From Hoops to Healing: Nia Ahart's Journey in Physical Therapy

Graduate school is a journey marked by substantial growth, rigorous academic challenges, and opportunities to make a lasting impact. For Nia Ahart, a 2nd-year physical therapy student at the University of Michigan Flint, this journey has been particularly enlightening and transformative. In a revealing conversation with Dr. Christopher Lewis, host of the "Victors in Grad School" podcast, Nia shared her experiences, insights, and the keys to her success. This blog delves into these topics, offering a comprehensive guide for those considering or participating in graduate education.

Finding the Spark: Discovering a Passion for Physical Therapy

Early Inspirations

Nia's journey to choosing physical therapy as her career path began early, rooted in her family's involvement in sports. Her brother, a baseball player at Akron, and Nia herself both encountered shoulder injuries requiring rehabilitation. This early exposure to physical therapy sparked her curiosity and desire to specialize in a field that would help athletes return to their optimal performance.

A Personal Experience

Continuing her athletic career in college, she played basketball at Colgate University and Northern Illinois University. She dealt with various injuries, spending significant time in training and physical therapy. These experiences deepened her appreciation for the field, particularly the non-invasive treatments that allowed her to avoid potentially career-ending surgery. This personal success in rehabilitation cemented her commitment to physical therapy.

Choosing the Right Graduate Program: A Thoughtful Decision

Evaluation Criteria

Selecting a graduate school is often a complex decision. For Nia, the choice was influenced by several critical factors, including faculty expertise, opportunities for specialization in sports therapy, and connections within the industry. She initially compiled a list of schools meeting these criteria and engaged in extensive research to narrow down her options.

Coming Back Home

The University of Michigan Flint emerged as the top choice due to its strong faculty-student relationships, comprehensive support systems, and the unique opportunity to partake in the pro bono heart clinic. Moreover, her personal ties to Michigan, including her mother's alma mater and her uncle's coaching role, reinforced her decision to return home.

Navigating the Transition: From Undergraduate to Graduate Studies

Adjusting to New Academic Demands

Transitioning from undergraduate work to a graduate program presents challenges, notably the shift in academic expectations and teaching methods. For Nia, the biggest adjustment was managing her time effectively. In undergraduate studies, her schedule was dictated by sports commitments and coursework. However, in graduate school, she found herself with more unstructured free time that needed careful planning.

Strategies for Success

Nia emphasized the importance of using a planner to organize her time, combining digital and physical to-do lists to keep track of assignments, volunteer opportunities, and exams. Establishing a study routine at the semester's beginning and setting aside time for self-care and relaxation were also crucial.

Embracing Leadership and Diversity: Building Community

Initiating Change

Recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in healthcare, Nia co-founded and presided over the Wolverine BIPOC Healthcare Collective in her first year. This club aimed to provide a supportive community for students of color and foster a network of future healthcare professionals committed to serving diverse patient populations.

Impactful Work

Through meetings, guest speakers, and community partnerships, the club has made significant strides in creating a sense of belonging and promoting inclusivity within the program. Nia’s efforts in this area earned her the Diversity and Inclusion Award from Exat, an honor recognizing her dedication to fostering a more inclusive healthcare environment.

Looking to the Future: Career Aspirations and Advice

Evolving Aspirations

As Nia progresses through her program, her career aspirations have evolved. Initially, she dreamed of working with top-tier sports teams like the NBA or NFL. However, exposure to various patient demographics and clinical settings has opened her mind to other possibilities within outpatient care and sports therapy.

Advice for Prospective Graduate Students

Nia's journey offers several valuable lessons for prospective and current graduate students. Key among these is not to overly stress about the graduate school process. Having a support network, finding an accountability buddy, and discovering one's preferred learning style early on can significantly ease the transition and improve academic performance.

Graduate school is a challenging yet rewarding journey that requires a blend of passion, dedication, and effective time management. Nia Ahart’s story is a testament to the remarkable opportunities and growth that come with embracing these challenges head-on. Aspiring graduate students can draw inspiration from her experience, using her insights as a roadmap to navigate their own paths to success.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:01]:
Welcome to the victors in grad school, where we have conversations with students, alumni, and experts about what it takes to find success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:11]:
Welcome back to Victor's in Grad School. I'm your host I'm your host, doctor Christopher Lewis, director of graduate programs at the University of Michigan Flint. Really excited to have you back again this week. You know, every week, I love being able to sit down, talk to you, work with you as you are going through this graduate school exploration. And it is a process. It is something that will take some people a couple of years, some people a few months, some people a few days. You never know. But for a lot of people, it is definitely a process, and it is a journey as well.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:49]:
So as you are going through this journey, there are things that you can do, things that you can do right now to be able to help you to start on that path towards success in getting into graduate school, getting through graduate school, and being able to get out into the career that you want to be in. That's why this podcast exists. This podcast is here to help you on that journey. It's here to help you to learn and to grow from other people that have gone before you, that are in graduate school right now, that are that have been in graduate school in the past and can provide you with some insights, some tools for your toolbox, some things that will help you to be able to set yourself up for that success that you wanna see. Today, we got another great guest with us. Nia Ahardt is with us today, and Nia is a 2nd year physical therapy student at the University of Michigan Flint. I am really excited to have her here today to share her journey with you and to provide you with some of the things that she's learned along the way. Nia, thanks so much for being here today.

Nia Ahart [00:01:54]:
Thank you for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:55]:
It is my pleasure having you here today. And one of the things that I first love doing is being able to turn the clock back in time. And I know you did your undergraduate work at Colgate University, and you got that bachelor's degree, the bachelor's of arts in biology there. And then you took a little bit of time and went and played some basketball for Northern Illinois University and finished up some of your pre physical therapy, to PT programs. But I wanna go back. Let's go back to Colgate University, maybe even before that, and talk to me about that spark, that moment that you figured out for yourself that you wanted to go beyond the bachelor's degree, and you wanted to go into physical therapy. What led you to that, and what led you to decide that physical therapy was the path that you were on?

Nia Ahart [00:02:46]:
So I actually started pretty young. So I grew up in a sports family, and my brother is just my role model. So he played bass baseball at Akron, and he tore his labrum. And at the same time he was 7 years apart, so I was young. I had a shoulder injury too, and we were doing physical therapy at the same time. So I was able to see his rehab, see his recovery. And then with myself, I noticed that the physical therapy that I was receiving wasn't specific to returning to sport. It was more so returning to daily life, and that's what intrigued me.

Nia Ahart [00:03:22]:
It's like, oh, maybe I could do something that could get an athlete back to their original skill set, so that's where it in, interests me. And and like you said, I did play basketball in college at Colgate in Northern Illinois, and I dealt with a lot of injuries myself. I had stayed in the trainer room, stayed with physical therapy, so it just continued my interest. But I was able to go through physical therapy and avoid a potentially career ending surgery, and that's where I just fell in love, where I can save somebody from having surgery or having an invasive procedure, and I can recover and rehab their injuries back to their sport. And I was able to successfully play my last year because of it. So that is where I wanted to continue.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:04:06]:
Now I mentioned that you had gone to Northern Illinois. You finished up playing your last year of basketball there. And during that time, you were taking a number of prerequisites, getting those prerequisites done so you could apply for physical therapy school. And as you were finishing those up and going into the application process, I'm sure you did a lot of looking around and a lot of exploration to try to determine where you wanted to apply. And you ultimately decided to attend the University of Michigan, Flint. Talk to me about that thought process, that exploration process, what you were looking for in schools, and what made the University of Michigan Flint stand out, and what made you decide that that was the ultimate school that you wanted to attend?

Nia Ahart [00:04:54]:
It started off with that 5th year. I originally made a list of schools that had PT programs that I was interested in going to just had connections to both a good faculty and advisor standpoint as well as people that specialize in sports, which I'm hoping to get into, with physical therapy. So that's where I originally started. As I continue my application process, I realized since I was away from school for the past or away from Michigan for the past 5 years, I really wanted to come back home. My mom is a Michigan grad, My uncle was a track coach at Michigan, so I really wanted to come back home, spend some time with my family. And I just loved when I went to the open house, how connected the faculty was with the students. And it seemed like they had a great advisor student relationship, as well as a lot of peer to peer opportunities. And the thing that really stood out about Michigan's program was the pro bono clinic at heart.

Nia Ahart [00:05:50]:
Just being able to work with patients real time as we're learning the material as and we can see it in person and develop our clinical skills while still developing our didactic portion. I've, it was really exciting, and I love every bit about it. So that is what solidified it.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:06:07]:
So you made that transition. And you've had a number of transitions going from Colgate to Northern Illinois, to then physical therapy school. So you probably have some idea of what it takes to be able to go from school to school. But still, in going from undergraduate work and being taught in that way to going into a physical therapy doctorate program is very different. You're taught in a different way. The expectations are different. So again, can sometimes be a stark transition when you step into that type of learning environment. Talk to me about that transition for you and what did you have to do as you transitioned in to the program to find success in that journey? And what have you had to do as you've gone along to be able to both set yourself up and continue that success throughout the program.

Nia Ahart [00:07:00]:
The biggest thing for me was time management. In undergrad, since I played a sport, everything was planned out for me. I had a set schedule. I had a lot of free time, but I had to learn the skills to time manage and get things done with practice and lift. I think coming into grad school, it was new because I was just I was a student. Like, I didn't have to worry about going to practice. I didn't have to worry about missing school for gains, And I had a lot of free time that I wasn't used to. So just being able to develop a plan to get all my schoolwork done, still have time for me to take care of myself, do self care, work out was really big for me.

Nia Ahart [00:07:40]:
I am blessed to have the foundation I had from sports and from high school too, but definitely time management. That has been a very big skill and has propelled me to succeed in grad school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:07:52]:
As you talk about time management, are there specific things that you did to be able to not only manage your time well, but be able to really allow for you to go from that where you said that people were scheduling your time to now you having to do that yourself and having to really get yourself into that different mode. Are there specific things that you did to be able to help you to manage that well?

Nia Ahart [00:08:18]:
So my roommate actually got me into using a planner. I used to just use my to do list on my iPhone and just cross things out because I had so much time between assignments. But actually, planning out my life weekly and monthly has been really helpful just to see it on paper and just satisfying to cross things off by hand. I still keep my to do list on my iPhone, but it's nice to have a physical copy. And I would just say organizing myself at the beginning of the semester is something that I always have done, but just going through my syllabi and just right now, all the major assignments we have to do, right now, all of the volunteer opportunities that I signed up for, just having a sheet, a calendar for the whole semester really helps me stay focused and stay on track. Personally, I can work pretty much everywhere. I definitely need my free time just to relax, but thankfully for me, I can work and watch a little episode. So it's nice to have that self motivation to be able to work wherever.

Nia Ahart [00:09:17]:
I think that has set me apart for sure and has made me less stressed because I am very flexible in my studies.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:09:25]:
Now recently, we heard that you were being recognized with a scholarship from Exat. And if you don't know what Exat is, Exat's a company that is focused on giving health science students in individuals in academia what they're looking for by providing education management solutions. Now, Nia, you were awarded the, Diversity and Inclusion Award, and this honors students that are promoting diversity and inclusion in the healthcare workforce. Talk to me about that, that award that you receive. And what did you do to be able to allow yourself to be considered for this award?

Nia Ahart [00:10:04]:
It was a great opportunity, the Diversity Inclusion Award. I had to fill out an application and go present it to our faculty, and they read our essays before selecting someone. So thankfully, I received the award. So this year, I started a diversity or BIPOC healthcare club called the Wolverine BIPOC Healthcare Collective. As 1st year, myself and Zoe Humes, we are cofounders and I'm the president. So we came in as 1st year, then we realized the lack of diversity within the program. And it's just important to have a space where we can be ourselves and have community and network to become developing health care clinicians so we can help all patients, but especially patients that look like us. So I was fortunate enough to start a club, and it's been going well.

Nia Ahart [00:10:53]:
We had our first meeting in January, and we've had meetings since. And we're starting to grow both physical therapy and occupational therapy. We're bringing in guest speakers, so that was in partnering community events around us and community partners. So that was a really big point in my application of this club, and it wasn't new to me to be a part of something like this. I was an ambassador in undergrad for something similar for athletes of color. But this is my first time starting this with my roommate, but from the ground up, starting in my 1st year with a lot of new changes. And it was pretty early on that we got the ball rolling in the semester. So I think just showing the initiative and just creating the space for support with fellow BIPOC members of the community was great.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:11:42]:
Now not every student will jump into getting involved in that way. They'll find other ways to get involved in going and taking advantage of something like you mentioned, heart, which is a pro bono clinic that students can be a part of, or they may find other things that are specifically tailored to their organization. So I commend you for putting something out there, starting something new, and being willing to jump into it with such gusto as a way to be able to allow for others to build and maintain community with individuals like themselves, because I think that's really important. Now you're working through this program. You're moving into your 2nd year within the PT program. That second year of the PT program brings more opportunities for clinical experiences, and then you'll have an even broader experiences in your 3rd year. As you're looking toward the future and now that you have a year under your belt, what are you thinking of the future? And do you have ideas of where you may end up in a few years and where you want to be as a physical therapist?

Nia Ahart [00:12:48]:
So I'm really excited about the future. Going into the program, I was set. I thought that I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I thought that I wanted to be with the NBA or NFL sports team. And now they say that it changes a lot during school, and I have definitely I was like, oh, I know what I'm doing. But I am definitely more open minded about what I wanna go into. I still wanna stay in the sports realm. It's not the NFL NBA dreams are not off the table, but I think I'm more open to having, like, a outpatient or specific path.

Nia Ahart [00:13:19]:
That's where I am at now, but we'll see. We have 2 more years and 4 more clinicals. But I just think the exposure to different realms of patients and pathways in the program is great. And it just allows you to explore things that you've never you would have never thought to go into or explore yourself. So I'm very appreciative, and honestly, I currently work at a hospital as a tech, so having that experience on top of the clinical experiences and heart as well has really opened my eyes to different pathways in the field.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:53]:
Now you've given a lot of piece of advice today, things that you've learned along the way, things that have helped you to be successful. As you look back to your 1st year, as you're moving into your 2nd year, what are some tips that you might offer others that are considering graduate education in general? Doesn't mean that someone's considering physical therapy per se, but just in general for graduate education, what are some tips that you might offer those individuals that would help them find success sooner?

Nia Ahart [00:14:20]:
I think for me, the biggest thing is to not stress yourself out. I tell all the incoming 1st years that are freaking out about the process, I think it it'll all work itself out. Whatever happened, it's meant for you. I also think the big thing that has helped me is that I had a buddy. We have accountability buddies, and I happen to live with mine. So she is amazing. But just to have somebody and a group of friends that you can bounce ideas off of and go through the study process and learn material different way is really big. And also, finding out how you learn, because everyone learns differently.

Nia Ahart [00:14:53]:
And with graduate school, it's important to find that on early on, so you're not kinda behind the boat when you're what ways you learn best and what time schedule works best for you for studying. Some people can study all day. Some people need select time. I think that is really key for success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:17]:
Well, Nia, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for sharing your story today. Thank you for what you're doing to be able to bring students together here at the University of Michigan Flint. But also thank you for the work that you're doing out in the community and and engaging with individuals. And I truly wish you all the best.

Nia Ahart [00:15:33]:
Thank you, and thank you for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:35]:
The University of Michigan Flint has a full array of master's and doctorate programs if you are interested in continuing your education. Whether you're looking for in person or online learning options, the University of Michigan Flint has programs that will meet your needs. For more information on any of our graduate programs, visit umflint.edu/graduateprograms to find out more. Thanks again for spending time with me as you prepare to be a victor in grad school. I look forward to speaking with you again soon as we embark together on your graduate school journey. If you have any questions or want to reach out, email me at [email protected].