Undergraduate / l I worked as a tech at a therapy clinic; PTCAS 2013/decision making process [3]

Prompt: Describe your decision making process in choosing physical therapy as a career choice versus other health care careers.

Being an extremely active kid, I have always known that the last place I wanted to work is behind a desk. So, in high school after taking an anatomy class, I started to look into careers in the healthcare field. The human body really fascinated me, and I knew that it would be a career that would be highly interactive with other people and yes not behind a desk. My cousin is a physical therapist and suggested the career to me.

The summer after senior year of high school I worked as a tech at a therapy clinic near my house. There I got to see the extremely personal relationship that forms between the therapist and a patient. I especially noted this bond in many of the total joint replacement patients. These patients have to endure tremendous amounts of pain in order to restore range of motion and strength in the joint. If the therapist and the patient form a positive, strong relationship this process can become one of positive healing rather that a nightmare.

As I approached the time to start applying to physical therapy schools in college, I became very unsure of my decision to become a physical therapist because I had not explored any other options. After speaking to an advisor of mine, I decided to hold off on applying in order to explore other careers my major, Exercise Science, had to offer.

My senior year of college, I immersed myself in undergraduate research with one of my professors, Dr. Kluess. I spent the year searching for extracellular sources of ATP in arteries of the gastrocnemius in a rat. I found the work extremely interesting, but after reflecting on my time spent in the lab, I knew that interaction with patients and tangible results in success was something that I really seek for in my career.

After ruling out research, I began to look into nursing. After shadowing several nurses, I realized that the inconsistent interaction with different patients made it impossible to really know the people that you are caring for. And once again, I had ruled out another career that would I would not benefit from.

I finally began volunteering again in a physical therapy clinic in Auburn. After volunteering a couple of times, I immediately felt back at home. Being able to get to know the patients and helping them reach their goals, reaffirmed my original decision that physical therapy is the best career for me.

Because I did not apply to start school immediately after I graduated from college, I have found a job working at a physical therapy clinic at home. I am working for the same company that I originally worked for in Birmingham, but am currently located at a different branch. I think this change, along with the volunteering I did in Auburn, has allowed me to view a broad spectrum of approaches to physical therapy. I plan to use this year to further learn from on the job experience.

This is a very rough draft. Mainly looking for feedback on if I am going in the right direction and which sections I need to expand upon or cut out. I am still 1000 characters short so I have room to continue writing.