By Judith Iacuzzi
Student members of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP) are finding the organization a live and ready conduit into the challenging career of private rehabilitation. Private “rehab” is the area of choice for most all 2,700 members of the association.
The recent spurt in IARP’s student members manifests in many regions of the USA, with the Illinois chapter, one of 29 IARP chapters, leading the pack.
According to Ed Steffan, Illinois chapter president, 41 “students” -- usually those completing their master’s degree, involved in internships or launching careers -- have joined the chapter over the last 12 months, representing a significant membership increase.
The reason may be in large part Steffan himself, a true believer in the networking power of IARP and someone who creates opportunities for it to occur. In September 2014 the chapter will host its second statewide conference focused on student members, and is planning other social events where “senior and junior members” can meet and greet.
The owner of EPS Rehabilitation in Tinley Park, Ill., which he launched in 1981, Steffan got his own career boost from IARP many years ago.
“Dr. Brian McMahon, my professor at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and lifelong mentor, encouraged me to review the marketplace before deciding my career. Dr. McMahon was adamant about the benefits of students’ attending local and national conventions organized by IARP, which in those days was called the National Association of Rehabilitation Professionals in the Private Sector.” These events and his savvy professors turned the career tide for Steffan.
“Dr. McMahon, who was an IARP founder, sent me to one convention in Washington, D.C., where Dr. George Wright was one of several luminaries lecturing. To see in person my teachers who wrote the books and talk with them face-to-face made a profound difference,” said Steffan. “This is why I am so committed to IARP today.”
Informed teachers, networking and building friendships that lead to growth and understanding resonate throughout the careers of IARP members, starting at the entry-level.
Student member Chris Mathis, who has been working for EPS Rehabilitation for the last several months, attests to the importance of IARP and its career-changing relationships. His adviser at Northeastern Illinois University, Dr. Craig Johnston, encouraged Mathis to join IARP and brought into his classes guest speakers who worked in the private sector.
“Before that I thought I’d have to work in a small non-profit or the state for a few years at least. These teachers showed me differently by exposing the vast opportunities in private rehab.”
Upon graduation Mathis astutely took advantage of an IARP resource by posting his resume on the rehabpro.org website. Steffan read it, interviewed and quickly hired the recent grad. The relationship thrives for them both, and Mathis, with the encouragement of his employer, is plunging headlong into IARP. He has applied to serve as a student representative to the IARP rehabilitation and disability case management section, considered a best-entry point for the field, and currently manages monthly teleconferences with new student members. He is also helping form a student board that feeds ideas and information to the chapter board.
Likewise Lenny Teo, a master’s candidate in the Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program at the University of Iowa, finds IARP valuable in illuminating career choices and forming fruitful friendships. A professor recommended that Teo join the Illinois chapter in the absence of one in Iowa, and Teo expresses his delight at the decision.
“The friendships I’ve formed and the helpfulness and willingness to assist me and introduce me to others, discuss internships, and exchange business cards have been great,” he said, and referring to the Illinois chapter conference last year added, “I do really like this group of people and the opportunity to learn new things in the field that may not be offered in the classroom.”
Teo and Mathis both expressed hope that the embryonic IARP mentorship program will grow. “It could give students a more solid idea of what they will experience in the private sector, advise which courses are more valuable to take and open up career opportunities,” said Teo.
When asked what photos to post on social media to give students the flavor of IARP, both Mathis and Teo suggested posting shots of senior and junior-level members engaging in conversation, networking and building friendships.
They agree that the initiative of opening up IARP and private rehab opportunities to students like themselves is of immense value to shaping wonderful careers.
Steffan added, “Like life in general, the more you put into IARP, the more you’ll get out of the experience.”