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At Southern Adventist University, outreach to nearby communities is a key part of the educational curriculum. Last school year, both the School of Nursing and the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program encouraged students to meet needs within the Chattanooga population by using their unique skills.

Southern students in the psychiatric nurse practitioner doctoral program receive training in counseling, a unique component offered by few graduate programs in the United States. As part of their learning experiences, these nurses undertake counseling clinicals during the summer months. Each provides free weekly counseling services to willing clients.

“Our graduate students learn how to assess and evaluate patients’ needs, diagnose potential disorders, and treat as needed,” says Linda Peoples, PhD, professor in the School of Nursing, who organizes the outreach. “Clients always give very positive reviews and find our students helpful and respectful.”

During her clinicals, Bridget Scott-Fletcher, who is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice with emphases in nurse education and psychiatric mental health, met regularly with two clients. “I was privileged to establish wonderful, caring relationships with both and use the skills I’d learned in class to help each of them reflect and problem solve,” she shares. “It was an honor to be allowed into a very personal component of their lives. The sessions reinforced the critical skills of empathetic and active listening that I will continue to carry with me into my own practice of guiding patients’ care.”

On the other side of Southern’s campus, Amanda Patton, DPT, professor in the PTA department, formed connections with the nonprofit Catalyst Sports when she invited volunteer coordinator Ivanna Libre to speak in her classes.

“As an outdoor activity organizer with 14 locations across the Southeast, Catalyst Sports offers adaptive abilities to individuals who otherwise wouldn’t have access,” Patton says. “This matches so well with our own mission to serve the community in a Christ-like manner.”

An orthotist and prosthetist, Libre fits patients with artificial limbs, braces, and splints. Twice a year, she shares her expertise with PTA majors during a full day of intensive training on campus. During the Winter 2025 semester, she offered students the opportunity to volunteer at a climbing event for individuals with physical disabilities coordinated by Catalyst Sports and High Point Climbing and Fitness in Chattanooga.

Student volunteers engaged with climbers ages 4 to 60, helping them register, navigate the gym, and manage their climbing gear. Held just before Southern’s students began their month-long clinicals, the event provided a valuable opportunity to put coursework into practice in preparation for real-world applications.

“PTA students were able to see individuals beyond their diagnoses and recognize that they are more than their disability,” shares Patton. “These organic settings allow our majors to start making connections and applying schooling in ways that don’t necessarily happen in a classroom.”

Ethan Reinoehl, a physical therapist assistant major who graduated in December 2025, reports, “It was incredible to witness the determination and joy the climbers brought to the event. Being part of their journey, even in a small way, was both humbling and inspiring.”

Reinoehl chose the outreach opportunity specifically for the chance to experience a new setting, speaking with climbers and volunteers alike. “I found it valuable to get different perspectives on how people with disabilities learn to reorient their lives to accommodate for their conditions,” he reflects.

The nursing and PTA programs represent just two of the many academic areas across Southern’s campus that provide practical opportunities for students to serve others while strengthening the skills they will need in the workplace.

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