2025 Physical Therapist Assistant graduate Hannah Hjelm says her parents played major roles in her newfound success.
Her father paid for her tuition in the program, her mother was the inspiration she needed to get into the field, and her stepfather housed her – even amidst his divorce from her mother.
An invitation to shadow her mom at work was Hjelm’s first exposure to the field of physical therapy.
“She’s a nurse, and I watched her go through nursing school,” said Hjelm. “She works in a rehabilitation nursing facility alongside physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists. That’s how I found out I was interested in physical therapy.”
She spent one year at Germanna Community College taking prerequisites in preparation for the PTA program. The Luray-Page County Center is an accredited satellite site for Germanna’s PTA program, although Laurel Ridge recently gained accreditation to be an independent program provider beginning in fall 2026.
“It was definitely worth the commute,” said Hjelm of the program which she completed while living in Fredericksburg. “It was a really good program. They really took the time to tell us our strengths and struggles. Sometimes, it felt like they were pushing us outside of our comfort zone, but that makes us better. I felt prepared to go to clinicals and to work with real patients.
“Our professors were very supportive of us. We all had stuff that made school challenging in some regard. It’s a really rigorous program. I had a few moments where I cried in my professor’s arms.”
Hjelm is now working at an out-patient Sentara clinic in Dumfries.
“I like my job a lot,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to have a job that helps other people and to work with people. Just for a long time, I didn’t know what that was going to be. I’m glad my mom pointed me in the right direction.
“It was quite nerve-wracking at the beginning just because I was a new graduate, but Sentara is a good place to start. I did two clinical rotations with the company while in college. They have allowed me to slowly build up my caseload.”
And, her employer offers tuition assistance, according to Hjelm.
“Even if I decide not to get my doctorate in physical therapy, I can still get specializations and take courses to further my learning, and get help with that continuing education,” she said. “I just turned 22, and I feel like I’m being set up for success, and I have the support of my parents, too. I think they were excited to see me do so well at such a young age.”
Hjelm said her dad, mom and stepdad were all very supportive of her during her college journey.
“My dad came from nothing – he didn’t finish high school, so I know he was really proud of me,” she said. “He paid my tuition and supported me. I was able to live at home. That’s part of the reason community college was so great because it makes it so much more affordable.”
The median salary for PTAs in this region is $60,000. The PTA program qualifies for G3 funding, meaning eligible Virginia residents will have no out-of-pocket tuition fees after all financial aid has been applied.
Learn more about the program at laurelridge.edu/PTA.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.