The importance of membership and participation in APTA.

Why am I a member of APTA? Because of a passion for the profession of physical therapy that was instilled in me as a first-year student in the PTA education program at Fayetteville Technical Community College in North Carolina. My instructors found great value in the association. They considered it important to teach students the history of physical therapy and about APTA's integral role in ensuring its ability to optimally meet the needs of patients and clients.

I was hooked from the time I attended my first North Carolina Physical Therapy Association (NCPTA) fall conference with my classmates. We were welcomed with open arms. Every chapter member we met—physical therapists (PTs) and PTAs alike—was happy and eager to share his or her knowledge, offer us encouragement, and urge us to seek his or her help in securing employment after graduation.