On March 30, 2023 the University of South Florida School of Physical Therapy held their annual Commitment to the Profession Ceremony for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Classes of 2025. The ceremony marks the time in which the students are welcomed into the profession by receiving their first White Coat, and they take a special Oath of Professionalism that each class creates. The students are coated by faculty advisors and then presented a gift from the “Big” (an upper class student) within the program. This year the School was able to raise over $14,000 from 50+ donors to cover the full cost of the 49 coats with the remaining funds going to student scholarships.
Ellen Costello (pictured above), PT, PhD Associate Professor and Director, Physical Therapy Program at George Washington University was the keynote speaker. She discussed the importance of grit and resilience in PT school, and how her research has shaped her support of students along their academic journey. She provided the students with some insight and tips on how to continue their success both academically and clinically. Not only did she share some inspiration, but also some personal stories and laughter with those in attendance.
The first award of the evening was the Spirit of Interprofessionlism award, which is presented to individuals who have promoted the role of physical therapists in the collaborative healthcare team within the academic, clinical, or research programs of USF Health. This year the recipient was Javier Cuevas, PhD – Associate Vice President for Faculty and Academic Affairs, USF Health and Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. Cuevas was instrumental over the past year with supporting our program academically and continuing to improve out DPT program outcomes.
The next award was the Gregory R. Nicolosi Commitment to Professionalism Award. which this award goes to a second-year DPT student who is recognized by classmates as one who has consistently demonstrated the Core Values of Professionalism, including: Accountability, Altruism, Compassion & Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Professional Duty, and, Social Responsibility. This year the recipient was Hayden Euper from the DPT Class of 2024.
During the ceremony the school also awards it’s departmental scholarships to DPT students. The following are the 2023 recipients, above are their pictures:
- Vorholy Memorial Scholarship – Alexander Turnock, Class of 2023
- Kurtzman Scholarship – Jake Schlenoff, Class of 2025
- Future Professionals Scholarship – Nicole Lukinbeal, Class of 2024
- CORA Scholarship – Jacob Newman, Class of 2025
- Tiedemann Circle of Motion Scholarship – Jan Rodriguez, Class of 2024
- Laura Lee “Dolly” Swisher Scholarship – Donna Zheng, Class of 2025
Our last awards of the evening were the UnBULLieveable Awards which recognize clinical partners. The UnBULLieveable awards were created to recognize clinical and community partners who have stepped up and helped our school out. They have continued to support our program by taking on additional students for clinical education, partnering to be advisors for our DPT advisory board, and many have become friends of the program over the years. These recipients were nominated by the DPT Clinical Education Team, and then finalized by the school’s awards and scholarships committee. The following were our 2022 recipients:
- Unisen Senior Living – Accepted by Chantel Johnson
- Orlando Health – Accepted by Laurie Carpenter
- BayCare Morton Plant North Bay Hospital – Accepted Nicole Thompson
After the awards the students were coated, recited their professional oath, and then finished up a small cookie reception.
