NorthWest Arkansas Community College Adviser Provides Scholarship

BENTONVILLE -- Sarah Beth Phillips knows firsthand what a difference a good physical therapist can make in someone's life.

That's why Phillips, an academic adviser at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, does what she can to ensure others benefit from the kind of care she has received.

Phillips has provided a $1,500 scholarship each year since 2010 to one student in the college's physical therapist assistant program. The scholarship is named in honor of Rob Jordan, the physical therapist who began working with her when she was 7 years old to help her deal with the effects of her cerebral palsy.

Stephen Barthel received this year's scholarship. That announcement was made last month.

Barthel, 26, of Bentonville said getting the money was exciting, but the experience of interviewing with Phillips was just as valuable.

"When you get to see the impact physical therapy has made on someone, it really raises your spirits and reminds you of why you got into the program," Barthel said.

Phillips, 29, was born seven weeks premature with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. It was clear from an early age her motor skills were not developing like they should have been.

She was diagnosed at 18 months old with cerebral palsy, a neuromuscular disorder that affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements.

"I have the same muscles like everyone else, but some don't work at all or don't work like they should," Phillips said.

Phillips can walk, but the disorder affects her gait. She suffers the occasional fall. Sometimes she knows the falls are coming, sometimes she doesn't. She calls those falls her "meetings with the ground." She seems to accept them as a fact of her life.

"God made me durable, and skin grows back," she said.

She can recall only one fall that required immediate medical attention. That was for a head wound she suffered when she was 4 years old.

Her handwriting has improved, but is still not great, she said. There are some things, like clasping a necklace, she simply cannot do.

For as much as cerebral palsy still affects her, Phillips refuses to let it keep her from leading a normal life. It does not define her, she said.

"Everyone has challenges," Phillips said. "It just so happens that mine are visible from the outside."

She credits mainly her family and God for giving her the support she's needed throughout life, but it's clear Jordan -- whom she calls her "second daddy" -- has had a tremendous impact on her as well. Jordan always has supported her, but also pushed her to achieve more than she thought was possible, Phillips said.

The admiration is mutual. Jordan calls Phillips one of the most amazing people he's ever met.

"Sarah Beth is someone who others would look at and say, 'She has a disability,"' Jordan said. "But I don't think she thinks she has a disability. She may have physical limitations, but she's never let that get in her way."

As for the scholarship Phillips named after him, Jordan said, "It's certainly an honor, but honestly, it should be named after her."

Phillips grew up in Jessieville, a small town near Hot Springs. When she began treatment, there were only two physical therapists in the state who specialized in pediatric care. Both worked in Little Rock, more than an hour away.

The therapist treating her suggested the family start seeing Jordan, who had a clinic in Hot Springs, about 15 minutes from her home. Jordan specialized in geriatrics, but agreed to treat Phillips, even though she was only 7 at the time.

Jordan still lives and works in Hot Springs, where he manages the physical therapy department of a family medicine clinic. He also is a member of the Arkansas State Board of Physical Therapy.

This year he hired Gretchen Cellers as a physical therapist assistant. Cellers graduated this year from NorthWest Arkansas Community College's physical therapist assistant program; she also was the 2013 recipient of Phillips' scholarship.

"I have great respect for what NWACC is doing," Jordan said. "I've seen over the years the quality of the students they've been putting out. Year after year they have turned out some amazing students. Other schools in this part of the country don't live up to that standard."

NorthWest Arkansas Community College's physical therapist assistant program is one of four such programs in the state. It is designed to prepare students to perform as entry-level assistants, according to a college news release. Under the supervision of a physical therapist, entry-level assistants provide rehabilitative care to optimize a patient's level of function after an injury or illness.

The college accepts between 14 and 18 students to the program each year. This year the program marked 15 consecutive years of having its graduates achieve a 100 percent passing rate on the National Physical Therapy Assistant Examination. Jennifer Newell, one of the college's graduates last year, achieved a perfect score of 800 on the test, an extremely rare feat, according to college officials.

Barthel, a native of New Boston, Texas, is halfway through the college's 15-month program. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas in 2011, but decided after that to pursue the physical therapy field.

The college's program has been a struggle, he said.

"They make it difficult for a reason. They want you to be a good therapist," Barthel said.

Phillips earned her bachelor's degree from Arkansas Tech University and her master's degree from Henderson State University with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She joined the NorthWest Arkansas Community College staff in 2008. She began as a recruiter before switching to advising in 2010.

Applicants for her scholarship must submit two letters of reference and an essay. Phillips interviews all applicants herself. The scholarship money comes entirely from Phillips; she does not rely on donations.

This year she had only two applicants. In past years she's had as many as five.

Those getting into the physical therapy field should have more than the required knowledge and skills, Phillips said.

"You need to have a heart for the profession, and a strong desire to see people achieve a level of independence they otherwise wouldn't achieve," she said.