Physical Therapy Personal Statement

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

Now, I was the one who was able to develop treatment plans for patients. I loved being able to help my athletes reach their goals and return to play. Although there were aspects of Athletic Training that I enjoyed, I found that there were other parts of the profession that I did not like, especially acting as a first responder at athletic events. At my clinical rotations, I often found myself thinking about working as a physical therapist. My injury opened my eyes to a profession I had never considered before.

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 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.

I have previously worked with physical therapists while I was a behavioral therapist at an autism clinic. Some of my patients required a multi-dimensional approach with many specialties including PT, OT, and SLP. Prior to this experience I assumed physical therapists had a very limited role in the health care setting. I thought their only focus was on the elderly and post-surgical patients, but then I realized it is a much broader specialty. Physical therapists can also specialize in neurological disorders, special needs children, and many other aspects of the patient’s overall health.

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?

Whether I am training for a triathlon or studying for an exam, I am most successful getting to the finish line one carefully planned step at a time. Accomplishing something that I have worked hard to do motivates me, but being able to come alongside someone else and help that person to achieve a goal of their own is even more gratifying. My ability to encourage others while challenging them to use discipline and work hard make me well suited for a career like physical therapy where I will have the opportunity to assist patients in reaching their goals on a daily basis. I hope to be a therapist who is able to help my patients to gain perspective so that they might progress through their recovery effectively with hope and

The streets of my hometown have not been this flooded since the Ohio River rose over the ten-foot flood wall in 1937; only this time not by water, but by prescription pain pills. I grew up in the foothills of Appalachia, where pain clinics were widespread throughout the Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia tri-state area until 2010. Physical therapy is an option that residents of my hometown are not fully aware of. The opioid crisis that is currently being fought by the APTA is something that continues to go on in front of my own eyes. Unfortunately, the area continues to be unaware and underserved.

While I was shadowing a physical therapist over the summer, I helped with hippotherapy, horseback riding as a means of therapeutic treatment, and met a young girl with Rett syndrome named McKenna. She can’t speak, walk, use her hands, or understand much, but she has the best smile and laugh that I have ever heard. As I helped McKenna ride her horse, Dixie, every week, I began to see her balance and coordination improve. While at her first few sessions her parents had to carry her over to the horse, by the end of the fourth week she would run over the best she could while holding her mom’s hand. My experience made me realize how much a little help can make a huge difference in a child’s life, not limited to physical changes, but emotional as well.

In the past seventeen years I have grown exponentially. Not only have I grown physically but also mentally and emotionally. By the time I turned twelve I began to experience personality changes. The first stage ( years 12-13) could be characterized as innocent, nerdy, and sweet. Stage two (years 14-15) consisted of an emotionally stressed and driven child.

I have been working as a physical therapist for almost four years now. I had experiences working in different physical therapy settings including sports out-patient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, and home health setting. I graduated and received my Bachelors in Physical Therapy on 2012 in the Philippines and is currently taking my Doctorate program at Northeastern University. My professional career as a physical therapist started in the Philippines where I worked under the Philippine Olympic Committee catering athletes most specifically for pain management, strength and conditioning, injury prevention and rehabilitation. I moved here in the United States three years ago to pursue my career and to widen my knowledge and skill set as a physical therapist.

I have spent nearly two decades in the health and wellness industry, as a therapist, consultant, educator, and advocate. I have dedicated my professional career to learning about and practicing the individual components of maternal child health and wellness, and subsequently bridging the gaps in between them. I began my career as a registered occupational therapist, then became a licensed massage therapist to compliment that basic skill set. As an OT, I have specialized in lymphedema management, oncology rehabilitation, pelvic floor pain & dysfunction, and neonatal intensive care. I have worked with infants and children with special needs, as well as, adults with orthopedic or neurological deficits. As a licensed massage therapist, I am certified

My mother always told me that I should appreciate my background and ability to speak two languages fluently. I never really did until I began shadowing at a physical therapy practice the summer after my junior year. When I was in sixth grade, I attended a Career Day event. I was immediately attracted to the Sports Medicine sign up sheet, because I had been involved in athletics through all of my childhood. From that day on, I knew exactly the type of career I wanted to pursue. Over the next few years in school, I was prompted to do some career exploration and research. It was during this time that I decided I wanted to go into the field of physical therapy. I am the type of person that does not make important decisions like this without being

From a very young age I have always enjoyed helping others and placing their best interests before my own. I was always raised to put others before myself and to be a selfless person in the right situations. I think that this way of life that I have lived is one of the reasons why I have such a passion physical therapy. I knew from an early age that this was a profession that I would undoubtedly love to pursue in my future. I have been influenced by a variety of people and experiences that have impacted my decision to pursue physical therapy as a career.

I have known since the age of thirteen that I wanted to have a career in the health field. The decision came when a very close family friend was diagnosed with cancer. During his battle he suffered from bad radiation burns and loss of mobility in his right arm. I was there to assist in the daily cleaning of the arm, and also to help guide him through his exercises that the physical therapist had given him. My first thought was to pursue nursing, but after volunteering and spending time talking with and observing nurses and physical therapist, I ultimately chose physical therapy. I am confident and committed to this choice. The realization came during my senior year of high school as a new visions student. I was able to earn college credit