Jeff Ewert just started his first semester at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP) in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. Jeff graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Business Management.
Since the beginning of January 2016, Jeff, in addition to working toward his undergraduate degree, dedicated at least five hours each week to volunteer at RMUoHP’s Community Rehab Clinic (CRC) in Provo, Utah. Prior to 2016, Jeff shadowed other physical therapists, enjoying the experiences that these visits provided him, and grew a passion toward the physical therapy profession.
Despite Jeff’s already busy schedule with school and volunteer work in 2016, he decided to rearrange his class schedule so he could dedicate more time at the CRC. Jeff mentions appreciating the opportunity to watch Dr. Coleby Clawson, a faculty member in the RMUoHP Physical Therapy Department and the CRC’s Clinic Director. He learned from Dr. Clawson how to conduct new patient evaluations and observed how he broke down his visits with physical therapy patients.
In May 2016, Jeff was biking at least 45 mph down the road when his bike collided with a car. The accident put him in the hospital for several days and at a recuperating clinic for almost a month. Jeff suffered compound fractures, multiple contusions and lacerations, torn ligaments, and a concussion. The unfortunate accident also knocked out several of his teeth. His healing process required him to go through physical therapy rehabilitation until December of 2017—five months of physical therapy.
In his long duration of physical therapy, Jeff went through the same rehabilitation treatments that he had assisted Dr. Clawson with as a volunteer at the CRC. After all his volunteer work helping other patients recover through physical therapy, Jeff now had to relearn how to walk himself.
Fortunately, in January of 2017, Jeff was able to return to BYU to finish his college education. In March 2017, he returned to the CRC to continue volunteering five hours per week.
Jeff Ewert is a fine example of the character and determination of the students of the RMUoHP Physical Therapy Department and of those who volunteer and serve at the CRC. His time serving physical therapy patients has changed his life. As a student at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Jeff is on the road to becoming a licensed physical therapist, with hopes of inspiring others within the profession and healing and treating those who are in need of the same treatment he received.
For more information on the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, visit https://rm.edu/academics/doctor-of-physical-therapy-entry-level/.
