Physical Therapy Personal Statement

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.

After my observations, I have learned a lot about how the the medical aspect of the health care system worked. I always had the mindset that the doctors were the ones who ran everything in a hospital or a clinic. Upon observing, I realized that this was false and that it took teamwork, cooperation, and communication to help create an environment to best serve its patients. When I came into the University of Michigan as well as the Health Sciences Scholar Program, I had set my target to go into family medicine in order to pursue a career as a family physician. I also saw that there were many health disparities and inequities among patients in hospitals as well. I thought maybe I could help fix this if I became a physician. After my observations, I had an ambivalent feeling if I should still continue with what my heart was set on. I never really thought about exploring the vast array of other health-related professions. There were many fields of health professions I had really never thought about and this class as well as my observations had really helped open my eyes to the complexity of the health system to make it work.

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.

A strong work ethic, cultural competence, compassion, and a desire to learn are a few of the personal qualities that have influenced me to become a physician. To achieve this, my current professional goals are to be accepted into the George Squared Special Master’s Program/Biomedical Sciences MS and to persevere and succeed in order to reach my specific career objective of gaining entry into medical school and becoming a family medicine physician especially to serve underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Although growing up I may have lacked the role models and exposure to medicine needed to cultivate my desire to become a physician, what I had were personal examples of hardworking role models – my parents. With their

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.

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

Dr. Hart allowed me to accompany on a home visit to one of her oldest patients. The patient is not able to move easily and lives outside of the city limits. This was the first and only home visit I have ever shadowed as a student. I know that it very rare for physicians to make home visits, so it was a great opportunity for me to experience this. The visit was a routine checkup where Dr. Hart checked the patient’s vitals and refilled medications. Since she was away form her office and regular tools, she used a portable pulse oximeter, stethoscope, and blood pressure cuff. The patient was very thankful that Dr. Hart took the time to see him and went out of her way to treat

In this environment, I thrived. I adored the patients I encountered here and was fascinated by listening to the nurses speak. They spoke to each other fast, in their own obscure language. “Is patient x’s blood pressure

My parents and I immigrated to America when I was three years old. Back then, I did not realize how dramatically this move would change the course of my life, all I wondered was why I couldn’t understand a word anyone spoke. With the support of my parents and teachers, I was able to quickly catch up to my peers both socially and academically. I was aware of the size and diversity of the world from a young age because I frequently travelled back to Russia to visit family. At school, I described the journey to my friends and we all became engrossed in learning about unfamiliar cultures and languages.

At the age of ten, I first discovered the world of physical therapy. This was the year that my Grandmother fell on her wat to the mailbox, breaking her hip and collarbone along with many other bruises covering her body. Her fall led to a long year in a rehabilitation hospital, where I witnessed for the first time, the magic of physical therapy. Watching the mini-miracles that Physical Therapist help create, ignited a passion in me that has led me to my pursuit of a graduate study.

I could see nervousness and fear in his eyes. He was evidently worried about the surgical procedures that were involved, but I had no means of comforting him. The doctor, though, was composed and went on to explain his condition and how the surgery is safe. My grandfather looked at him with trust. His face turned from a face of anxiety to one of relief, having the reassurance that he needed.

Today, I shadowed Dr. Samer Khouri of the University of Toledo Medical Center. Dr. Khouri is a non-invasive cardiologist who specializes in pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is a type of high blood pressure that affect arteries in the lungs and the right chamber of the heart. The day started off slow, with only one patient in the first hour. However, after about an hour and a half of shadowing, Dr. Khouri began seeing patient after patient. All of the cases were "touch and go." Dr. Khouri met with his patients and asked them about any complaints or worries they may have. He then checked for swelling (excess blood flow from the heart) and their heartbeat, and either took them off or put them on a medication. Many of the appointments only took around 10 minutes. Like many of the other cardiologists I shadowed, Dr. Khouri was sure to explain the symptoms of the disease that a patient may have, and then supported the reason that he prescribed a certain medicine. He was able to disperse any fear or stress that the patient may have, and he was certain to answer any and all questions the patient may have had.