The Best We Can Be Is Yet To Come

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.

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.

Colleges with a medical department often have a master’s program for physical therapy. (“Physical Therapists”) Physical therapy students have a required amount of field work in order to complete a program. Each candidate must work in an accredited workplace for the field work assignments. This part of the program is extremely valuable and helpful for a new therapist entering the field. Working one on one can be difficult even with all of the educational tools. (Curtis 37)

The physical therapy profession is concerned with treating individuals of all ages. In the future, I plan on being able to comfort individuals undergoing physical therapy by being able to use my compassionate nature, caring, understanding, and the expertise that I will gain, while serving as their physical therapist. In doing the previously mentioned things, I hope to be considered as an important asset to society. I believe that people will be able to increase their viability by seeking my assistance.

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.

I believe that my personal and professional growth and behavior as a physical therapist is of utmost importance. I base this firstly on my strong connection to those in society who are disadvantaged when it comes to physical therapy, and also on the movement system, movement being “the key to optimal living and quality of life for all people that extends beyond health to every person’s ability to participate in and contribute to society” (American Physical Therapy Association, 2013). This perspective, I believe, is aligned perfectly with the vision statement for the physical therapy profession – to transform society through optimization of movement to improve the human experience (APTA, 2013). After reviewing the vision statement, I strongly believe it will act as my guide by strengthening compassion, reinforcing advocacy, improving quality of service, and strengthening cohesion.

While I shadowed Janet, I noticed that there was a multitude of tedious documentation that she was required to record. She explained that she spends numerous hours outside of work completing this documentation. Aside from the overwhelming amount of documentation, I felt that I could potentially enjoy working in the field of physical therapy. Janet is able to truly work with patients one-on-one and it was heartwarming to see the excitement that Janet expressed when her patients showed progress. As the year progresses, I plan to look into the steps required to become a physical

Physical Therapist/Occupational Therapist’s careers are on the rise! According to my interest in adaptive technology, and my passion for helping others, a career as a Physical Therapist/Occupational Therapist (PTOT) appears to be a very positive, and a rewarding career choice for me! As a result, as a PTOT I will be working with new adaptive technologies and career advancement, reveling in ultimate job security, and new methodologies, open to growing employment opportunities, experiencing unlimited options, and the rewards of helping others to be healthy, healthy and knowing I had a part in a their recovery is key. However, as I embark on this career path as a PTOT that I have considered all the positive attributes, and the negative

Reading from the article-“Celebrating a Milestone-35 years of PTAs” published by Michele Wojciechowski on 1 Feb. 2004, I feel proud that I am now in the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program. The author has outlined several timelines of achieving status in American Physical Therapy Association and National Assembly also, how PTAs achieved their own value. Even after passionate 2 year associate program, I am disappointed to see that PTA program is no longer a stepping stone for Physical Therapist (PT) program.

Congratulations on making it to week eight of PTA 324 Physical Therapy Across Practice Settings! We end this course with a look at professional development of the PTA. We will be discussing ideas for lifelong learning and maintaining clinical competence. By being in this course, you have already shown a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. As we come to the end of this class, reflect on the self-directed learning that you have achieved and how your professional development has been affected by your research and the interactions with your classmates.

The DPT physical therapy program at New York Medical College presents rigorous courses with a strong problem based curriculum. Facing challenges allow for personal growth and equips one with the tools needed to overcome more complex challenges in the future. Many unforeseen obstacles will be faced in this intense program, but I am willing to take the first step in overcoming this feat.

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

Minimizing obstacles is an essential part of maximizing strengths. I believe that success requires confronting weaknesses in order to develop true strength. I let this philosophy guide my own life and intend to use this principle to challenge my patients to oppose whatever stands in the way of effective movement. This mindset had a significant impact when I selected my undergraduate field of study. Despite my natural aptitude for literature and the humanities, I wanted to explore something new in college that would enable me to pursue a career providing variety while fitting my passion for active living. I am so grateful that I decided to study Applied Health Science at Wheaton College--it was more challenging and rewarding than I could have imagined. I struggled to muster up the energy and the courage to cross the quad to the library to tackle physiology lab reports and physics homework on more subzero nights than I care to admit. But I never doubted myself, and I never stopped working as hard as I could. As I developed new ways of thinking about the world, collaborated with peers and mentors, and mastered material, I became equipped to take on my next challenge. I now look forward to the intensive work of preparing for a fast-paced and constantly changing career in physical therapy, and I am determined to become the most excellent therapist

On September 8th, 2015, I first began interning for Dr. Dawn Cox and her staff of experienced Physical Therapists at PRANA Functional Manual Therapy in Lancaster, PA as a Physical Therapy Aide. Intermittently, on the first day of my internship, I would ask the therapists “Why choose Physical Therapy as a profession?” One of the Physical Therapists conveyed that aside from the substantial benefits a job provides, it was the intangible materials that gave the profession a meaning. As a student exploring the field of Physical Therapy, I have infallibly witnessed professionalism at PRANA and other Physical Therapy facilities through the therapists’ altruism towards patients -without violating ethical practices as professionals; their apposite use of communication with each individual at the workplace; and their sense of accountability when things go unforeseen.

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets: