Internships Provide Professional Training

Internships prepare McNeese State University students like health and human performance major Sadie Zaunbrecher to be the First Choice for employers seeking qualified candidates.

“Watching the human body heal and repair itself is incredible,” says Zaunbrecher, whose concentration is in physical therapy. “I’m so happy to have this hands-on experience to compliment the excellent classroom instruction from my faculty members.”

She started her internship with FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Center in May and has been a part of the care team for a patient with a hamstring tear and another client that experienced complications from knee replacement. 

“One of our patients experienced the incision coming apart after surgery so we had to rebandage the knee,” explains Zaunbrecher. “Every case is different but all of the therapists here are so knowledgeable and I’m eager to learn from them every day,”

Her skills were even put to the test at home after one of her relatives experienced swelling in his foot.

“It wasn’t clear what was causing the swelling, but I was able to show pictures of my relative’s foot to the therapists I’ve been working with and they suggested a number of things I could try to reduce the swelling,” says Zaunbrecher. “I did a few different massages on his foot and even showed his wife what to do to continue pushing the fluid out of the foot.”

Zaunbrecher plans to continue her professional education in physical therapy school after graduating from McNeese and believes this internship experience makes her a competitive candidate.

“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to work one-on-one with so many experts before entering the profession. The McNeese faculty and my FYZICAL mentors have more than prepared me to succeed no matter where this journey takes me.”