Widener University pro bono student clinic has become an influential model nationwide.

2. 14 ADVANCE for Physical Therapy & Rehab Medicine ❘ May 5, 2014 ❘ www.advanceweb.com/pt
SCHOOL OF LIFE

3. www.advanceweb.com/pt ❘ May 5, 2014 ❘ ADVANCE for Physical Therapy & Rehab Medicine 15
A
bout five years ago, Widener
University in Chester, Pa., sought
to determine the feasibility of a
unique concept in physical therapy
education — a student-led, student-run free-
standing clinic serving the local community.
What’s happened since then is nothing short
of remarkable.
“In March 2009, a colleague and I were
tasked with looking into a campus-based,
pro bono student clinic,” related Jill Black, PT,
DPT, EdD, assistant professor and pro bono
services coordinator at Widener. In conduct-
ing research on the topic, they learned about
an upcoming conference in Omaha, Neb.,
organized by medical students and represent-
ing pro bono clinics run by medical students.
“My program director gave permission for
us to attend as well as two PT students, so we
put out a call for volunteers,” Black continued.
“When we went to this conference, I remember
being so impressed by the poise and maturity
of the medical students who were literally run-
ning it and talking about the clinics they oper-
ated. I have to admit, at the time I wondered if
pulling off that kind of operation was unique
to medical students, or whether PT students
could handle it too.”
Now, Black looks back and wonders how she
ever doubted.
“Because our two volunteer students came
home from that conference and said, ‘We want
to run this here. We can run it and have class-
mates who will want to do it too.’ So we gave
them the chance.”
Founding
The Chester Community Physical Therapy
Clinic officially opened its doors in September
2009, and within a couple years, Widener PT
students themselves were going out to national
conferences and presenting their work.
“When I went along one time and watched
them, I thought, ‘They’re just like the medical
students I saw before,’” related Black. “It wasn’t
that they weren’t capable of it. They just hadn’t
been offered the opportunity. Give them the
chance to do this and they rise to the occasion,
take ownership and share it with others. So I
realized, it wasn’t the phenomenon of being a
medical student — it was the phenomenon of
being excited and proud to be part of some-
thing like this.”
Since its founding, the clinic has treated
more than 200 clients for a total of over 2,500
visits. Furthermore, 100 percent of Widener’s
current PT students contribute to treatment,
while about 20 percent hold student board
positions coordinating the operation. This
clinic has also directly influenced the launch
or growth of several other student-led clin-
ics at PT programs throughout the country.
National interest in the student-led model
inspired Widener faculty and students to
commence three new initiatives over the past
year-and-a-half:
• The Physical Therapy Pro Bono Network
(an annual event on Widener’s campus for
Widener University pro bono student clinic
has become an influential model nationwide
By Brian W. Ferrie
COVER STORY
SPREADING THE WORD. A key component of the mission of the Chester Community Physical
Therapy Clinic is teaching other PT programs to start or grow their own pro bono clinics. At
the Physical Therapy Pro Bono Network, an annual event at Widener University in Chester, Pa.,
students and educators from around the country gather to share ideas. Among the approximately
80 attendees in March were groups from Qunnipiac University and Bellarmine University.
The Chester Community Physical Therapy Clinic is housed in an old stone home just off the
campus of Widener University in Chester, Pa. The clinic, operated by Widener students and
faculty, provides free services to the community. Opposite page above, Regina Goodrich is
flanked by students Jonathan Bellizio, Nicole Rayson, adjunct professor Antoinette Patterson,
PT, DPT, and Nicole Gezzi. Bottom right, William Wier works with Gezzi and Rayson.
KYLEKIELINSKI

4. 16 ADVANCE for Physical Therapy & Rehab Medicine ❘ May 5, 2014 ❘ www.advanceweb.com/pt
programs interested in learning more about
starting or growing a PT clinic).
• The Physical Therapy Pro Bono National
Honor Society (recognizing PT students for
pro-bono service).
• Student-Run Physical Therapy Pro Bono
Clinic Webinars (administered by Widener
students and faculty to help other PT pro-
grams start a clinic or troubleshoot problems
with their existing clinic).
Networking
The pro bono networking event, first held in
March 2013, has already exceeded the wildest
expectations of organizers.
“At the start of last year, we just began kick-
ing around the idea of doing a pilot confer-
ence for other PT schools in the Philadelphia
area that might be interested in the clinic,”
explained Nicole Nardone, a Widener PT stu-
dent who just completed her second year and
also holds the title of outcomes coordinator
for the clinic. “But we received an overwhelm-
ing response even though we threw it together
within about six weeks.”
That response included approximately 80
people attending from 20 schools across the
country.
“So for the 2014 event, we tried to hit the
ground running and took a whole year to
plan,” Nardone continued. “We got a little bet-
ter organized, made it a more interactive day
with breakout sessions, widespread network-
ing opportunities, and forums to discuss and
troubleshoot, learning about different mod-
els used by other clinics. Now through this
pro bono network, we can keep a continual
stream of open communication with each
other throughout the year.”
In fact, this year’s event included five virtual
attendees through live streaming.
“So we had people from all over the coun-
try listening and watching if they couldn’t
attend in person, and that was really cool,”
said Nardone.
Some of the geographically diverse schools
that have participated in Widener network-
ing events include the University of Kentucky,
Wayne State University in Michigan, Elon
University in North Carolina and Husson
University in Maine.
Nardone’s classmate Brian Kennedy, the
clinic coordinator, has also embraced spread-
ing this concept nationwide. Among his efforts
are upgrading the clinic’s website and attending
a number of different conferences to emphasize
networking and information sharing.
“When our website (www.chestercommunity
pt.com) launched a few years ago, it was pretty
basic, with a flyer showing the address and
hours so people could contact us,” Kennedy
told ADVANCE. “Since we really wanted to
enhance our national presence, and I have
some background in web and graphic design,
I added pages with information about our
­students as well as our full mission statement.”
In a further effort to boost the profile of
the clinic, Widener PT students have taken
the lead in establishing an annual 5K race on
campus, with all proceeds benefiting commu-
nity outreach.
Growing
To match its growing influence, the clinic has
also experienced significant physical growth
over the past five years.
“At the beginning of the first year, we were
only open two nights a week,” explained Black.
“By the end of that year, we started opening
three nights a week, and a half-year later it
became four nights a week. Another year after
that, we were bursting at the seams physically,
and had to expand. The clinic is located in an
old home just off campus and initially we only
had a 750-square-foot room. So we renovated
and expanded further into the building, basi-
cally doubling our space, which doubled our
capacity to see clients.”
In its current form, the clinic is open
Monday through Thursday nearly year-round,
with treatments provided between 4:30 p.m.
and 6:30 p.m.
“Students are expected to arrive around 4:00
so they can prepare, pull up the client’s chart
and get a feel for what’s going on,” explained
Black. “Then they usually document after
treatment until around 7:00.”
Widener enrolls 50 new PT students
every year, and all 150 students in the pro-
gram gain hands-on experience by working
in the clinic, typically about 4-6 times each
­semester per person.
“It didn’t start out that way, with every stu-
dent helping at the clinic,” Black related. “But
several students who stepped into the clinic
later in their curriculum would say it was such
a fabulous learning experience, they wish they
had gotten involved earlier. So over time, we
decided this was too great an opportunity
and everybody should experience the value
of practicing what they’re learning.”
Now on any given night, there are six to
seven students providing treatment for eight
to 10 clients, under the direction of two
PT supervisors who are typically Widener
alumni. Each client can expect an hour of
one-on-one treatment with a student. In
some cases because of no-shows and can-
cellations, two students will team up to
work with one patient for that hour. The
response to such an attentive level of care has
been overwhelmingly positive.
“We’ve gotten feedback from quite a few
patients through surveys,” concluded Nardone.
“One woman actually said she was so happy her
insurance ran out because of the individual-
ized care she’s able to get with us. Patients are
one-on-one with a student who’s really trying
to help them, so it’s personal and they respect
that. Many of them love that we’re learning
on the job as well. They just appreciate the
environment because it’s very relaxed and
concentrated on them.”
With such a dedicated networking focus
at Widener, there could soon be many more
patients nationwide feeling the same way. n
Brian W. Ferrie is on staff at ADVANCE.
Contact: bferrie@advanceweb.com
COVER STORY
Widener student physical therapists Nicole
Rayson and Nicole Gezzi work with Regina
Goodrich on balance and gait. Widener’s pro
bono clinic is open four nights a week.
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