nsxviper
Sep 22, 2010
Graduate / 'Help for every patient' - PTCAS Essay for Physical Therapy admission [5]
Please provide any constructive criticism and/or feedback on my essay. I really appreciate your time in reading this.
Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?
Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?
Back in high school, working with computers was my greatest passion. I was given the opportunity to fix computers around campus and I eventually became the unofficial computer technician. I loved what I done because I made a lot of people happy fixing their computers for free. At first I wanted to pursue my career in computer science. But as I got older, I couldn't imagine myself working at a small computer shop for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something different and challenge myself further. When I took anatomy and physiology for the first time, I became interested in the medical field. Somehow, physical therapy stood out from the rest. What I liked about physical therapy was how it helped patients recover from their injuries without the use of medication. Since then, I devoted most of my time volunteering and learning everything about physical therapy so that I can become a physical therapist myself.
Volunteering at my local hospital was my first experience with physical therapy. I could only observe how the physical therapists treated their patients. I noticed that their line of work can be challenging, especially the patients that were diagnosed with dementia. Still, the therapists were kind, calm, and enthusiastic for them to get better. I really admired the therapists' dedication to their job and the difficulties they had to deal with at the hospital.
After volunteering at the hospital, I furthered my experiences by working at an outpatient clinic. I met a lot of new patients and helped assist them with their exercise program. I had no problems working with any of the patients except for one person was a stroke patient. He lost most of his sensory and motor control on the left side of his body. It was tough to work with him at first since he couldn't speak English. Whenever he complained of being in pain; he would mimic the flow of tears by repeatedly placing his right hand over his eyes and dropping it down to his chin. We continued his treatment as planned using extra caution. As the treatment progressed, he gradually showed signs of improvement with his range of motion on his left arm. I was very happy knowing that there was still hope for him to recover. But I have never been emotionally moved by a patient like him before. His expression of pain had nearly brought tears to my eyes because I could just imagine what he was going through at the time.
In the end, I believe that it takes a lot of dedication and passion to become a physical therapist. When I become a physical therapist, I will be determined to help every patient I meet no matter what their cause is. Even if I can't communicate with some of the patients properly, I would help them out every way I can. I personally want to see them get better, able to walk again, or improve their mobility. Just seeing them with a smile on their face would make me happy because I know that I have made a positive impact with their lives. Although these patients can't depend on physical therapist all the time, I want to help them become more independent. I would offer them advice on starting their own exercise regime and self treatments they can do at home. I am really excited to see what the future holds for me as I work my way into becoming a physical therapist.
Character limit: 4,500
Please provide any constructive criticism and/or feedback on my essay. I really appreciate your time in reading this.
Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?
Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?
Back in high school, working with computers was my greatest passion. I was given the opportunity to fix computers around campus and I eventually became the unofficial computer technician. I loved what I done because I made a lot of people happy fixing their computers for free. At first I wanted to pursue my career in computer science. But as I got older, I couldn't imagine myself working at a small computer shop for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something different and challenge myself further. When I took anatomy and physiology for the first time, I became interested in the medical field. Somehow, physical therapy stood out from the rest. What I liked about physical therapy was how it helped patients recover from their injuries without the use of medication. Since then, I devoted most of my time volunteering and learning everything about physical therapy so that I can become a physical therapist myself.
Volunteering at my local hospital was my first experience with physical therapy. I could only observe how the physical therapists treated their patients. I noticed that their line of work can be challenging, especially the patients that were diagnosed with dementia. Still, the therapists were kind, calm, and enthusiastic for them to get better. I really admired the therapists' dedication to their job and the difficulties they had to deal with at the hospital.
After volunteering at the hospital, I furthered my experiences by working at an outpatient clinic. I met a lot of new patients and helped assist them with their exercise program. I had no problems working with any of the patients except for one person was a stroke patient. He lost most of his sensory and motor control on the left side of his body. It was tough to work with him at first since he couldn't speak English. Whenever he complained of being in pain; he would mimic the flow of tears by repeatedly placing his right hand over his eyes and dropping it down to his chin. We continued his treatment as planned using extra caution. As the treatment progressed, he gradually showed signs of improvement with his range of motion on his left arm. I was very happy knowing that there was still hope for him to recover. But I have never been emotionally moved by a patient like him before. His expression of pain had nearly brought tears to my eyes because I could just imagine what he was going through at the time.
In the end, I believe that it takes a lot of dedication and passion to become a physical therapist. When I become a physical therapist, I will be determined to help every patient I meet no matter what their cause is. Even if I can't communicate with some of the patients properly, I would help them out every way I can. I personally want to see them get better, able to walk again, or improve their mobility. Just seeing them with a smile on their face would make me happy because I know that I have made a positive impact with their lives. Although these patients can't depend on physical therapist all the time, I want to help them become more independent. I would offer them advice on starting their own exercise regime and self treatments they can do at home. I am really excited to see what the future holds for me as I work my way into becoming a physical therapist.
Character limit: 4,500
