- What made you want to enter the physical therapy field? Is there a particular moment that stands out in your mind as the moment that you knew physical therapy was going to be your career?
Answer: It was just an idea I had and I went with it. Turned out to be a good one because I love my job.
- Do you have any advice for how to excel in PT school?
Answer: No good advice. Getting in is the hard part. Go in knowing there is no way you can do all the required reading (at least I couldn't). I fell asleep with a large heavy book on my chest every night. I was also married with 4 young children which may have had something to do with it.
- Was there ever a moment when you doubted your decision to become a physical therapist? If so, please explain.
Answer: No
- Where was your first job as a PT and what type of PT work was it? Would you recommend this type of PT work?
Answer: I started in inpatient rehab and have been doing for 14 years. I love it
- What would you consider to be the biggest advantage/disadvantage that comes along with being a PT?
Answer: Advantages: decent pay, fun job, plenty of options of where to work, I constantly get job offers, I get to make a difference in people's lives
Disadvantage: the only way to make a large jump in pay is to become an administrator, work in a rural nursing home, or travel
- Do you think it takes a special kind of person to enter this field of work? What characteristics do you think a good PT exhibits?
Answer: A person has to be reasonably intelligent and have good people skills.
- Do you ever find your career to be stressful? If so, when? How do you handle it?
Answer: All jobs are stressful. I have good supervisors and coworkers so my job stress is minimal.
- Do you think it is a good change that in order to become a PT, a student no longer has the option to get a master’s degree and must go straight for the doctorate degree? Why or why not?
Answer: I think the doctorate is ridiculous. It's not even a PHD. It's a doctorate of PT. Any time I have discussed it with MDs or DOs they think it is ridiculous also. If I wanted to become a DPT, I could spend 10,000 dollars and do it online. Would that make me a better PT? Would it change the way I treat pts? I doubt it. Would I call myself a Dr? Definitely not.
9. After working as a PT, would you ever consider changing your career? Please elaborate.
Answer: I love my job. The only reason I would change careers would be if I could no longer physically do the work. I primarily work with stoke pts and it requires a lot of lifting.
The “Becoming Invaluable” slideshow was very beneficial to me. I wasn’t positive about what career I wanted to enter (physical therapy) until late in my sophomore year of college, so the presentation helped me to see that even though I wasn’t on track with planning for my future as a freshman, I have caught up and am now about where I should be. It also reminded me that I need to constantly be looking for ways I can be better well-rounded so that I am a multi-threat when applying to graduate school.
I liked how the slideshow broke down each year of college and told specific tasks that should be completed in that time frame. According to the slide about the junior year, I am doing everything I should be to ensure a bright future.
I especially enjoyed the resume tips in the show. I am always eager to hear good advice on how to make my resume better and more professional. I also thought the part about how to plan strategically was a nice addition. Though I now know I want to do physical therapy, I don’t usually consider minor details about it because I still feel like it is so far away. However, I’m realizing that it is getting closer to being a reality every day and the slideshow reminded me that I need to be considering aspects such as, which area of physical therapy I want to get into and where I would like to live to do my work. All in all, I enjoyed the presentation and found it to be a very helpful source.
No comments:
Post a Comment