Governor Whitmer appoints alumna to Michigan Board of Physical Therapy
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed HFC alumna Amy Hahn to the Michigan Board of Physical Therapy for a 3-year term, beginning January 1, 2027 and running through December 31, 2030.
“That was exciting. I got an email and learned there was a position on the board for a physical therapist assistant (PTA). I decided to throw my hat in the ring and filled out the application. I got the call back, and they accepted it. It’s been a whirlwind ever since. I got a letter from the governor, congratulating me on my appointment and she sent me a certificate,” explained Hahn, of Farmington Hills.
“PT was where my heart was”
Born in Pontiac, Hahn is the eldest of two daughters. She is an alumna of Pontiac Central High School. She earned her associate degree in liberal arts from Oakland Community College and her associate degree in PTA from HFC (then Henry Ford Community College). One of her influential teachers at HFC was Dr. Cyndi Scheuer, now the Dean of the HFC School of Health and Human Services.
Hahn has been a PTA for 17 years. She works for Henry Ford Health in Novi. Before she became a PTA, Hahn was a physical therapy technician for almost 10 years.
“I was going to school to become a teacher but that changed after working in a physical therapy clinic,” recalled Hahn. “I decided this was what I should be doing. If I was going to dedicate my life to working with children, I needed to have experience working with adults once in my career. I was helping people in a way that was as constructive for them as it was for me. One month into my PT tech job, I loved it. PT was where my heart was.”
HFC’s high standards in PTA program prepared her for rewarding career
Hahn decided to enroll in HFC’s PTA program because she wanted to continue her education and the College had one of two programs at the time that was accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association.
“The PTA curriculum was rigorous – it felt like a little too much sometimes – but it gave us what we needed for critical thinking skills and work in the field. I liked that they held us to a high standard. It forced us to be prepared; we had to know our stuff. HFC gave us a leg up on everything. I met people from other programs, comparing notes with them. Those of us who went to HFC felt better prepared. Some of what I learned the first term, they hadn’t even learned until they were on the brink of graduation. I got an excellent education at HFC, and felt fully prepared. The teachers were willing to help, and there were so many resources available to us,” said Hahn.
Hahn works with patients after they are evaluated by the physical therapist for injuries (such as sprained ankles, rotator cuff tears, low back strains, and so on), post-surgery, and chronic conditions and pain management education, working one-on-one with them, documenting their response to the treatments, progress toward their recovery goals, and any ongoing functional deficits requiring continued therapy. She works with them on strength, stability, and flexibility, so they can function as normally as possible. She also performs electro-stimulation, stretching, massages, and other hands-on treatments.
“Being in the physical therapy field has allowed me to help people get back to their lives, which is awesome,” she said. “It also allows me to teach. I teach patients how to do exercises and take better care of their bodies. The most rewarding part is having someone come in who had trouble walking to the end of the driveway and then learn that I’ve helped them get back to playing with their grandkids, or to find out I’ve helped badly injured high school athletes get back to the sport they love. That is why I do this work.”