Physical Therapy Early Admissions Program student shares path to profession

 

First-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student Daniel Laereman plans to help fellow military veterans and active duty personnel rehabilitate from their injuries.

“My goal is to get back into the military as a commissioned officer for physical therapy,” Laereman said. “I have met a lot of former Marines and Air Force and Army personnel who get injured in different ways. I want to help them continue their careers in the military. It’s everything from the loss of a limb to simple injuries that prevent them from doing their jobs.”

Laereman joined the U.S. Marine Corps after high school graduation and served for five years as an Arabic linguist before moving to San Antonio with his wife, who serves in the U.S. Navy. He separated from the military and enrolled at The University of Texas at San Antonio to pursue a bachelor’s in kinesiology. While at UTSA, he learned about the Physical Therapy Early Admissions Program, which enables UTSA biology or kinesiology majors to begin the three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy program at UT Health San Antonio after completing the third year of their undergraduate studies. Program participants earn their bachelor’s degree after completing their first-year DPT courses. To learn more about the PTEAP admission requirements, scroll down to the bottom of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program admissions page.

Laereman applied to the PTEAP program because it was  a convenient fit for his own timeline and goals, and he said quality of the program’s faculty, his cohort and the facilities have impressed him.

“This program has been amazing,” he said, describing “how intent and driven (faculty) are to make the program better.”