Alumni Dedicated to Assisting Physical Therapist Students (ADAPTS) Program

Professional education in physical therapy can be an intense and potentially stressful endeavor.  Faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences believe that students thrive and appreciate their educational experiences when they have access to a network that can provide academic and professional cultural support.  In an effort to assist students in establishing these mentoring networks, in 2004 we initiated the Alumni Dedicated to Assisting Physical Therapist Students (ADAPTS) Program.  

The ADAPTS program is a voluntary mentoring program, pairing alumni from Northwestern University’s physical therapist professional education program with physical therapist students The purpose of this program is to link students with experienced physical therapists who are able to promote the protégé’s intellectual growth and professional career development.  The ADAPTS program allows students to establish professional relationships and networks early in their professional education.  

The mentoring process involves a long-term relationship between a mentor and a protégé that encompasses sharing of both professional and personal lives of the participants.  We believe that mentors have a unique ability to help immerse students in the culture of physical therapy and that it is beneficial for students to have access to clinicians, educators, or administrators who come from diverse backgrounds and a variety of experiences.

In 2006, a group of students conducted a Synthesis Project to evaluate mentor/protégé satisfaction with the ADAPTS program and the effectiveness of PT alumni as mentors for PT students. Overall, 84.0% of protégés and 85.2% of mentors were satisfied with the implementation of the program.  In addition, 85.2% of protégés were satisfied with their mentors’ effectiveness.  Therefore, both mentors and protégés recommended continuing the ADAPTS program. In 2007, another students’ Synthesis Project investigated the factors that PT students considered when choosing alumni mentors. The 5 most important mentor characteristics were year of graduation, primary area of practice, primary role, the state where currently practicing, and area of specialization.

Please contact Nora Francis at 312-908-6796 or n-francis@northwestern.edu or Bill Healey at 312-503-3346 or b-healey@northwestern.edu if you would like additional information about the alumni mentoring program. Complete the ADAPTS Mentor Information Sheet (see link) and we will add your name to the mentor database - mail or fax (312-503-4398) the form to Nora or Bill.