Augustana Campus

In Associate Teaching Professor Christopher Zarski's physical therapy labs, patients sometimes arrive in costume. Chris keeps a "tickle trunk" of outfits for characters like Betty Lou, Gladys and Johnny Volleyball. When one of them shows up at the clinic, a student steps up to handle the visit live in front of the class, and the discussion that follows teaches more than any lecture could. Simulating real patient interactions prepares students in ways a paper or video case study can't. The approach is so well loved that Chris's students once dressed up as him for Halloween.

Occupational therapy students at Augustana have picked up the skipping ropes in a lab led by Professor Sarah Bailer. Instead of practising a skill over and over, students work out for themselves how to master double dutch, then reflect on what helped. It's hands-on practice with the CO-OP approach, a problem-solving strategy they'll use to help children build everyday skills. It's a strategy they can carry into any area of practice, and the fresh air, activity and laughter are a welcome break during a busy term.

Augustana physical therapy students take part in the Virtual Dementia Tour, a simulation that helps them understand what daily life can feel like for someone living with dementia. Students work through cluttered, simulated rooms, then reflect and debrief together. The teaching team introduced the activity after listening to student feedback, and the results speak for themselves. In a study of 52 students, attitudes toward people with dementia improved significantly, especially their knowledge and comfort. Students came away with new empathy and practical ideas for adapting environments and communication.

Speech-language pathology students at Augustana learn the muscles of the face by painting them onto each other. The anatomy lab, which Assistant Teaching Professor Jasmine Travers delivers at Augustana, builds the face one layer at a time, turning dense material into something students can see, touch and remember. Developed by a team that includes an anaplastologist who creates head and neck prostheses, the lab also challenges the idea of a single textbook "norm," preparing future SLPs to serve every family.

Students at Augustana gain real clinical experience serving people in the Camrose community. The impact goes both ways. One client wrote to thank the students "for making me feel like a 'human,' like family, like friends." For students who want to learn rehabilitation in a place where relationships come first, Augustana offers exactly that.