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New physical therapy grads can apply to work for a year at the Corbett Hall clinic on the º£½ÇÉçÇø campus

From the moment Matt Goertzen became involved with the Corbett Hall Student Physical Therapy Clinic at the º£½ÇÉçÇø, students have been telling him, “I wish I could work here; I wish I could come back after I graduate and continue to grow and learn.”

“Physio is a really daunting profession to jump into,” explains Goertzen, a physiotherapist and  assistant professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. About 70 per cent of physical therapy graduates go into private practice, which is mostly structured as fee for service. And having come from a degree where they’re taught “The standard of care you provide is more important than the quantity of care you give,” as Goertzen says, some new graduates may struggle to adjust to an environment sometimes driven by private-business metrics.

With so much student interest in the campus clinic — where practitioners can take the time they need with each patient without as much pressure to bring in revenue — Goertzen approached Geoff Bostick, co-ordinator of the clinic and associate professor of physical therapy, with the kernel of an idea. Together, the two fleshed that out and came up with a program, says Bostick, that “expands upon our vision of addressing service gaps and supporting students and new graduates to become the best physiotherapists they can.”

The program allows for a year-long contract for the equivalent of one full-time role, which can be filled either by one person who wants to work full time, or by several who would rather work part time while also exploring other job opportunities. Soon-to-be graduates are recruited in the fall to start work in January. Successful applicants work as salaried, self-directed clinicians, with established professionals on hand to offer guidance on everything from how to direct a conversation with a client to how to bill insurance companies and what to look for in their next job. 

Maddie Holman, now a physiotherapist in Oakville, Ont., worked in the clinic from June 2024 to February 2025. “It was an incredible way to start building a caseload, with access to structured mentorship and a strong support system,” she recalls, noting that the exposure to diverse patient needs so early in her career helped refine her skills for the future. Emily Richard, who had a student placement in the clinic, now hopes to return as part of the January 2026 intake. “During my student placement, the mentorship there was one of the many positive aspects of my experience,” she recalls. “I am excited for the opportunity to be mentored there again and begin my career as a new grad at Corbett Hall.”

The five mentors in the clinic get at least as much out of this arrangement as the new grads, insists Goertzen. “You can get set in your ways, and when they come in and say, ‘I just did an hour of research on how you did that and it's actually supposed to be this way instead,’ it is a great opportunity for us as mentors to improve and stay current,” he says. That fresh perspective is beneficial to students as well. “It’s fulfilling to observe our new graduates joining us for mentorship, but quickly recognizing they have a lot to offer as they begin mentoring our students,” says Bostick. 

As for the clientele, “It’s probably more complex than anything these grads will experience in the community,” says Goertzen. When the program began two years ago, he and Bostick had no trouble pulling in patients for the new grads — they simply approached the clinic’s waiting list of more than 200. Right away, the calendar was full for the three grads who were sharing the job. Goertzen was not surprised at the immediate uptake. “We are very proud of the standard of care and the outcomes we have at the clinic,” he says, and even with the somewhat higher fees charged by the new grads, patients are still getting excellent treatment for much less than they would pay elsewhere.

While there is currently only space and staffing in the clinic for one full-time equivalent per year, the demand is there for it to grow. “I already have first-years telling me, ‘I want my first job to be in the clinic,’” Goertzen says, and in future he would love to open the opportunity to more grads. 

“We’ll meet you where you’re at, we respect you as health-care providers and we will cater to what you need,” he says to prospective applicants. “You will be supported and you will grow in both competence and confidence.”

"We've been able to improve our care of patients, improve our mentorship and generate revenue. So it feels like a 360 win."