Personal Narrative: My Love For Physical Therapy

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

I became highly aware of the need for physical therapists in the workforce at an early age. I was nine years old when I had my first experience with this issue that physical therapy still faces today. In my hometown there was one clinic in the area where I could go to seek care for an elbow injury I suffered, which resulted in an overpopulated and inefficient physical therapy setting. My time there consisted of a mixture of feelings on how the profession could utilize better resources to serve society. As I think about this now, it solidifies my vision for the profession of physical therapy to improve patient access and quality of care. We are coming to a point in time where the number of patients seeking care can potentially outnumber what can be provided for appropriately and efficiently.

The medical field is expanding ever so rapidly in today’s society. In the field of Physical Therapy one needs to have the understanding of how the human body works and the injuries one body could sustain. I have chosen a career to help others to battle back from life-changing injuries or surgeries. I will take the first step of joining the medical field by obtaining a physical therapist associates degree. I will become a Physical Therapist Assistant.

Physical Therapists provide rehabilitation for injuries and help maintain stability. “Some history of Physical Therapist formed their first professional association in 1921 called the American Women’s physical therapeutic association. In the late 1940s, the association had changed its name to the American Physical Therapy Association. Physical Therapy was developed when the association’s membership swelled to 8,000 and the number of physical therapy education programs across the US increased from 16 to 39”(“APTA History”). Although many people may think being a physical therapist is hard because of the qualifications needed, the daily work, salary, and needs of the service have drawn my attention to the field.

By obtaining a degree in Kinesiology I can pursue my dreams of becoming a Physical Therapist. I want to become a Physical Therapist so that I can help assist the injured. Due to my participation in numerous sports, I personally know what it feels like to be injured. I believe that having gone through several injuries will allow me to connect with people on a more personal level and earn their trust. As of right now, I am interested in either working with the injured sport players, the elderly, or the wounded veterans. I wish to make a positive difference in someone’s

Since I was small I’ve always loved sports and playing doctor, but not a doctor in a hospital, more like a doctor who loved to be around sports. Growing up I didn’t know that there was a “sports doctor”. I only remembered seeing men or sometimes women with large black bags who paced the sideline on Friday night football games. By using Mississippi Choices, the internet, a book from the library, and a personal interview, I discovered what a Physical Therapist does and interesting facts about becoming a Physical Therapist.

In order to “improve the human experience,” I feel as a future physical therapist I would establish a personal connection with the patient to better understand and validate their experience. Once I have complete knowledge of the individual’s circumstances, I would develop a treatment plan that will ultimately allow the patient to reach their highest potential of mobility. I believe staying current with research and new methods of treatment ensure the most effective treatment plans.

I completed volunteering to work experience in the Manhattan Rehabilitation group of New York City. I impressed with fantastic amount of skills and knowledge that an Occupational therapist obliged to keep. At Manhattan Rehabilitation group, I had opportunities to meet patients who were coming to see occupational therapists due to discomfort, ache, pain and fractures in their hands. Most of the patients were middle age adults and most of the causes of their hands’ disability were overusing of their hands at work; other problems were arthritis and rheumatic diseases, crush injuries, wounds and scars after hand surgeries. I assisted and communicated with those patients by having genuine empathy and caring skills by putting their hands into the ice or heat packs to decrease the swelling, inflammation and promote healing. I have the same feeling of how the patient is suffering when they are in pain, since my grandmother had had the same kind of pain, agony and bad mood as she had to rely on other people to do her daily tasks. I had seen how she had passed through her worst time. This is the reason I could empathize those patients. Helping and caring for other people, especially when they are in a state of incapability has always been a passion of mine. Moreover, I used to work as a data entry clerk and quality

Physical therapy evolved from “two major historical events: the poliomyelitis epidemics within the United States in the 1890s and the effects of World War I upon US citizens, creating a need for rehabilitation (Moffat, M.).” Physical therapists are health care professionals who treat individuals of all ages with medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. Physical therapists go through rigorous training, work in a variety of settings, and follow an important vision. With all the important work physical therapists do for patients it is not surprising that the demand for physical therapists continues climb. Even for the country's younger sect,

"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something” (Steve Jobs). I remained undecided with which career I wanted to pursue for a period of time and thinking about this quote I knew I didn’t want to wake up every morning and dread the day ahead of me. I knew I wanted to remain in the activity of color guard but also wanted to help people with their personal goals. I had always had self-image issues growing up, and when I decided to change my life style and get in shape I knew I wanted to help people gain their self-confidence. I discovered that exercise science is a field that allows me to stay in the color guard world and help people, there are several fields that would allow me to do both, personal training, physical

On November 1, from 9 to 11, I shadowed Cassie Hayes, a Physical Therapist’s Assistant at McCook Therapy & Wellness in Salem, South Dakota. Prior to my shadow date, I made sure I had the proper attire for a job shadow at a physical therapy office: khaki pants and a polo. When it was finally the day of my shadow, I drove myself out to Salem, and with the help of Google Maps, I was able to locate McCook Therapy. The first thing I did when I arrived was I went to the secretary’s desk and filled out a job shadow form that was needed for their company. Then I was introduced to Cassie Hayes, the assistant I would be shadowing, and Adrien Heiter, another PTA at the company. I got the chance to hear about some of things they on a day to day basis and what their jobs were like.

My Interest in physical therapy goes back to when I was getting my CNA certification.

My father once said that one of his biggest regrets was not attending Rice University after being accepted. Ever since then, I have had the utmost respect for the university. Acknowledging their kinesiology program, I decided to apply as it is an amazing school to obtain pre-requisites in for physical therapy school. The program offers rigorous internships and provides an incredible independent study component. Seeing as this school is one of the top in the nation and is surrounded by a multitude of hospitals, it is a perfect fit for me and was a motivator for me to apply.

I didn’t know what I was going to study or what my plans for the future were. I began speaking with a variety of professionals in areas such as healthcare and business. During my pursuit of finding a career path I decided to observe a physical therapist as well as a physical therapist’s assistant at Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. While observing, I was able to view the physical therapist work with a diverse group of patients. One patient was a young athlete working towards rehabilitating a knee injury. Although this particular patient helped gain my interest in physical therapy, there was another patient that genuinely opened my eyes to the importance of physical therapy as a profession. This patient was a middle aged woman who had been in a car accident and had shattered multiple bones spanning from her foot up to her hip on one side of her body. When I met her, she had been working with physical therapists for months and was just beginning to get comfortable walking short distances. Meeting this woman changed my perception of the profession, and after these observations I decided physical therapy was what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I began contemplating how I could use my strengths and make a difference in this career. Hopefully, from my knowledge of science obtained from the exercise science curriculum I would be able to develop new methods of

The first time I realized something was wrong I was in the middle of an ice storm. I didn’t realize I was injured until I was sitting in the car as it meandered toward The Dollar Tree for some late night snacks. My right knee started to smolder as if someone had lit every tendon afire. Absentmindedly, I rubbed the affected area, as if my hands possessed magical healing powers that could make the pain dissipate. Mentally retracing my steps proved enlightening as I tried to figure out what had caused this irritation. No one had seen me slide and jerk on the black ice that enslaved my friend’s rear porch while I had been running to keep pace. I tried to convince myself that I could deny the pain and it would depart. Consequently, time continued to pass, and the pain only intensified. It nagged like a child in a grocery store, yet I still tried to refuse it. No, my knee is fine it will be gone in a day or so. That tactic only worked for a miniscule moment.