Paola54
Oct 7, 2010
Writing Feedback / My journey that led me to pursue physical therapy school [4]
Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?
Edgar Allen Poe once said "With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion." Physical Therapy to me is not a purpose but it is a passion. Passion is more than meeting a goal or providing for your family. Passion is what drives you to wake up every morning and love what you do. Physical therapy was not always my passion. My journey that led to Physical therapy started with Nursing. When I was in high school, I was unsure of what career to go into. I looked into various careers, such as Medical Doctor or Lawyer, but never thought I could do those because I didn't do well academically in high school. Soon enough, it was time to pick a career and I was still unsure. Three of my closest friends decided to go into Nursing and so did I, not realizing that I was picking a career for the wrong reasons. So, I started college as a Nursing major. I got into the nursing program after my first year of being in college. As I started nursing school, I realized quickly that nursing was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. While, I did well academically in the nursing program the career was not for me. One thing that the nursing program did for me was instill in me the fact that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field.
Once I knew that nursing was not what I wanted to do with my life, I started looking into careers in the medical field this time being confident in my academic abilities. As I looked through these careers, I started shadowing a Physical Therapist, Russell Atkins, who taught me a lot about what it means to be a physical therapist. Not only did he teach me about what it meant to be physical therapist, but he also taught me how to portray God in this medical field. This is very important to me because as a Seventh-day Adventist I would like to be able to include God in what I do. After shadowing Russell I went on I did additional hours at a different clinic. This time, I got some hands-on experience with patients. I absolutely loved the experience. It taught so much about physical therapy. I was able to see patients come in with various ailments and go out with regained function. This not only gave me a great sense of satisfaction but it affirmed to me that this was the career that is right for me.
There are many reasons why I chose to pursue the field of physical therapy. A few of them are my desire to be in the medical field, my commitment to helping others, and the abundance of one-on-one patient interaction. First, I have always had a desire to be in the medical field because I enjoy the wonders of the human body and being part of the healing process. Secondly, I take pleasure in helping others achieve goals, which is an important aspect in patient rehabilitation. Finally, I truly desire to be there for my patients physically as well as emotionally and physical therapy makes this possible because of the vast amount of treatment time that is spent interacting with patients.
Through my experience in the physical therapy field I learned that physical therapists do four main things: stretch, strengthen, functionally retrain, and educate patients. As a student pursuing the physical therapy field I have a desire to learn how to do these things. Also, I have the motivation through my desire for the medical field, my dedication to helping others, and my commitment to one-on-one patient interaction.
Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?
Edgar Allen Poe once said "With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion." Physical Therapy to me is not a purpose but it is a passion. Passion is more than meeting a goal or providing for your family. Passion is what drives you to wake up every morning and love what you do. Physical therapy was not always my passion. My journey that led to Physical therapy started with Nursing. When I was in high school, I was unsure of what career to go into. I looked into various careers, such as Medical Doctor or Lawyer, but never thought I could do those because I didn't do well academically in high school. Soon enough, it was time to pick a career and I was still unsure. Three of my closest friends decided to go into Nursing and so did I, not realizing that I was picking a career for the wrong reasons. So, I started college as a Nursing major. I got into the nursing program after my first year of being in college. As I started nursing school, I realized quickly that nursing was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. While, I did well academically in the nursing program the career was not for me. One thing that the nursing program did for me was instill in me the fact that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field.
Once I knew that nursing was not what I wanted to do with my life, I started looking into careers in the medical field this time being confident in my academic abilities. As I looked through these careers, I started shadowing a Physical Therapist, Russell Atkins, who taught me a lot about what it means to be a physical therapist. Not only did he teach me about what it meant to be physical therapist, but he also taught me how to portray God in this medical field. This is very important to me because as a Seventh-day Adventist I would like to be able to include God in what I do. After shadowing Russell I went on I did additional hours at a different clinic. This time, I got some hands-on experience with patients. I absolutely loved the experience. It taught so much about physical therapy. I was able to see patients come in with various ailments and go out with regained function. This not only gave me a great sense of satisfaction but it affirmed to me that this was the career that is right for me.
There are many reasons why I chose to pursue the field of physical therapy. A few of them are my desire to be in the medical field, my commitment to helping others, and the abundance of one-on-one patient interaction. First, I have always had a desire to be in the medical field because I enjoy the wonders of the human body and being part of the healing process. Secondly, I take pleasure in helping others achieve goals, which is an important aspect in patient rehabilitation. Finally, I truly desire to be there for my patients physically as well as emotionally and physical therapy makes this possible because of the vast amount of treatment time that is spent interacting with patients.
Through my experience in the physical therapy field I learned that physical therapists do four main things: stretch, strengthen, functionally retrain, and educate patients. As a student pursuing the physical therapy field I have a desire to learn how to do these things. Also, I have the motivation through my desire for the medical field, my dedication to helping others, and my commitment to one-on-one patient interaction.
