Recently the Northwest Technical Center (NWTC) has hired many new teachers in a variety of disciplines this year, including Timothy Hurteau in Med Professions.

The Mercury was able to interview Hurteau and ask about his job and background.

Hurteau grew up in Georgia, VT, has been a physical therapist before teaching at the NWTC. He also has a wife and three children.

“I’ve been a physical therapist for 15 years and I’ve had Med Professions students follow me for about the past ten. So I kinda saw the type of students that were going through the Med Professions… the job was open and it really kind of interested me. I was at point where I was ready for a bit of a change.”

Hurteau continues on to later describe the day-to-day change in careers.

“Transitioning over to teaching, I get here around 7:15/7:20 do prep, teach the class then go right back into prep for the next day,” Hurteau said.

When asked what Hurteau thought he’d gone above and beyond on, he says he’s done well working in physical therapy.

“I think overall in physical therapy I’ve tried to be as consistent as I can with a student athlete or other students to try to make that connection to try check in them and carry after they are done, kind of see how everything is going,” Hurteau said.

Hurteau also says before coming to the NWTC, he realized what sort of career path he might follow while being a physical therapist.

“I’ve liked working with teenagers kind of my whole career in physical therapy and I think that’s the thing, being able to teach. The difference is it’s always been one on one and here I get to teach one group at the same time,” Hurteau said.

While working in physical therapy you’ve often got to deal with some unhappy patients.

“I think you kind of have to embrace the differences in all people, whether you’re dealing with adults or students and find what really speaks to that person and kind of capitalize on that and change what you do so they can learn and get better,” Hurteau said.

Hurteau appears to be someone who can easily adapt or change ways to better fit a patient or in this case, working at the NWTC.