my time at the Foundation, I was able to assist with a wide variety of projects that allowed me to experience all that the Foundation does. My first month was centered on preparing for the Foundation’s two events at the NEXT 2017 Conference in Boston, Massachusetts — the Foundation Awards Luncheon for the 2017–2018 VCU-Marquette Challenge and the 2017 Boston PT Party. From producing the slideshows presented at both events, to creating the awards certificates, to even helping review the scripts, I aided wherever I could in order to ensure the Foundation’s continued success at NEXT. It was an incredible opportunity to travel to Boston for the first time and see all of our hard work and careful planning come together. The Foundation’s events brought physical therapy students, researchers, and leaders all together to celebrate the profession and the importance of physical therapy research and I cannot wait until I am able to attend myself in the years to come.
One of my favorite memories from this summer is simply being in the presence of so many enthusiastic physical therapy students at NEXT. The passion for their future profession was contagious and it made me excited to go back to Marquette and spread this passion, hopefully inspiring my classmates to fully invest in the Marquette Challenge. As students, we can make a difference in the field by supporting physical therapy research before we ourselves are officially in it.
The rest of my time at the Foundation has been more focused towards the Scientific Program that aids physical therapy researchers in applying for the Foundation’s various grants and scholarships. Through updating the scientific literature repository that houses all of the publications produced by Foundation-funded researchers as well as tracking the publications of all applicants throughout the years, I have been able to see the progression of physical therapy research. It was fascinating to see the emergence of hot topics and the development of extensive studies through gathering this data. Through my courses at Marquette University, my professors have referenced research studies, but I was never aware of the vast amount that exists and has allowed the profession to grow.
One of the more unique tasks that was assigned to me was to update a timeline of the Foundation’s history that a previous intern began. Sifting through years of press releases, annual reports, and publications allowed me to discover just how much the Foundation has grown since 1979 and its immense impact on the field of physical therapy. I learned about major studies and prominent figures in the profession, some of whom I was lucky enough to meet while at NEXT.
In one of my last weeks, I had the pleasure to attend an outing with some of the Foundation’s staff to visit Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Physical Therapy in Richmond and a few of their faculty’s research labs, some of whom have received funding from the Foundation for Physical Therapy. As a fellow physical therapy student, it was fascinating to see other facilities and meet with VCU’s students and Challenge Coordinators to compare our experiences and learn from their successes. By touring the research labs, we were able to directly see the benefits that the Foundation’s resources can provide.
I truly cannot thank the Foundation for Physical Therapy enough for welcoming me this summer. I gained more experience than I could have imagined throughout the various projects that I was lucky to help with, places that we traveled, and people that I met. My knowledge and appreciation for physical therapy research has grown exponentially. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff of Marquette University for fostering my growth as a physical therapy student and young professional. This summer has solidified my eagerness to begin physical therapy school and truly immerse myself in my future profession.”
Courtney is from South Bend, IN and a student at Marquette University. She will receive a BS in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Psychology in May 2018 and her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May 2020.
