Eagernew
Oct 2, 2017
Graduate / What is professionalism as a student in a doctor of physical therapist degree program [3]
I would appreciate any and all feedback in helping me revise my essay. In particular the closing paragraph. Thanks.
My first insight into professional patient care in the physical therapy field was reading Second Childhood, a book by a practicing DPT. After a full workload, the author would clock out and treat patients pro bono, an outstanding example of altruism. I had the privilege of spending time with him in real life scenarios, and learning how professional physical therapists work in outpatient settings. As an excellent communicator, he always took extra time to share current knowledge with each patient on their health condition, and the purpose of treatment. By the end, each was encouraged and filled with hope, as he ensured their best care. I have also had several other opportunities to shadow and work with physical therapists at various clinics. The attributes that have stood out to me the most are compassion, accountability and excellent communication, which are all critical traits of professionalism as a physical therapist student.
The ability to communicate with staff members at a clinic as well as with patients is incredibly essential. I first started developing my communication skills in the real world when I was working a retail job. I interacted with customers of varying moods and cultures to help them resolve their issues. From this point I have slowly added more to my communication skills. My current work as a physical therapy technician at Health Quest reinforces how important communication is in a clinical setting. Every shift the techs have to communicate with their paired physical therapist about the patients for the day; discussing which patient needs to be walked up to the front to reschedule, who receives a progress note for insurance, who need to be advanced on their exercises, etc. Then it is our job to tell the patients what they need to accomplish that day, while motivating them to try their hardest in order to heal as effectively as possible.
Another highly valued trait is compassion. In the summer of 2016 I had a wide variety of jobs to pick from however, I chose to be an inclusion counselor at the YMCA summer camp. I worked with many children with different disorders and disabilities such as autism and down syndrome. There were times were I would have to chase my campers for yards because they would try to run away from camp and times were I would be punched, kicked, bitten, spit on, etc. because that's the way these kids respond when they feel emotion. Even through all of that, I felt so much compassion for them and it was amazing to see the glow in their eyes when they accomplished simple tasks such as coloring something or swimming to the deep end of the pool! There was not one day that I regretted taking this job opportunity as I felt true bliss being able to help these kids accomplish things they hadn't before.
The third trait that I have been able to observe and attain is accountability. One aspect of accountability is having commitment to our actions and finishing what we start which is something I have been doing since childhood. I have spent about 10 years in rigorous learning and practice of Indian classical music and have achieved a diploma in music at a very young age. To this day, I am still practicing music as I am on the Wayne State Acapella team. In general we are held accountable for our actions in all the aspects of our life and must stay aware of our roles are obligations. For Simple example, if you tell a friend that you will complete a study guide by 10pm and send it to them, then you are held accountable for your word or if you say you will cover someone's shift, then you are held accountable to do so and cannot back out at the last minute.
In physical therapy, the recovery of a patient largely depends on us and we must be very sincere in everything we do. I plan on using all the skills acquired till this date to excel in the DPT program because I have recognized that everyone is accountable for their own education. Everyday being a student in the doctor of physical therapy program, we are thinking about and striving to reach our end goal of getting our degree therefore, every day along with studies we should enhance traits of professionalism and attempt to incorporate them into our day to day lives. With practice during our days as a student and during observation hours, we can become the best examples of professionalism by the time we attain our degree and continue to pursue our passion.
I would appreciate any and all feedback in helping me revise my essay. In particular the closing paragraph. Thanks.
professional patient care in the physical therapy field
My first insight into professional patient care in the physical therapy field was reading Second Childhood, a book by a practicing DPT. After a full workload, the author would clock out and treat patients pro bono, an outstanding example of altruism. I had the privilege of spending time with him in real life scenarios, and learning how professional physical therapists work in outpatient settings. As an excellent communicator, he always took extra time to share current knowledge with each patient on their health condition, and the purpose of treatment. By the end, each was encouraged and filled with hope, as he ensured their best care. I have also had several other opportunities to shadow and work with physical therapists at various clinics. The attributes that have stood out to me the most are compassion, accountability and excellent communication, which are all critical traits of professionalism as a physical therapist student.
The ability to communicate with staff members at a clinic as well as with patients is incredibly essential. I first started developing my communication skills in the real world when I was working a retail job. I interacted with customers of varying moods and cultures to help them resolve their issues. From this point I have slowly added more to my communication skills. My current work as a physical therapy technician at Health Quest reinforces how important communication is in a clinical setting. Every shift the techs have to communicate with their paired physical therapist about the patients for the day; discussing which patient needs to be walked up to the front to reschedule, who receives a progress note for insurance, who need to be advanced on their exercises, etc. Then it is our job to tell the patients what they need to accomplish that day, while motivating them to try their hardest in order to heal as effectively as possible.
Another highly valued trait is compassion. In the summer of 2016 I had a wide variety of jobs to pick from however, I chose to be an inclusion counselor at the YMCA summer camp. I worked with many children with different disorders and disabilities such as autism and down syndrome. There were times were I would have to chase my campers for yards because they would try to run away from camp and times were I would be punched, kicked, bitten, spit on, etc. because that's the way these kids respond when they feel emotion. Even through all of that, I felt so much compassion for them and it was amazing to see the glow in their eyes when they accomplished simple tasks such as coloring something or swimming to the deep end of the pool! There was not one day that I regretted taking this job opportunity as I felt true bliss being able to help these kids accomplish things they hadn't before.
The third trait that I have been able to observe and attain is accountability. One aspect of accountability is having commitment to our actions and finishing what we start which is something I have been doing since childhood. I have spent about 10 years in rigorous learning and practice of Indian classical music and have achieved a diploma in music at a very young age. To this day, I am still practicing music as I am on the Wayne State Acapella team. In general we are held accountable for our actions in all the aspects of our life and must stay aware of our roles are obligations. For Simple example, if you tell a friend that you will complete a study guide by 10pm and send it to them, then you are held accountable for your word or if you say you will cover someone's shift, then you are held accountable to do so and cannot back out at the last minute.
In physical therapy, the recovery of a patient largely depends on us and we must be very sincere in everything we do. I plan on using all the skills acquired till this date to excel in the DPT program because I have recognized that everyone is accountable for their own education. Everyday being a student in the doctor of physical therapy program, we are thinking about and striving to reach our end goal of getting our degree therefore, every day along with studies we should enhance traits of professionalism and attempt to incorporate them into our day to day lives. With practice during our days as a student and during observation hours, we can become the best examples of professionalism by the time we attain our degree and continue to pursue our passion.