College Career Readiness

In today’s world, people need more assistance, or aid, to better their health. Physical therapy seems to be the ideal career path for someone like myself, who likes hands-on activities. Hopefully after two years, I will be able to call myself a physical therapy assistant (PTA). A PTA plays an important role in the rehabilitation to help a patient, who was injured return back to proper level of physical functioning. The profession of physical therapy will show my drive and dedication to help people in need. Becoming a PTA will show my excellent communication skills and ability to work well with other individuals in hopes of helping people regain their physical function, so they can take on everyday life. This career path has job security,

I am considering a physical therapist as a career pathway because it has always been a goal of mine to work in a health related occupation such as a surgeon, however I would not have a close interaction with the patient as with a physical therapist. As a physical therapist I would actually be making a difference since I would help the individuals believe in themselves once again. The education required for a physical therapist is extensive skill and knowledge like a master’s or doctoral degree. Moreover, to be a physical therapist it requires on- the- job training and hands on, but most employers expect them to have. And the skills required include critical thinking to identify the strengths and weakness of solutions/conclusions/

To be a physical therapist some important personality traits would be to have empathy, compassion and be detail oriented. When someone is feeble or having a hard time maneuvering due to pain and or the injury, it is good to have have immense empathy. Being a physical therapist it's good to be organized with plans of rehabilitation for each patient. Going through a residency before becoming a physical therapist would be a good life experience to prepare for this career. A residency is one year or longer program to become more sagacious and have more experience (“Summary”).

Dr. Winstein’s lecture really spoke to me, as a physical therapy student. There is so much to consider when choosing this career path, as well as so much to strive for. The lecture started with a thought-provoking question:

While it is certainly true that any individual from any population can face questions, dilemmas, or circumstances regarding their career or occupation, this is an especially pertinent topic when working with those recovering from substance use disorders. Graham (2006) noted the importance surrounding the self-concept of these individuals as a primary factor for not only recovery but future career planning. Darrell Luzzo (2007) noted two different forms of career assessments, and described counselors’ roles in working with individuals’ understandings of their contextual position within occupation investigation. Luzzo defined the utilization of assessments for this purpose as career

Predominantly, a physical therapist must be compassionate and caring. My family members and I are accustomed to taking care of one another, regardless of the age or circumstance. Along with these age differences come different opinions; because of this, at a very young age, I quickly understood the meaning of empathy. I have become accustomed to practicing compassion at home, that it has now become second nature to me.

Striving for excellence through determination is essentially beneficial for the student as well as classmates and patients. The end goal of a physical therapy program is to equip students with important knowledge about the field to effectively treat each patient in a safe and informative manner. A patient’s health and well-being is relied heavily upon the therapist’s knowledge while being treated. Optimizing each learning opportunity as a student is critical in becoming a professional and well-educated physical therapist upon

First of all, the state wide definition of College and Career Readiness (CCR) is “level of preparation students’ needs to enroll and succeed in a credit-bearing, entry-level college courses (ACT, 2015).” The statics of Hispanics high school students passing math and reading is 22% (Moore, 2010). Hispanics students have a higher percentage when looking at the subjects individually with 37% in reading and 39% in math but this is not a true indicator demonstrating college completion (Moore, 2010). The overall degree attainment in Texas, was 32% of the total population of which only 16% were of Hispanic or Latino origin (Education, 2011). By no means was language a barrier nor performance deficits, leaving their white counter parts preforming at 53% in reading, 58% in math, and 40% overall in both subject areas (Moore, 2010). The downfall of this study is that the reporting system Texas uses is a multivariate in which factors cannot be separated individually in order to assess College Readiness standards (Moore, 2010). “Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-270) and CCR agenda focus on ensuring students are prepared for college and beyond (Achieve, 2013).” Of the ten policies, that institution of higher education has not been able to align the transferability of coursework since each school is truly unique in the composition and excicution of coursework being taught. This change CCR standards has lead to the, revamping of the

While there may be many experiences and attributes that I possess that will be a catalyst in my success as a physical therapist there are three that I feel have thoroughly prepared me for the physical therapy profession. First is the attribute of empathy. I feel that I am empathetic as a result of growing up with an older brother who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. I can definitively say that growing up with a sibling who has a disability has shaped me into the person that I am today and has allowed me to develop skills in ways that others may not have been exposed to. This experience will be valuable because when patients are receiving physical therapy, they may feel alone and frustrated with themselves. It is important for myself,

Professionalism encompasses a plethora of attributes that must be displayed daily by those who strive to be known as the best at what they do. Even though I am about to finish my undergraduate career, the past four years have taught me a few things about being a young, up and coming professional. Going into any physical therapy program, I believe that an even higher standard will be demanded from me as I work towards becoming a licensed professional. Being a professional doctor of physical therapy (DPT) student is incumbent upon having a magnificent work ethic, having a tremendous attention to detail, show up on time, dress appropriately, and respect everyone. These characteristics although just a few, play a crucial role in being the best student I can be.

Some of the obstacles I may encounter during my college career would be to be in dept., homesickness, and choosing a major. These obstacles may seem like nothing at the moment but once it happens it will be hard but not impossible to accomplish. Some obstacles are different to others because some people don’t get homesickness, or don’t have a problem choosing a major, some come from families that make enough money to pay for tuition so they don’t end up going into dept. like others. But all these obstacles can be solved within time.

As a doctor of physical therapy, one of my career goals is being able to provide an optimum level of care to every individual that I encounter. Throughout my life, I have always found joy in helping others. Whether that help was big or small, it made me happy knowing that I could put a smile on another person's face. Early in college when I was deciding which career path to choose, this factor influenced my decision to pursue physical therapy. Going to Samuel Merritt University will prepare me to achieve this goal because through their extensive clinical experience, small class sizes, and immediate graduate success, I will have ample opportunities to refine my skills in providing care.

As a Physical Therapist (PT), I will play a variety of roles while working with patients and their families. A few of these roles will include; health care provider, teacher and motivator. The skills I must possess in order to be successful at these roles consist of; the ability to use and develop critical thinking, formation of patient objectives, comprehension of learning processes, the proper use of constructivism and an understanding of how the field of Physical Therapy has changed. With this paper, I will demonstrate my knowledge of these topics while answering the following questions: What is critical thinking and how can it be used in Physical Therapy? What is my current level of critical thinking and how can it be improved? What are the objectives of a course you would like to teach? What domain of Bloom’s taxonomy is used with these objectives? What is constructivism? Is it a valid theory? Who is Elizabeth Kenny? What information about the progression of the field do you feel would be important to her?

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets:

Beyond the educational requirements for physical therapists are the many other attributes that are needed to be successful. A career as a physical therapist requires a lot of studied skills, personal characteristics and physical fitness. A physical therapist should enjoy working with people and helping others. An ability to listen to patients and understand is important to success. Patients are often a victim of a traumatic experience, injury or are afflicted by a debilitating disease. The emotional distress can often be as trying as the physical dysfunction. (Kottler 11) Communicating and teaching skills are needed to help patients learn new movements and exercises to practice on their own. Physical therapists help patients set goals, regain and strengthen muscles and flexibility. Helping a patient find confidence in the program helps them to