Polk State graduate finds rewarding career, future options through PTA Program

Brianna Vallandingham already had a bachelor’s degree when she enrolled in Polk State College’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program. But it wasn’t until she graduated from the program that she found a rewarding career.

A 2022 Polk State Associate in Science graduate, Vallandingham has worked three years as a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA). For the past year and a half, she’s been a PTA at AdventHealth Bond Clinic in Winter Haven.

“As PTAs, we help give people their lives back,” Vallandingham said. “Therapy is not fun for people – they hurt when they’re doing it – but it’s holistic medicine. For someone prone to falling, for example, we help them get to a point where that doesn’t happen anymore. It gives them and their families less stress. They get their quality of life back.”

The path to a PTA career, however, wasn’t always clear.

A 2015 graduate of Tenoroc High School, Vallandingham earned her Associate in Arts from Polk State College in 2017. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida in health sciences in 2019, Vallandingham originally considered becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

“I had a very honest advisor,” she recalled. “She told me that qualifying for that program would be very difficult.”

Vallandingham spent her first year out of college working in retail and as a technician for an eye doctor. Another career field she considered was massage therapy.

“When I was a kid, I would rub my family member’s backs and shoulders,” she reflected. “They said I did a good job, and I said, ‘if I’m good at it, I should do it.’ We talked about massage therapy, but my mom encouraged me to look into physical therapy. I did my research. I liked what I saw.”

Vallandingham began in Polk State’s PTA Program during the Fall 2020 Semester but during the COVID-19 pandemic, getting hands-on instruction proved difficult. With lectures mostly online and limited lab hours, many in the program fell behind. For the Fall 2021 Semester, however, new Program Director Mary Krell and Clinical Coordinator Regina Tino went above and beyond to get students up to speed.

“One of the first things they wanted to know was what we needed,” Vallandingham reflected. “When I first joined the program, I told myself that no matter what I was going to make this work. Regina and Mary listened. They worked incredibly hard to get us where we needed to be to pass our exams and be where we wanted to be.”

To account for lost time, Vallandingham said the program’s new leaders expanded lab hours and implemented “skills checkpoints” to make sure students were on pace to pass licensure exams. The PTA Program also teamed with the Nursing Department to use the nursing lab, and for joint sessions.

“Once the skills checkpoint was implemented, we were more motivated to get in the lab,” Vallandingham explained. “We simulated in-person settings in the nursing lab. It was great to be able to partner and get help from Nursing. There is now more interdisciplinary practice at the college than ever before.”

And interdisciplinary training opportunities will expand for the Health Sciences and Nursing programs with the construction of the Haines City-Davenport Campus, which will house Central Florida’s first public higher education interdisciplinary simulation hospital.

Still appreciative of her time in the Polk State PTA Program, the 2022 Associate in Science graduate has remained a part of the program. For about three years, she has served on Polk State PTA’s advisory board.

“I love my job,” Vallandingham explained. “At some point, I think I’d like to be an educator for the program. This could be a steppingstone to doing that.”

Graduates of Polk State’s Health Sciences programs regularly exceed the state and national pass rate on licensure exams. PTA is one of eight Polk State programs to boast a 100% pass rate. Vallandingham offered advice for those in or considering the program.

“Read your textbook and use the tools they give you – which is a lot,” Vallandingham concluded. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t be afraid to be wrong. You’re paying for skills that will last you throughout your career. If you put in the work, you will be successful. With Regina and Mary, there are no two better people to have in your corner.”