Personal Narrative: A Career In Physical Therapy

I walked into the internship and across the room, I noticed a new therapist working with patients. I assumed she was a physical therapist because she interacted with patients well and was knowledgeable on the instructions she gave the patients. She introduced herself to me as a student completing her clinical education. She impressed me with her attitude and how she conducted herself; to me, she represented a professional student. Because she shared qualities I had and she was a successful student, I knew if I implemented her qualities in physical therapy school I too could be a professional. She pushed through challenges to achieve her goals, was excited to learn new information, and enjoyed helping patients through the rehabilitation process
because she had a passion for this chosen career. All these characteristics define professionalism to me.
Having the mentality to push through challenges is one component of a professional student. I witnessed a PT student convince a patient to continue with rehab instead of giving up hope. Months later the same women broke down again, but this time to thank the student for encouraging her to continue PT because she had made improvements she thought she would never achieve. I shared this quality and it will help me be a successful PT student. I demonstrated this quality in my upper division writing class. At the start, I received non-passing scores despite seeking help and putting hours into my writing. I kept working at it, started going to more office hours, writing tutors and I found a way to successfully receive a B. This is the approach I will take to be a professional student, with this strong mentality I will be able to push through the rigorous program of PT school.
Seeking new knowledge and being excited about learning are qualities of a professional.
I want to learn everything I can about physical therapy so I can give patients the best chance of recovery. While in the internship, I loved asking questions to the PTs about why they chose certain methods for recovery over other methods or learning why a technique was used to aid certain patients. I asked questions because I wanted to learn more. The information I learned is not only interesting, but I see a purpose for learning it. It gives me the knowledge I need so I can provide patients with the best care and educated them. This curiosity will stay with me in PT school because how the human body works, ways the human body moves, rehab techniques, and even testing out new possible rehab techniques fascinate
me.
One of the most important qualities of a professional student is to have a passion for physical therapy.
At the internship, a PT called me over to assist with a patient I had worked with previously. The patient had not walked in over a year and was going to use the litegait machine for the first time. Once situated in the litegait the PT told me to position myself to move his left leg in a walking motion. The treadmill on the litegait began and the PT and I worked together to move each leg in a walking motion. Immediately, the patient became emotional because doctors told him he would never walk again, but he was walking with the help of the litegait and the two of us. I did that, I helped this guy in his recovery process, I brought a smile to his face. This is only one of the times that I felt a sense of bliss being able to assist a patient in recovery and make a difference in their lives and I loved the feeling. To be excited about patients’ success is what fuels my passion in this field is and to observe the progress of patients amazes me and makes me want to do everything necessary to be this change agent in someone's life. I will be a professional student because I have the passion for mastering all material and for continuing to learn the best methods all so I can help the patients progress in their recovery. This passion will drive me in my daily career and in PT
school.
A professional student should hold the same qualities as a professional physical therapist because the program is designed to prepare students to be a physical therapist. The traits of a professional student and physical therapist are having the mentality to push through everything, having a passion, and being enthusiastic to master the material. I am going to take the following qualities that I possess and use them to be a committed professional student and this will lead me on the path to becoming a successful physical therapist.