Personal Narrative: A Career In Physical Therapy

Initially, my career was as a Physical Therapist. This was where my teaching career began. Who knew that 50% of physical therapy involved teaching people how to care for themselves through movement? Moreover, my place of employment, Morristown Memorial Hospital, had a partnership with Fairleigh Dickinson University, and I was afforded the opportunity to teach in their Physical Therapist Assistant Program. Being passionate about my profession, I worked full-time as a therapist, and part-time as an instructor. Sharing knowledge and assessing students through teacher developed written and performance assessments, was a very fulfilling experience.

As I exit the locker room, I strap on my black cleats and tighten my gloves. I grab my silver helmet with the lightning bolt logo, touch the sign that says “Play Like A Champion Today,” and walk into the tunnel. Finally, we hear our team’s name, and we run onto the field ready to defeat the fear of losing embedded in our minds. The opportunity arose, and whether we seized it or not, this would be my last game. We took away from that day more than just a win, or a loss. As somber as I was to let this moment go, I knew I had not let my team down. There was no anguish, no agony. These lessons from football have carried over in my journey to become a physician. I knew I wanted a career in healthcare, and football has better prepared me for that.

Growing up I always knew I wanted something more than just a “job”. I wanted a career that would be rewarding and encompass a combination of my talents and interests. As a child, I dreamed of being a doctor, mechanical engineer, nurse, dental hygienist, and teacher. It was not until my freshman year of college that I took a good look at career choices. After hearing about occupational therapy, I did a great deal of research to find out what it was, what the therapists did, who they worked with, and the influence they had on the lives of others. As I continued through my college experience, occupational therapy always remained at the top of my list of possible careers. I began to see that it was a perfect combination of all the things I wanted to be when I grew up. I could work as a healthcare professional, help people in need, problem solve, and bring light and hope into people’s lives. Observing several different occupational therapists has confirmed that this is the career for me.

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,

Once I get my degree in Physical Therapist Assistant, I would like to apply my new skills. My new knowlege and skills in; psychology, medicine, and biology. It would help me rehabilitate my patitents back to their orginal health state.

“I want to live.” She said. She lifted her feet off the small coffee table and set them gently on the floor as she continued to look through me, too interested on the inner workings of her own mind.

Becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy has been my educational and life goal from the time I was freshman year of high school. When I was 15 years of age, my life changed forever. After three months of physical therapy for a weak hip, my physical therapist told me that I was not where I should be, and that something was wrong. A specialist subsequently diagnosed me with hip dysplasia as well as a labral tear. Fixing those two issues would entail a multi-hour surgery with 18 months of recovering. At that time in my life I was a four sport athlete and involved in countless other activities at school. I was the kid who would say how high when someone would say jump. Therefore 18 months of rehabilitation would put in a dent in my normal flow of

Ever since I was young I knew I wanted to work with and help others. Now at that young age I imagined being a teacher or a veterinarian. As I’ve grown older I’ve discovered both those careers weren’t exactly what I wanted. My dreams have changed slightly but I do still have the same dream of helping others. I hope to go into the medical field and become a physical therapist. Physical therapy is a career that not only reaches my goal of helping others but reaches other goals I have developed as I’ve grown up. One thing I know now is that I want to be someone who helps people get back on track and become their best self. Along with that I hope to help prevent future injuries and issues.

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to have a fulfilling career that allowed me to help others. After much reflection, I figured I could never do both by sitting behind a desk in a quiet establishment. When I was in the eighth grade my first thought was becoming a physical therapist. I got the idea from my older sister as she started her college career preparing herself for physical therapy but soon gave up because of the hard classes she had to take, which then led her to get her degree in Recreational Therapy. I told myself I would not let the difficulty of class interfere with achieving my goals.

Jim Penn is a Physical Therapy Assistant at Medina Regional Hospital in Hondo Texas. My interview with him was extremely helpful in getting information on Assistant Physical Therapists. Prior to this interview I was interested in becoming either a Physical Therapist or an Assistant Physical therapist, however I did not have a lot of knowledge regarding the Assistant position. Jim Penn helped explain the career field and gave a lot of insight to what I should expect regarding schooling and the day to day in the field. I will hopefully be spending a few days this summer shadowing him and the Pediatric Physical Therapist on Staff at Medina Regional.

In order to generate educational and occupational options for myself, I have looked at many resources ranging from volunteering in person to researching online. I have volunteered at a retirement home with a kinesiologist to determine if I would like that type work, and more importantly, the work environment. I have also volunteered at a physiotherapy clinic and Toronto rehabilitation institute to get a clinical and hospital experience as well. This has allowed me to get a hands on experience at various difference jobs in the field of healthcare. I have also looked at online resources such as research articles, government website, NOC, and DOT. Along with these resources, I have also gotten the opportunity to work at various jobs

Occupational therapy is a form of therapy for people who are recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities that are required for daily life (World Federation of Occupational Therapists). Being an occupational therapist has many different kinds of duties. They review patients’ medical history, ask the patients’ questions, and observe them doing tasks, evaluate a patient’s condition and needs. After evaluating patients, develop treatment plans and help demonstrate exercises. In order to do all of these duties, a person must pass the national examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. Therapists must pass the board in order to have

I chose a physical therapist (PT) because it always interested me from the time I was little because my dad had to go through and I went with him sometimes. I've always wanted to help people get better and better themselves and this is how I can do it. I recently just graduated from physical therapy, and I thought it was so cool to ask questions about a potential career that I could have one day. I got a hands on experience and had to do all different kinds of stretches and exercises. I actually really liked it because it was helping me make my muscles better and stronger.

Sometimes in life we don’t know which direction to take in choosing the best career for us. I was once in that place knowing that I wanted to do something in the medical field but I didn’t know exactly what. After doing some research I came across physical therapy and how rewarding it is to become one. Knowing that I can make a difference in people’s lives meant a lot to me. I suggest many to follow the physical therapy career path. “You will work one-on-one, see them progress through treatment, and know that you are making a difference in their lives,” (said APTA Meredith Harris). Below there are three very instructing articles that explain the importance of physical therapy, and why you should

In Physical therapy, the therapist's job is to give the patient exercises specifically designed for their injuries, and to help rehabilitate them. Physical therapy can only work if the patient puts in the time to follow the therapist’s instructions and is motivated to continue. Physical therapy is a treatment that almost everyone will have at one point in their life when health problems make it hard to move. This type of therapy is important because it helps relieve pain and improve physical function. The therapist’s key job is to work with the patient and form a treatment plan. This is where it is up to the patient to be motivated to follow the plan and better their body and life. Physical therapists work hard to help restore the patient’s