Washington State grad shaping physical therapist assistants
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MARIETTA - An alumnus of Washington State College of Ohio is mentoring future health care professionals.
People have always been at the heart of the goals of Ryan Graham whose interest in sports medicine and rehabilitation has grown into a career dedicated to helping patients recover.
A graduate of the college’s Physical Therapist Assistant program, Graham is center coordinator for clinical education and assistant director of the Belpre Clinic of First Settlement Physical Therapy. He treats patients and coordinates clinical experiences for physical therapy assistant students from Washington State and colleges across the region.
“When working with students beginning their journey as PTAs, I often think back to my time at WSCO,” he said. “I understand how challenging it can be to learn everything required to become a PTA and I’m grateful for how well my professors prepared me.”
Graham closely works with colleges to place students in clinical affiliations and serves on advisory committees that help shape physical therapist assistant education. His goal is to ensure future healthcare professionals receive the support and experience they need to succeed.
“I am proud to help new generations of students gain the tools they need before graduation and enter the profession ready to provide outstanding patient care,” Graham said.
He applies the knowledge gained at Washington State, using his understanding of anatomy, rehabilitation and patient-centered care, to help individuals achieve their recovery goals while investing in the future of the profession.
“I chose WSCO because it was close to home, had the program I was interested in, offered small class sizes, and was affordable,” Graham said.
His passion for physical therapy began through athletics and seeing firsthand how rehabilitation could help injured athletes return to the sports they loved. That inspiration evolved into a broader purpose of helping people regain their independence and quality of life. “I wanted to help people regain their prior levels of function and return to doing the things they love, whether that was an athlete returning to sport or a grandmother being able to play with her grandchild,” Graham said.
He credits the college’s faculty and hands-on approach with giving him the confidence to begin his career immediately after graduation. “I had knowledgeable professors who were always available to answer questions and prepare me for my future career,” he said. “The smaller class sizes gave us more one-on-one opportunities while learning hands-on skills and treatment techniques, which made me much more confident in my abilities.”
The hands-on clinical experiences built into the college program bridged the gap between the classroom and real-world patient care. Graham said he felt prepared to enter the profession from his first day on the job.
“WSCO gave me the educational foundation to feel confident entering the clinical environment,” he said. “When I completed my clinical experiences as a student, I felt I had the knowledge to perform at an entry level, and upon graduation I felt prepared to perform the duties of a PTA from day one.”