Alumni Spotlight

Pavla Gould

Pavla Gould was a student and now alumni of our second cohort of PTA! Her career has progressed a long way graduation – now CEO of her own staffing agency for PT’s and PTA’s – Gould Therapy LLC. She has followed her own advice to students and graduates – never give up on your dreams – believe in yourself and be confident! We are so proud of Pavla having accomplished so much and we know she has many more plans and dreams  to fulfill.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Pavla Gould, I came to the US 10 years ago. After 3 years in the US my job was no longer financially resourceful, and I decided to go back to College. I had a background as Pilates instructor and exercise is my passion in life therefore, I chose to become a PTA.

Where have you worked since you graduated and where do you currently work? What is your title?
After graduation I got part time a job in two Physical Therapy clinics, one was owned by my teacher from Casa Loma and the other one was owned by a PT. After I receive my PTA license, I started to work in home care for multiple agencies, and 6 months ago I opened my own staffing PT agency. I am the CEO of Gould Therapy LLC.

 What type of things do you do there day to day?
I see four patients a day and provide physical therapy to patients’ at home. Our patients have different diagnosis such as total knee replacement, hip replacement, back surgeries or injuries relevant to falling. My goals are to keep patients safe at home and help them be as independent as they can be. The job in home care is unpredictable, therefore I really love home care.  We do caregiver training, patient training, family training with home exercise programs, transfer training and gait training. I manage a very small staffing agency and I prepare schedules for PT’s and PTA’s to see out patients at their homes. I also do the marketing for my own business.

 What do you like about your career?
This career is for people who want to move all day. I am a very energetic person; a desk job is not for me. I like to see new patients and meet new PT’s and PTA’s. I am satisfied when our patients improve their quality of life and live longer with decreased pain or no pain. I like to give our patients confidence to keep active in their higher ages and stages of their life.

What are your career goals for the future?
To help my small business grow and cover more area.

What advice can you give current students and new graduates that can help them be successful?
Keep studying and never give up on your dreams. Make sure to be organized and work hard on each assignment and learn to have a positive mindset. Believe in yourself and be confident in yourself. You will learn a lot of very important information about health and you can help thousands of patients.

How did Casa Loma College help you get where you are today?
Casa Loma College challenged me and helped me grow as a person, having attended Casa Loma College allowed me to pursue my dream profession while being able to meet a great group of people who are my friends to this day.

What was your experience like getting a job after you graduated?
Because of the connections I made at Casa Loma College getting a job after graduation was quick. I choose good people to work with, one of them was with one of my teachers and another one was a very nice PT in small office. Both of those people helped me to build my professional skills and career.

Did you find a job right away? If not, how long did it take?
I got a job right the way as PTALA (license applicant). There is a lot of jobs for PTAs, never enough PTAs.

 What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in the program?
English is my second language; I was struggling mostly with medical terminology, kinesiology and anatomy. However, after a couple months of intensive studying I was improving, and I was very motivated to finish the program and pass the state board exam.

 What are some highlights from your time at Casa Loma College?
Personal attitude by all professors Dr. Dave, Dr. Mary, Dr. James, Carren Downs, continuous support for my education. Also receptionist (now MRI Admin. Assistant) Kelly Kumar and the student financial department. The whole PTA program is very supportive, as is every single person at Casa Loma College from admission department, especially Nicholas Walsh-Davis, to parking department (I love your parking plots). My tutoring sessions were very helpful with Amal Sizemore.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Mountain bike and spending time with my son who wants to become Doctor of Physical Therapy.

 Where do you see yourself five years from now in your career?
I can see myself opening my own fitness center for senior citizens in Montrose. I see that senior citizens don’t have much opportunity to exercise and after discharge from physical therapy which will decrease their physical ability again and then we have to start all over with therapy. I want them to come to my fitness center twice a week and do exercise with me or other PTAs.