Hi everyone, I am new to this site and thought I would try to get some good feedback.
I am applying to physical therapy school to get my Doctorate and the application essay instructions is as follows:
"Describe your decision making process in choosing physical therapy as a career choice versus other health care careers."
here is my essay. please read and supply feedback and corrections. I would truly appriciate it.
A passion for the human body, a affinity toward helping people in need, and a appreciation for the process of building a good rapport with people from different walks of life. When I entered college as an undecided student right out of high school I was self aware of these character traits and wanted to use these aspects of my nature in the research and decision making process that goes into choosing a major and most importantly, a career path.
There was a great deal of research, thought, and prayer that went into this critical decision that lead me to the field of Physical Therapy and rehabilitation. Ever since I decided I would enjoy the healthcare field as a career path I've always viewed rehabilitation therapy from a far with minimal knowledge of the goings on of the field, but with an idea of how overwhelmingly satisfying it would feel to truly affect someone's life in a positive way. The thought of possibly helping just a small few patients get back to living functional lives or even helping someone regain the skills and abilities necessary to maneuver through life effectively excites me beyond comprehension.
During the decision process near the beginning of my undergraduate career I considered two other fields of study to embark upon. These alternative paths were nursing and athletic training. Both of these fields also involve the human body, aiding individuals through the recovery process, and promotion of solid communication skills with all types of people. However, after more thought I felt as if these two fields would to a degree lock me into a relatively limited career path, both with a somewhat specific or confined patient population. I seek a future with a multitude of directions and paths as to which I can guide my career, so physical therapy and all its different concentrations won me over eventually and unquestionably.
After working full time for nearly half a year at a outpatient rehabilitation facility and accumulating over one hundred and twenty observation hours at both outpatient orthopedic therapy and inpatient acute care therapy I feel as if I now have a much greater understanding of what being a Physical Therapist entails and what the day to day duties and responsibilities would be. These experiences in different fields of Physical therapy have helped in broadening my own understanding of many facets of the field and have been very influential in my decision to concentrate my efforts on going for PT school and becoming a certified therapist. I also believe I am now more aware of the daily curveballs that can be thrown my way when diagnosing, treating, and working with patients from all different social, cultural, and economical perspectives and walks of life. In the initial phases of my decision process I already knew that communication and interpersonal skills were necessary to the field, but after witnessing and observing a wide array of patient therapist interactions it has become overwhelmingly obvious how important building a solid rapport with individuals will be in my future. This excites me because, as stated at the beginning of my essay; I enjoy the process of communicating with people and using different techniques of articulation and expression to work together with a person with needs in order to achieve a common goal.
I made my decision to attempt Physical Therapy as my education and career halfway through my freshman year with a relatively low amount of knowledge about the field, but with enough understanding to know that my personality and interests would mesh well with the occupation. It is now nearly five years later and my aspirations and goals have been confirmed ten fold. Not only did my work experience and observation hours help me confirm that this is what I want to do with my life, but some of my undergraduate classes also helped support my decision. Classes like musculoskeletal anatomy, kinesiology, diagnoses of motor skills, and care and prevention of athletic injury were all some of my favorite classes during my undergraduate career. I learned to appreciate the human body even more than I already did and I enjoyed learning about how the body works as a whole and how movements occur. These classes are the basics of what physical therapy school builds off of and I am excited to keep learning and broadening my knowledge so that one day I can use that knowledge to better people's lives. My decision may have been a strenuous one to make five years ago, but after years of experience in the field, speaking with dozens of therapists extensively, and taking classes that are designed to prepare you for Physical Therapy school I believe my decision has been validated and I can honestly say that I want this.
I have a passion for the human body, a affinity toward helping people in need, and a appreciation for the process of building a good rapport with people from different walks of life.
When I entered college as an undecided student right out of high school, I was self aware of these character traits.andI wanted to use these aspects of my naturecharacteristics in the research and decision making process that goes intoof choosing a major and most importantly, a career path.
There was a great deal of research, thought, and prayer that went into thecritical decision that lead mechoice to enter the field of Physical Therapy and rehabilitation. Ever since I decided I would enjoythat the healthcare field would be an enjoyableas a career path, I've always viewed rehabilitation therapy in a new light.from a far withI had minimal knowledge of the goings on of the field, but with an idea ofI did know how overwhelmingly satisfying it would feel to truly affect someone's life in a positive way.
I have learned many things fromAfter working full time for nearly half a year at an outpatient rehabilitation facility,andas well as accumulating over one hundred and twenty observation hours at both outpatient orthopedic therapy and inpatient acute care therapy. I feel as if I now have a much greater understanding of what being a Physical Therapist entails and what the day to day duties and responsibilities would bewill entail.
