Carson Miller started the Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) program in the spring of May 2018. One year later, he was named one of the top PTA students in the state, scoring a perfect 800 on the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy Licensure Exam.
This accomplishment is impressive not only to his instructors and classmates but to future employers and even the state too.
“It’s not very common at all for a student to score perfectly on the exam,” said Nancy Worthen, the executive director of the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy, as she acknowledged how impressive the perfect score is to all involved.
As for Carson, it was never about the score. Instead, his sights were on the career he knew he was destined to pursue.
He knew about the profession, before he ever walked through the doors of the classroom, thanks to his mother who is a physical therapist, but it was not until he began the program that he realized PTA was his calling.
Once he completed the required prerequisites, he began his journey as a PTA student. As a resident of Dover, Carson traveled to the Ozark campus each day to learn alongside his classmates.
Carson, who had already completed two years of study at ATU in Russellville, felt attracted to the PTA program due to its shorter time requirements coupled with knowing it was a career field he felt interested in pursuing.
“I enjoyed studying PTA. I liked kinesiology, studying the muscles and stuff.”
Carson will, however, be the first to admit, the program was not easy.
“It was a little stressful because it’s a condensed program, but I enjoyed it,” Carson explains.
“I like the fact that the class sizes are small and I didn’t have to walk across campus to get from class to class. I just went straight into the Health Sciences building and learned each day.”
Carson enjoyed his time at ATU-Ozark, not only for the program but also for the faculty.” You can tell that they care about what they are doing, and they want everyone to succeed. They push you. They want you to be as good as you can, which gives you that motivation to succeed. They want you to be the best.”
Nina Pope, PTA Program Chair, was not surprised by Carson’s exam results. “Carson was very dedicated to the program and always studied everything as requested. He is extremely smart, and he always scored the highest on tests and was a delight for us to have in class. He is a young man so driven to succeed, and we always got good feedback from the clinicians in the field about his fieldwork. I am so proud of Carson and his accomplishments.”
Carson looks forward to his career in the PTA field. In fact, after graduation, he relocated to Hot Springs, Arkansas where he began a position as a PTA.
“It satisfies me to meet all kinds of new people. You get to see them every day, build relationships with them, and watch, as they get better. It’s just satisfying to be able to watch someone improve and know you had a hand in his or her recovery.”
For more information on ATU-Ozark programs, visit www.atu.edu/ozark.
