Physical Therapy Personal Statement Essay

Beyond the educational requirements for physical therapists are the many other attributes that are needed to be successful. A career as a physical therapist requires a lot of studied skills, personal characteristics and physical fitness. A physical therapist should enjoy working with people and helping others. An ability to listen to patients and understand is important to success. Patients are often a victim of a traumatic experience, injury or are afflicted by a debilitating disease. The emotional distress can often be as trying as the physical dysfunction. (Kottler 11) Communicating and teaching skills are needed to help patients learn new movements and exercises to practice on their own. Physical therapists help patients set goals, regain and strengthen muscles and flexibility. Helping a patient find confidence in the program helps them to

With the job outlook of the physical therapy field being expected to grow by 34 percent by 2024, faster than the average occupation, the average annual wage at a whopping $84,020, paid sick and vacation days and the flexible work environment, this seems like the perfect profession to enter. Having a career in physical therapy can be very rewarding because a physical therapist gets to watch as his or her patients improve every appointment through treatment. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in this profession. There are many disadvantages, and knowing these will help anyone interested in this field have a better understanding of how tough pursuing a career in this field can be. Being a physical therapist can be a rewarding experience and have amazing benefits. However, it is important to be aware of the disadvantages: the extreme amount of education, physical demands, emotional demands and the continuation of education requirements.

While there may be many experiences and attributes that I possess that will be a catalyst in my success as a physical therapist there are three that I feel have thoroughly prepared me for the physical therapy profession. First is the attribute of empathy. I feel that I am empathetic as a result of growing up with an older brother who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. I can definitively say that growing up with a sibling who has a disability has shaped me into the person that I am today and has allowed me to develop skills in ways that others may not have been exposed to. This experience will be valuable because when patients are receiving physical therapy, they may feel alone and frustrated with themselves. It is important for myself,

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 interested in serving as a healing professional in physical therapy to offer affordable help to agriculture workers after they have had an accident during work. I have prepared myself for this career by taking extra college credit courses such as Medical Terminology to expand my knowledge of medical terms. I have also taken college level Spanish to improve my Spanish since when working with agriculture workers, Spanish is an important factor in communicating. The greatest community activity I have been involved in that connects to my aspiring career choice has been volunteering as an interpreter for parent-teacher conferences at Wy ‘East middle school. This allowed me to interpret from English to Spanish faster than I was able to prior to volunteering.

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.

Physical therapists are members of a health care team, specially trained to improve movement and flinction, relieve pain, and expand movement potential. Through evaluation and individualized treatment programs, physical therapists can both treat existing problems and provide preventive health care for people with a variety of needs (Physical Therapy-Improving 1). Physical therapists are very knowledgeable and skillful concerning the human body. Physical therapy is a complex, but rewarding field to pursue as a career. Specialization, working conditions, job outlook, salaries, and education requirements need to be taken into consideration when contemplating a career as a physical therapist.

What is professionalism? In the general sense of the word, I think it means to apply principles such as competence, communication, respect, consideration, and accountability in a work based setting. What is professionalism in the context of being a student in a doctor of physical therapy degree program? The American Physical Therapist Association defines professionalism as "Physical therapists consistently demonstrate core values by aspiring to and wisely applying principles of altruism, excellence, caring, ethics, respect, communication and accountability, and by working together with other professionals to achieve optimal health and wellness in individuals and communities”. In this definition, I think some of the most important aspects that can translate over to a student in the doctor of physical therapy degree program are communication, competence/excellence and accountability. Although the other aspects are important these are a few that stand out to me personally.

Physical Therapist Physical Therapy (PT) is the highest paying of all therapeutic jobs.(bls.gov) The main job of a Physical Therapist is to help people to regain mobility and relieve pain so that they may be reentered into the community as fast as possible.(Encyclopedia) Although PTs get paid well they have to go through a lot of schooling and training, and will have lots of student loans to pay off. Jobs that are available in physical therapy will increase within the next five years due to the amount of people entering the prime age for heart conditions. (bls.gov)

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.

Since I was a child, I’ve always had a strong interest in science. I remember receiving a telescope and microscope kit for my birthday one year, and it was the best gift I’d ever been given. That’s what truly sparked my passion for the field of science and, more specifically, the medical field.

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.

After hearing what David had to say, it opened my eyes to the life of not only a Physical Therapist, but also a business owner. The amount of information I was given about the career appealed to me greatly but the thought and pressure of becoming a business owner frightened me. After talking to David I realized that I do have the passion to succeed in this field, but in order to grow and become a successful Physical Therapist I will need to be willing to spend all my time and effort into building my reputation. There will be sacrifices that I have to take in order to follow this career; I will have to spend my days and nights thinking of ways to better my service to my patients; I have to be willing to start with nothing and build my way up

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