2004 APTA Student Conclave By: Brett Schiller, SPT

Some of the UD attendees with Florence Kendall

Group shot of the over 1000 attendees

The 12^th Annual National Student Conclave took place from October 22^nd-24^th, 2004 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Students from around the country, some from as far away as Hawaii, came to the assembly whose maxim was “Students today. Leaders tomorrow!”

The University of Delaware was well represented, with nearly 20 students making the 8 hour drive to the Queen City. First year students Demery Dawson, Tara Cook, Megan Conklin, Ryan Brown, Sarah Caldwell, Meghan Hajek, Ashley Rawson, Angela Hutchinson, Michael Wheeler, Nadia Sanchez-Pepio, Michael Martin, Stephanie Kuehne, Julia Kegelman, Kate Gibson, Brett Schiller, Grace Keenan, and Ben Keeton as well as second year student Michelle Nardone were all in attendance.

The first day of the conclave included career building events that included mock interviews, resume critiquing, and financial management. A large exhibit area also opened where students could meet with different clinics and companies from around the country. Then the over 1000 students attending moved to the opening ceremonies which included an introduction of the Student Assembly Board of Directors candidates, the statement of the mission for the conclave, and therapists reminiscing about their careers and the current state of physical therapy.

The students then moved to two sessions where different presenters imparted information on subjects ranging from founding a private practice, to different career paths for physical therapists, to enhancing one’s career through specialization, etc. The day ended with a networking reception and a meet and greets with the Student Board candidates, which included Erin Rieben (UD Class ‘04).

The second day then opened with a professionalism in physical therapy presentation and then moved to statements from candidates and election for Board positions. Students then took advantage of three different sessions with presentations about different concentrations in physical therapy; this included oncology, geriatrics, acute care, orthopedics, and much more.

The final day concluded with instillation of the new Board members, a presentation on passing the licensure examination, and insuring reimbursement for services rendered. All the UDPT students in attendance made the trip back to Newark knowing they had learned a lot about the profession they will enter soon.