[/b]Hello--
I am writing my statement of purpose essay for PTCAS and any assistance is welcomed and appreciated!
[b]Describe your decision making process in choosing PT as a career choice versus other health care careers.
I want to be an influential contributor to the field of physical therapy by improving the health care and career longevity of dancers, as well as, disseminating knowledge about dance injuries across the healthcare profession. As a professional ballet dancer, I understand the extreme and unique biomechanical demands essential to the beauty of dance; without an understanding of the anatomical and artistic issues facing dancers, efficient and efficacious care is unlikely.
I was unclear which facet of healthcare would allow me direct involvement in a patient's rehabilitation process, so I sought out a volunteer internship program at a local hospital to gain insight into the different healthcare fields. I gained unprecedented access to direct patient care by assisting nurses, physicians, and physical therapists in inpatient and outpatient clinical settings. My experiences assisting physical therapists resonated with me because they designed the path from dysfunction to recovery; they were most involved in patient rehabilitation and approached each patient with genuine interest to gain the patient's respect and confidence. I realized physical therapy would provide me the outlet to improve medical care for dancers that other fields of healthcare could not.
I was very interested in how the field of physical therapy was approaching some of the challenges confronting the ballet population, so I inquired into an internship at San Diego Sports Medicine Physical Therapy. This particular clinic is well known for rehabilitating dancers, as well as, the general population under the care of Dr. Kirsten Roberts. After numerous interviews, Dr. Roberts took me under her wing and mentored me on her specialized approach to physical examination and injury rehabilitation for dancers, in addition to, patients of all demographics. Within two months, I gained the respect and confidence of Dr. Roberts to independently instruct and educate patients on proper execution of rehabilitative exercises and injury prevention. It took an enormous amount of energy and dedication to handle the responsibility of empowering patients with the tools necessary to successfully rehabilitate their injury. Under her guidance, I learned dancers and non-dancers could achieve superior results from integrating the science of physical therapy and the art of movement.
Working with Dr. Roberts sparked my interest in researching why specific dance injuries occur. During my undergraduate studies at California State University, San Marcos, I conducted a research project analyzing the ground reaction forces generated by novice and professional dancers during a bilateral jump. My Biomechanics professor, Dr. Jeff Nessler, noticed my work and I gained further research experience assisting him in biomechanical research. My work involving unintentional synchronization gait patterns resulted in publication in Annals of Biomedical Engineering and granted acceptance to present a research poster at The American College of Sports Medicine student conference.
A great amount of thought, interest, and preparation has been established before I enter a high-level degree program. With my understanding of the field I am pursuing and with clear goals and ambitions in mind, pursuing a Doctorate of Physical Therapy is the most logical avenue to make my aspirations a reality.
this is an awesome essay, as I was reading it the only thing that sounded odd to me was the use of "my work" twice in a row..
"noticed my work and I gained further research experience assisting him in biomechanical research. My work involving unintentional synchronization"
Maybe that is just me though.
Also, another suggestion is that you could add a touch of detail about you being a professional ballet dancer. Overall this was really great though
