Welland campus ready to offer physiotherapy treatment for local residents

Niagara | Niagara on the Lake | Welland | Community | Education | Health |

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Published January 25, 2023 at 9:52 am

Performance Clinic staff (OTA and PTA program alumnus) James Monterosso conducts an orientation session at the clinic for first-year OTA and PTA students. (Photo: Niagara College)

Students in the Performance Therapy Clinic at the Welland Campus of Niagara College will soon be able to offer Niagara residents physiotherapy and occupational therapy at a greatly reduced rate in the near future.

The clinic just reopened on January 16 for the first time since the pandemic began and its faculty says being able to offer up the services could ease wait times for the community in need of the services.

“The Performance Clinic enables us to use our College expertise and state of the art equipment to serve the community while enhancing learning opportunities for our students,” said instructor Eva Lemak.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide physiotherapy and occupational therapy services at reduced costs, and to offer an option for Niagara children and their families who have been facing long wait lists, often for more than two years, for occupational therapy to develop fine motor skills.”

Professor Kelly Martindale, who performs initial client assessments and creates treatment plans for clients, said it’s a win-win for both the program’s students and the local community.

“This is an amazing opportunity for students to experience what it is like to work in a multidisciplinary clinic,” she said. “Not only will it build their hands-on clinical skills, but also their time management, documentation and communication skills.”

Starting this year, all first-year therapy students will have an opportunity to rotate through the clinic and observe how it operates, while second-year OTA and PTA students may apply for a placement position at the clinic.

Students who are selected for placements at the clinic will have an opportunity to demonstrate hands-on clinical skills with patients under a Physiotherapist’s supervision.

The Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant program is a two-year diploma program within the college’s School of Allied Health.

With the next block of the program to begin on March 7, residents can get more information or register by emailing: [email protected].

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