{"id":47823,"date":"2000-03-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2000-03-14T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T10:55:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T15:55:49","slug":"native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/","title":{"rendered":"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at\n\nUNMC"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/FONT><\/B><\/p>\n

Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the<\/p>\n

University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical<\/p>\n

look and say, Physical therapy? Youre kidding me.  But Hunt doesnt<\/p>\n

take offense. After all, Hunt is a Native American, an active duty Air<\/p>\n

Force veteran, a national amateur volleyball competitor,  and currently,<\/p>\n

the two-term class president of UNMCs School of Allied Health Professions,<\/p>\n

Division of Physical Therapy Education. He believes life is filled with<\/p>\n

interesting possibilities.<\/p>\n

I had knee surgery years ago and spent a lot of time in physical therapy,<\/p>\n

said Hunt, 27, a member of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina. I never<\/p>\n

forgot the personal interaction between therapist and patient. Eventually,<\/p>\n

I did more than 400 hours of volunteer work with physical therapy and always<\/p>\n

thought about it as a possible career.<\/p>\n

With more than 40,000 members, the Lumbee are the largest tribe in North<\/p>\n

Carolina, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth<\/p>\n

largest tribe in the United States.  The Lumbee name is from the Lumber<\/p>\n

River that flows through southeastern North Carolina and represents a Native<\/p>\n

American community that has inhabited the area for more than 250 years.<\/p>\n

Hunt came to UNMC by way of the U.S. Air Force.  He enlisted in<\/p>\n

1990 and later was chosen for the officer candidates program. Stationed<\/p>\n

at Offutt Air Base since 1996, working as a communications computer systems<\/p>\n

operator, he attended a retirement reception for his commanding officer<\/p>\n

in 1997 and met Maj. Mary Ellen Sacksteder, (USAF Ret.). After hearing<\/p>\n

Hunts interest in physical therapy, Sacksteder, former program director<\/p>\n

of the Division of Physical Therapy Education, immediately referred him<\/p>\n

to Pat Hageman, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the division.<\/p>\n

The faculty here is excellent, Hunt said.  They immediately<\/p>\n

contacted me and really recruited me with enthusiasm.  I think our<\/p>\n

faculty goes out of its way to interact and assist students.  They<\/p>\n

help you believe in yourself and make you feel that if you show some initiative<\/p>\n

and desire, the support is here to help you make it.<\/p>\n

Physical therapists are health care professionals who evaluate and treat<\/p>\n

people with health problems resulting from injury or disease.  Physical<\/p>\n

therapists assess joint motion, muscle strength and endurance, function<\/p>\n

of the heart and lungs, and performance of activities required in daily<\/p>\n

living.  Treatments used by physical therapists include a broad range<\/p>\n

of therapeutic exercise techniques, cardiovascular endurance training,<\/p>\n

and training in activities in daily living.<\/p>\n

In order to achieve a master of physical therapy degree, students have<\/p>\n

to complete a minimum of 64 semester hours in prerequisite course work<\/p>\n

prior to admission.  The three-year program does not require a thesis,<\/p>\n

but Hunt and his classmates must complete 101 credit hours of didactic<\/p>\n

and clinical course work, including 31 weeks of full-time clinical experience. <\/p>\n

Thus far, Hunt has served multiple-week tours in geriatric and orthopedic<\/p>\n

clinics.<\/p>\n

When I came into the school, I had no idea how many rehabilitation<\/p>\n

areas our field can be involved in, Hunt said.  While this career<\/p>\n

pays well and has excellent future prospects, what I like the most is constantly<\/p>\n

dealing with people at a very personal level for an extended period of<\/p>\n

time.  Physical therapists may see the same patient two or three times<\/p>\n

a week for weeks or even months.<\/p>\n

The thanks and smiles I receive when my patients see and feel their<\/p>\n

own progress is so rewarding.  I just enjoy helping people and I cant<\/p>\n

get that kind of feedback working on computers.  Ill be commissioned<\/p>\n

an officer after I get my degree.  My ultimate goal is to do an Air<\/p>\n

Force career tour and then work in pediatric neurophysical therapy. <\/p>\n

Maybe one day I will be a teacher, too.<\/p>\n

Giving back to the community is a hallmark of Hunts commitment to sharing<\/p>\n

his own good fortunes in life.  He is a Special Olympics volunteer,<\/p>\n

a participant at the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institutes Camp Munroe (a summer<\/p>\n

camp for children with special needs), a youth mentor and organizer\/teammate<\/p>\n

for a number of local charity volleyball events.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of opportunity in America today, Hunt said. There are<\/p>\n

more minority role models in health and medicine now who are showing what<\/p>\n

we can achieve.  I know I am not alone.  I want others coming<\/p>\n

behind me to realize they wont be alone either in trying to achieve their<\/p>\n

own dreams.<\/p>\n

The allied health professions include all health related disciplines<\/p>\n

except medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry and podiatry.<\/p>\n

The allied health programs at UNMC include medical technology, physical<\/p>\n

therapy, radiography, medical nutrition, medical sonography, physician<\/p>\n

assistant, nuclear medicine, perfusion science, radiation therapy and cytotechnology.<\/p>\n

UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.<\/p>\n

Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,<\/p>\n

UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for<\/p>\n

cancer research and treatment, solid organ transplantation and arthritis.<\/p>\n

During the past year, nearly $31 million in research grants and contracts<\/p>\n

were awarded to UNMC scientists, and UNMCs funding from the National Institutes<\/p>\n

of Health increased by 28 percent, going from $16.2 million to $20.7 million.<\/p>\n

UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals<\/p>\n

practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.<\/p>\n


 <\/p>\nrDAt GVAZeJvvv rfjTxQYk <\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look and say, Physical therapy? Youre kidding me.  But Hunt doesnt take offense. After all, Hunt is a Native American, an active duty Air Force veteran, a national amateur volleyball competitor,  and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\nNative American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2000-03-14T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-29T15:55:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"UNMC Today\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@unmc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@unmc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"UNMC Today\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"UNMC Today\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7a10902696c45a5370b361e3a9ce621\"},\"headline\":\"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC\",\"datePublished\":\"2000-03-14T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-29T15:55:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":896,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/\",\"name\":\"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2000-03-14T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-29T15:55:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/2000\\\/03\\\/14\\\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/\",\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University of Nebraska Medical Center\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/overview-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/overview-1.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":153,\"caption\":\"University of Nebraska Medical Center\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/unmcedu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/unmc\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/iamunmc\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/UNMCEDU\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7a10902696c45a5370b361e3a9ce621\",\"name\":\"UNMC Today\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/strategic-communications\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.unmc.edu\\\/newsroom\\\/author\\\/d1fe173d08e959397adf34b1d77e88d7\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC","description":"Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC","og_description":"Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look","og_url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu","article_published_time":"2000-03-14T06:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-29T15:55:49+00:00","author":"UNMC Today","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@unmc","twitter_site":"@unmc","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"UNMC Today","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/"},"author":{"name":"UNMC Today","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b7a10902696c45a5370b361e3a9ce621"},"headline":"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC","datePublished":"2000-03-14T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-29T15:55:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/"},"wordCount":896,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/","name":"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2000-03-14T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-29T15:55:49+00:00","description":"Whenever Ty Hunt mentions that he is studying physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, people often respond with a quizzical look","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/03\/14\/native-american-opens-new-doors-as-class-leader-atunmc\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Native American Opens New Doors as Class Leader at UNMC"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization","name":"University of Nebraska Medical Center","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/overview-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/overview-1.png","width":500,"height":153,"caption":"University of Nebraska Medical Center"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu","https:\/\/x.com\/unmc","https:\/\/instagram.com\/iamunmc","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/UNMCEDU"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b7a10902696c45a5370b361e3a9ce621","name":"UNMC Today","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/strategic-communications"],"url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/d1fe173d08e959397adf34b1d77e88d7\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/79"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73880,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47823\/revisions\/73880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}