Graduate / 'truly engaged with physical therapy' - personal statement [3]

which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?

My interest in physical therapy goes back to my high school years, as an athlete I experience quite a couple of small injuries in which not really knowing physical therapy was involved. I decided to join the soccer in order to become more involved, of course it being my first time playing soccer I was always on the ground.

As the years passed during my undergraduate years I began to realized I was enjoying my courses although I was not your "ideal" student I knew I would be able to pursue a physical therapy career because of how I was with my clients during a field work experience. In which we had teach them how to perform the proper technique within the research standards.

During my fourth year in college I started volunteering at an outpatient clinic where I was truly engaged with physical therapy. I began to learn different kinds of exercises within the plan of care. I enjoyed seeing how individuals would progress every week. As a result of this I felt I was a person that could put a smile on someone's face because their goal was accomplished with the little help I had given them. Then I had the opportunity to work in an inpatient acute care setting. I was first introduced to the intensive care unit, were I become more familiar with medications and other obstacles that have to be taken into consideration during a treatment. During this time I learned the most important part of physical therapy which was safety, at an outpatient patients are alert and most of the time walking by themselves. I encountered a personal experience that I would never forget; an individual that had been lying for three months was able to perform a sit stand. She had the look of excitement and would not stop thanking us. I knew at this moment I had done to help the physical therapist although it was not much I would help with exercises everyday. This experience allowed me to put the knowledge and practice I had learned from school into affect.

Some of my motivating factors also include personal development, engaging in an interesting field in which I will go to work with a smile of course this also leads to my aspirations of wanting to be a better person in both education and financially. I have always to strive to be the best I can be.