Personal Statement: Pursuing A Career In Physical Therapy

Participating in sports has led me to the career of physical therapy. I have been an athlete all of my life. I have played every sport from tackle football to softball and every sport the community of Sitka offered. Being involved in several sports at one time helped me realize how easy it is to get injured and how crucial it is to have a physician that is supportive and understands an athletes injuries. By going to McKendree University I will be able to become a physical therapist and help injured athletes recover.

As a future physical therapist, my main goal will be to improve my patients’ overall quality of life. Being a kinesiology major, I love to study the body’s movements. One category of movement, in particular, that interests me is exercise. I have taken classes in exercise physiology and physical education. I believe I can apply this knowledge in my future physical therapy programs. This would be done by, not just treating the patients in the clinic every week, but also creating an exercise program they can incorporate into their daily lives - something they can use even after recovery. Through my experience I have also found that some patients don’t understand, or are not in tune with, their bodies to know what actions are problematic verses

The job I plan on pursuing with kinesiology as my major is to become a physical therapist, which is also known as PT. Their main duty is helping patients rehabilitate with disabling injuries such as fractures, arthritis and low-back pain. Their duty is to help patients their relieve pain, increase mobility, and decrease long-term physical disabilities. Physical therapists focus on the evaluation of strength, balance, range of motion, co-ordination, endurance, and posture of each individual patient. Their patients can range from different age groups from infants to grandparents. The age group would provide a variety of therapeutic exercises for each of the health issues they would have. Depending

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

Ever since I was young my life goals were to help others when I grew up, however I wasn’t exactly sure how. Throughout the past couple years, with a wonderful support system; I have been able to make the decision about wanting to achieve the goal of becoming a physical therapist. It is my belief that I have a high spiritual calling to be a physical therapist, because I have the intention to be able to guide others. I gather that this can be spiritual, because helping others is what God’s intentions are, and would recommend others to follow in His footsteps. My mindset is indeed compassionate, empathetic, selfless, and strong with a thirst for knowledge. Being a physical therapist has many rewards such as happiness, equality, and a sense of accomplishment which can be very valuable and will affect my life in a positive manner.

Everyone feels good about themselves when they help someone accomplish something. I feel overwhelmed with joy when I help people. Becoming a physical therapist assistant (pta) will allow me to feel that kind of happiness. Whereas I want to become a physical therapist assistant so I can help people, a physical therapist assistant is the perfect career for me given that physical therapy will always be needed. This career will allow me to interact with patients and learn about them. I will help patients regain their movement and manage pain whether it was from surgery or a type of illness. The schooling will be tough, but the end will be worth it.

Even if you can't make a living off the thing that makes you happy you should still keep it apart of your life. For instance if you can't become an artist, an athlete, or a author. It doesn't mean you have to stop. It means that their is something else in life you were meant to do. For me I'm a soccer player and I have been playing since I was 8 I keep on planning to play til College. Where I find the career that I want which I have decided on being a Physical Therapist Assistant, Engineer, or an entrepreneur. My dad wants me to be an Entrepreneur because it's a very smart job to have and I really like PTA so I haven't decided which I will in college where I will learn a lot more about the job. I like PTA because I will still be around sports

Sports have always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember but medical treatment has as well. Throughout my life, I have encountered extraordinary people who I know realize would act as gardeners nurturing my plants, my interests. Since middle school, I faced numerous injuries ranging from groin pulls to tendonitis to lower back pains. These abundant and varying injuries lead me to seek medical attention and subsequently, I spent a lot of time with physical therapists and athletic trainers which is where my interest was planted. Junior year of high school, my sprouting interest was further watered by Ms. Kazimer, the honors anatomy teacher.

I am a 28 year old from Killeen, Texas. My goal is to become a Physical Therapist and specialize in sports medicine. My long term goal is to start my own Rehabilitation Center centered on sports medicine physical therapy with services in general Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy as well. This rehabilitation will work as an outpatient and have an intensive outpatient setting if needed. I graduated in 2008 with my Bachelors of Arts in Physical Education from Berea College in Kentucky.

I define myself as a person who helps others no matter what, I have an unbelievable passion for helping others because of the morals my father has taught me. My close relationship with my father has developed greatly since he would be gone for months at a time due to his affiliation with the U.S. Marine Corps. I have made many connections with others due to our parents serving in the military. Unfortunately, this connection revealed that many parents and loved ones became disabled during their career in the military. Personally, I could not imagine what my life would be like if my father lost his ability to do basic things.

Why do you want to attend a summer program at Wake Forest University? How will this experience help you prepare for your college career and beyond?

I want to help others, in any way I can. My ticket would take me to a physical therapist degree. I gained an interest in becoming a physical therapist when I started to care more about my physical fitness, and wonder all about muscles and the human bodies full potential. I know I would make an excellent physical therapist. My interest in the human body makes it very easy to learn and drives me to learn as much as I possibly can. When it comes to the human body and learning about how different activates and diets affect it, I can never learn enough. I want to be a physical therapist so I can help others feel healthy.

Since entering college, I definitely “hit the ground running”. I have wanted to be a physical therapist since middle school, and I am anxious to be a part of its community. That being said, I set out on my career path with the goal of obtaining my bachelor’s degree and applying for physical therapy school within three years, while doing my best to hold a 4.0 GPA. This called for taking a heavy load of coursework and choosing to take classes year-round. I scheduled my time so that I would be able to balance the heavy course load, while continuing my normal volunteer work, job shadowing/observing, and being an active member in my organizations. One thing I did not account for was actual ‘paid’ work time. This is partially due to me being fortunate

“So, do you know what you are doing yet after graduation?” This is a notorious question everybody gets asked at one point in their lifetime. Most people do not know the answer to this question, for there is a very broad range of things to do. I have known ever since I was little that I wanted to go to college for something along the lines of medical science, or health science. I just was not sure for what job exactly. It was not until this previous summer when it hit me that I wanted to become a physical therapist. One day my mother and I went to Vantage Physical Therapy because she had an appointment for her foot. As soon as I walked into the building, I looked around and was just blown away by the facility. There were tons of enjoyable, genial people everywhere. During the appointment, I had paid close attention to everything the therapist had done and was incredibly intrigued. Not to mention, I love anything that has to deal with science, the human body, and health. While I was observing at the appointment, everything piqued my interest. To give an illustration, the therapist had me help tape people’s legs and my mother’s foot. I immediately fell in love with physical therapy. When I had gotten home, I quickly ran to the computer to scrutinize the requirements such as education, degrees, licenses, background information, just about everything. I knew it was the job for me! Now when people ask me that renowned question I can finally answer, “Why yes, yes I do!”

My recent experience as a full-time technician in a physical therapy clinic has done two things: It has acclimated me to busy adult life (cementing the fact that being in love with my profession is an immovable requirement), and it has strengthened my desire to pursue a career in physical therapy. Throughout my employment, I have recognized that the professional demands of being a PT envelop so much more than just knowledge. The ingredients for an auspicious therapist include proficient communication and quality bedside manner, willingness to work with diverse populations, strong analytical/observational skills, and a detail-oriented prospective. My proximity to competent therapists has fueled my desire to emulate the quality service they provide