thisisntscott
Aug 8, 2012
Graduate / 'when I started doing CrossFit' - PTCAS physical therapy school personal statement [4]
Thanks for the thoughts. Here is my latest edit, which has many changes! 3850 characters with spaces.
As I contemplated my future career path, I sought out family and friends in the medical field to gain insight into their professions. I considered everything from physician's assistant, to chiropractor, to pharmacist, or even physician. In the end, though, the field of physical therapy brought together all the qualities I was looking for in my career. It combines my love of teaching, my fascination with the study of movement, and my desire to help others overcome challenges.
I first became interested in physical therapy as a profession after I started doing CrossFit. CrossFit is an exercise program that is based on workouts that consist of constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements, including Olympic lifts, sprints, bodyweight exercises, and much more. As I started practicing these diverse exercises, I realized that I was learning a lot about the complexities of human movement. I had some dysfunctional motor patterns that needed correcting in order to complete some of the exercises effectively. As I worked through these problems with trained exercise professionals, I started thinking back to what I had learned in previous anatomy courses about the body's form as it relates to function. I was fascinated with the realization that these small motor problems can often lead to major injuries. Moreover, I saw firsthand how these motor patterns can be retrained, leading to huge gains in stability, performance, and pain-free range of motion. During my CrossFit training, I had the opportunity to impart the knowledge I had gained to newcomers. One of my training partners was having a particularly hard time with his receiving position for the Olympic clean. His shoulders often fell forward in an unsafe position, causing him to miss lifts. I enjoyed explaining to him why this position was unstable, and later we worked on cues to reinforce a stable position for this exercise (shoulders back, elbows up). Not only did I help improve my friend's training, I also helped prevent him from future injury. I was learning how to move properly, helping others to do the same, and loving it. I knew that teaching others how to improve themselves had to be a major part of my future career.
During the summer of 2011, I secured the opportunity to complete a 150 hour internship at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. While I could not perform any treatment, I was able to observe many different types of patients, injuries, treatment modalities, and styles of communication. I remember one patient who was unable to walk due to a traumatic hip injury. Not only was she injured physically, but also psychologically due to her loss of mobility, independence, and ability to work. This patient made a fantastic recovery by the end of the summer. A lot of credit goes to the patient for putting in the work, but I saw how her recovery was made possible by the coordination and skill of this team of professionals. There were definitely setbacks, but the physical therapist always gave help and support when the patient struggled. The satisfaction of providing patients with the aid and comfort needed to overcome obstacles is one of the major reasons I have chosen pursue the study of physical therapy.
My internship introduced me to several skilled clinicians upon whom I model my image of the professional physical therapist. They showed compassion, patience, and social responsibility. Through my volunteer work sorting medical supplies for third world countries, I was already expressing these qualities in my own life. The fact that my personal values match those of a professional physical therapist finalized my decision to pursue this career. While other healthcare professions would also satisfy my desire to teach and help others, physical therapy best incorporates my interest in human movement, goals, and values.
Thanks for the thoughts. Here is my latest edit, which has many changes! 3850 characters with spaces.
As I contemplated my future career path, I sought out family and friends in the medical field to gain insight into their professions. I considered everything from physician's assistant, to chiropractor, to pharmacist, or even physician. In the end, though, the field of physical therapy brought together all the qualities I was looking for in my career. It combines my love of teaching, my fascination with the study of movement, and my desire to help others overcome challenges.
I first became interested in physical therapy as a profession after I started doing CrossFit. CrossFit is an exercise program that is based on workouts that consist of constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements, including Olympic lifts, sprints, bodyweight exercises, and much more. As I started practicing these diverse exercises, I realized that I was learning a lot about the complexities of human movement. I had some dysfunctional motor patterns that needed correcting in order to complete some of the exercises effectively. As I worked through these problems with trained exercise professionals, I started thinking back to what I had learned in previous anatomy courses about the body's form as it relates to function. I was fascinated with the realization that these small motor problems can often lead to major injuries. Moreover, I saw firsthand how these motor patterns can be retrained, leading to huge gains in stability, performance, and pain-free range of motion. During my CrossFit training, I had the opportunity to impart the knowledge I had gained to newcomers. One of my training partners was having a particularly hard time with his receiving position for the Olympic clean. His shoulders often fell forward in an unsafe position, causing him to miss lifts. I enjoyed explaining to him why this position was unstable, and later we worked on cues to reinforce a stable position for this exercise (shoulders back, elbows up). Not only did I help improve my friend's training, I also helped prevent him from future injury. I was learning how to move properly, helping others to do the same, and loving it. I knew that teaching others how to improve themselves had to be a major part of my future career.
During the summer of 2011, I secured the opportunity to complete a 150 hour internship at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. While I could not perform any treatment, I was able to observe many different types of patients, injuries, treatment modalities, and styles of communication. I remember one patient who was unable to walk due to a traumatic hip injury. Not only was she injured physically, but also psychologically due to her loss of mobility, independence, and ability to work. This patient made a fantastic recovery by the end of the summer. A lot of credit goes to the patient for putting in the work, but I saw how her recovery was made possible by the coordination and skill of this team of professionals. There were definitely setbacks, but the physical therapist always gave help and support when the patient struggled. The satisfaction of providing patients with the aid and comfort needed to overcome obstacles is one of the major reasons I have chosen pursue the study of physical therapy.
My internship introduced me to several skilled clinicians upon whom I model my image of the professional physical therapist. They showed compassion, patience, and social responsibility. Through my volunteer work sorting medical supplies for third world countries, I was already expressing these qualities in my own life. The fact that my personal values match those of a professional physical therapist finalized my decision to pursue this career. While other healthcare professions would also satisfy my desire to teach and help others, physical therapy best incorporates my interest in human movement, goals, and values.
