Personal Statement

I have known for years that I wanted to work in the realm of health science. I knew that I wanted to do something in sports medicine. When I took a deeper look into sports medicine I learned that there are many areas of sports medicine that you can get licensed in and that the sports medicine part would be a specialty to attach to it. So I took the list as started to look through it at each job that plays an affect in the sport medicine area. I narrowed in on Physical Therapy and then took the time to do some shadowing in it for my senior study. When I was working as a non-certified student athletic trainer I took the athletes to the Physical Therapist and I was allowed in by the student to watch the evaluation. At this time I realized that I was so interested in this field and I knew that I may have found a career.

Physical Therapists are individuals that help their patients diminish pain and regain mobility, yet it means so much more. For me, becoming a Physical Therapist means I get to take part in enhancing a person’s life and seeing growth and change in their future. I get to use every single day what I have observed numerous times. I will experience so much from their gains; I will watch them push their self, break barriers, and achieve goals. While observing as an undergraduate, I have been able to help touch lives by helping and educating those who need it and those who want the change for a better, healthy lifestyle. Everyday people are involved in work injuries, torn ACLs, rotator cuff injuries, and even brain and spinal cord injuries. My professional goals and the reason for pursing

Athletic training and sports medicine has always been a passion of mine. Second semester, my freshman year in high school was when I first began to work with the varsity softball team and tryout for the high school team. While participating on this team, I was also working with a travel team for the summer. At practice for my summer team, the day before the season started for my high school team, was one of the most traumatic experiences I 've every gone through in my whole life. Half way through the scrimmage at practice, I was running the bases when I felt a “pop” in my leg and immediately collapsed and screamed for help. At that moment was when my life changed and my softball playing career almost ended. Driving to the emergency room 30 mins away, felt like hours because I was scared out of my mind.

Hispanic woman in her thirties recently struggling with alcohol and drug addiction since the loss of her job. Client has been living in this country for a few years and married to American-born citizen for fifteen years old. Husband travels frequently for his job which makes for little time together. The client has not attempted to make friends and feels alone. Client has made mention of waiting to go to sleep permanently. Husband has been concerned for wife’s safety and has brought her into therapy for assistance.

The current APTA Vision statement, adopted in 2013, succeeds that of Vision 2020. Both vision statements centered around optimizing patient health care. Vision 2020 was more therapist-focused as it viewed physical therapists as professional practitioners in the health care field. It strived towards the ability for patients/clients to receive direct access to that care related to movement, function, and health. (APTA 2015) Shifting the focus, the current APTA vision statement became: “Transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience.” (APTA 2015) The brief 10-worded statement has three key points that draw a profound meaning in the physical therapy profession.

Everyone desires the ability to be independent. Therefore, the minute wellness problems start making it hard to move around, and do daily labor it is time to seek professional wellness. Physical therapy helps relieve infliction allowing one to move better. Physical exercises can seldom cure the problem rather than just treat the symptoms. Also, non-intrusive treatment helps enhance or restore physical capacity and your wellness level. Individuals who pursue physical therapy right away tend to regain more movement and independence than people who delay. When the body no longer wants to coordinate with the brain because of the ailment, damage, joint pain or muscle firmness, it is time to make an appointment with a physician or therapist. A referral

Have you been feeling stressed, fatigued, or unmotivated? Do you feel as if you have an unknown driving force in your inner subconscious that may be the cause of those symptoms? If so, a therapist is not only able to identify that issue, but solves it as well.

Since the beginning of wondrous time, physical therapy has always been an option for my profession. It is my belief that this occupation grant the exposure of great responsibilities and professionalism to set a high standard for a patient need. The ability that requires those tasks must include self-discipline, honesty and diligent. “I observe the physician with the same diligence as the disease.” (John Donne) The amount of information held between the pages of the books are the resources that I engrave throughout my career as a physical therapist assistant. Fulfilling this journey with the patient, assisting and guiding them to the right direction to improve their mobility takes time. The challenges that they must conquer to tolerate the opposition.

My alarm was blaring at six-thirty A.M., and the bright sun was shining through the curtains. I started my daily routine - shower, eat breakfast, get dressed, and brush my teeth. Around seven-thirty, I send my beautiful kids off to school with loving hugs and waves good-bye. I pack a lunch for myself and kiss my handsome husband good-bye before we both leave our house to go into the city. I devote my life to my family; everything that I do is to better them and myself. When my father died, I was only twelve years old; I learned at a young age to be able care for myself, my mother, my brother, and all my friends. I realized that family is the most important part of my life; I know that I will be there for them and they will be there for me through every up and every down.

As an athlete I have seen many injuries and have obtained a few. I was always curious to how one goes about helping an injured athlete, the procedures taken to help them return to play, and the way the body itself functioned. It wasn’t until I fractured my finger in a softball game diving back to first base, and I had to go through the actual steps of recovery myself, that I found what I wanted to pursue in the future. Meeting people in the profession and seeing the things they did on a regular basis at my therapy appointments drew me even more towards physical therapy. After fully recuperating, I decided to pursue my interest and curiosity by taking a few sports medicine classes and I realized physical therapy definitely was the career I felt

As I lifted my leg up once more on my Biodex testing, I knew it was enough to release me. It was enough to release me from one full year of vigorous exercises, from one full year of grueling pain, and from one full year of strengthening my ACL. And in that release, I knew I found my calling in the field of physical therapy. I was left with a burning passion to heal others by the tender care that my own physical therapists gave to me. This injury sparked my ambition to pursue a career in physical therapy.

“Pain is temporary; the successes it brings can be everlasting”(Testimonials). This is what a physical therapist strives to succeed with their clients. These hard working individuals are heroes to so many people every single day, and often they do not get enough credit. Physical therapists are highly educated professionals who specialize in making life painless and easier for their patients. An immense amount of work is put into this profession, through years of rigorous educational courses. The education that a physical therapist goes through to receive licensure is all used in their day-to-day life on the job.

For my future career I would like to be a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). A Marriage and Family Therapist are mental health professionals who are licensed and train to help families with mental, physical, and emotional problems dealing with marriage and family. There job is to help clients identify problems in a marriage or family and try to help fix the problem. Marriage and Family Therapist also help them to learn new ways of coping with problems and communicating so that they can express their feelings in a healthy manner.

Nine years ago, after draining labs, countless hours spent studying and next to no sleep I finally earned accomplished one of the most challenging goals I have ever set out for myself, earning my master’s degree in Biomedical Science. Since my graduation I have put my education to work. I have opened up my own practice where I specialize in guiding athletes to recovery post injury. Working with dedicated athletes has not only motivated me to make my health a priority but, through seeing these athletes drive and dedication to get their healthy bodies back, cause me to be grateful and thank God each and every day for my health. The most rewarding aspect of my job is knowing that I have the ability to improve someone else’s quality of life. Nothing motivates me more than seeing my patients come in for their check-ups and hear how, already they are back in gym preparing to get back out on the field.

The American Physical Therapy Association’s "vision" to transform society through movement is not just an idea to me, it is the ambition I intend to live by until it leads me to my next set of goals. Their vision has been something I 've embodied for quite sometime, without the organization and united mission of 90,000 Physical Therapist world-wide, my goal to become a health practitioner would be obsolete. The sight of being a part of rehabilitation services enthuses me as there is no better sentiment than restoring a lost smile. In life, "cause" is the precedent in what path we take. In addition, there is a reason behind why every individual takes part in something. My calling to this field deals with my own personal set of injuries consistent