DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

My priority as I begin my career as a physical therapist is to provide effective, evidence-based, and person-centered care to all patients in an outpatient orthopedic or inpatient rehabilitation setting. To achieve this goal, I will prioritize a strong mentorship program when applying for my first job to facilitate continued clinical learning and reasoning. In 5 years, I will become a certified clinical instructor, obtain an additional certification relevant to my current practice setting, and maintain an active APTA membership. In 10 years, I will become an adjunct professor at UNC-Chapel Hill or another institution near my place of residence.

Career Plan

Education

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, May 2021
  • Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sport Science
  • Minor in Spanish for the Medical Professions Minor and Health and Society

Clinical Experiences

• Clinical Rotation I (8 weeks): Outpatient Orthopedics, Charlotte, NC
  • Novant Health Waverly Pediatrics and Primary Care, 2022
• Clinical Rotation II (8 weeks): Acute Trauma, Greenville, NC
  • ECU Health, 2023
• Clinical Rotation III (8 weeks): Outpatient Pediatrics/Neuro, Chapel Hill, NC
  • UNC Center Rehabilitation Care, 2023
• Clinical Rotation IV (12 weeks): Inpatient Rehabilitation/Spinal Cord Injury Floor, Charlotte, NC
  • Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, 2024

Electives

• Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Treatment, Fall 2023
• Teaching Scholar: Musculoskeletal II, Fall 2023
  • Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Cooke, PT, DPT
• Advanced Neuromuscular Intervention, Spring 2024
• Integrated Clinical Experience (60 hours): Outpatient Orthopedics, Spring 2023
  • UNC Ambulatory Center with Evan Bockover, PT, DPT

Research

• Medical & Graduate Student Preceptorship, Rheumatology Research Foundation, July 2023-July 2024
• Attended ACR Convergence, November 2023
• Capstone Project, Patient Education Material as Part of a Clinical Trial

Extra-Curriculars

• Fundraising Co-Chair, December 2021-December 2022
  • Student Physical Therapy Association
• Attended APTA Capitol Hill Day, August 2023
• Attended Combined Sections Meeting, February 2024

Objectives

• July 2024: Pass the National Physical Therapy Licensure Exam
• July 2024: Graduate from UNC Chapel Hill with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy
• September 2024: Obtain a job in outpatient orthopedics or inpatient rehabilitation with a strong mentorship program
• January 2025-2028: Maintain active APTA membership
• January 2029: Become a certified clinical instructor

Self-Assessment

• Strengths
  • Building patient rapport
  • Professionalism in all situations
  • Individualized patient care and interventions
  • Collaborative and supportive team member
  • Thorough and complete documentation

• Areas for Professional Development
  • Strengthen and hone clinical reasoning
  • Policy advocation for physical therapy
  • Time management for non-patient care related tasks

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Throughout my time at UNC, I have been exposed to many opportunities to learn, discuss, and advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. One of the most impactful events I attended was the Respecting All workshop which explored microaggressions and implicit biases. This interactive workshop facilitated discussions of many common examples of discrimination in the school of medicine. However, many of these examples may be experienced within the healthcare field by patients or healthcare providers. As I begin my career as a physical therapist, I will utilize the discussions from the workshop and other experiences to recognize situations of implicit biases both in myself and others and intervene as needed.

In addition, the course “Issues in Healthcare” explored themes of advocacy within the physical therapy profession. This class encouraged advocacy during a class assignment, so I decided to attend APTA Capitol Hill Day. This sparked my joy for advocacy for the physical therapy profession as a whole. However, advocacy may take many forms and may be performed on the personal, local, or national level. In particular, physical therapists spend a large amount of time with patients. This increased time with patients uniquely positions physical therapists to advocate for our patients through patient education and empowerment, during interdisciplinary meetings, and so much more.

Most importantly, I recognize that engaging in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is not simply a one-time thing to check off a list. Rather, it is something that takes continual education and effort in both my personal and professional life.

Interprofessional Education Activities

During physical therapy school, it is easy to gain tunnel vision, focusing solely on the benefits of physical therapy in a variety of diagnoses, settings, and situations. However, through interprofessional activities in the classroom and clinical experience, I have learned to recognize physical therapy as only one piece of the puzzle. Collaboration with an interprofessional team is the cornerstone of effective patient care. However, this does not simply mean discussion with other healthcare team members. Interprofessional collaboration requires respect for other professions, active listening, patient advocacy, effective and objective communication, shared passion, and a common goal to improve patient outcomes. Interprofessional collaboration is a skill that I have begun to develop through case studies during school and continue to develop during my final clinical as I participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings discussing discharge recommendations for patients from inpatient rehabilitation.

Product Examples

• Capstone Project: Final Product and Supplemental Document
  • My Capstone project was part of a larger research study that explored a model of care that integrates physical therapy into routine rheumatoid arthritis care. The role of my capstone project was to create an evidence-based patient education resource that simplified current evidence about exercise and physical activity recommendations for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

• Teaching Scholar Presentation
  • I created a presentation for second-year students in Musculoskeletal II during the knee unit. The presentation explores evidence-based gait training interventions following total knee arthroplasty and included lecture and lab portions.
• Advanced Patient Management Class Mini-Assignment
  • As part of a class assignment, I explored the impact of paresis or paralysis on bone density for patients living with spinal cord injury.

Reflection

As I reflect on the past three years, I am shocked by the sheer amount of personal, academic, and professional growth. I still remember the first lab exercise when I attempted to palpate the greater trochanter of the hip with little understanding of what I was doing and its importance. However, in three short years, I have participated in countless opportunities to grow as a student and future physical therapist including taking a leadership role on the student physical therapy association as a co-chair for the fundraising committee, teaching and presenting to second-year students as a teaching scholar in Musculoskeletal II, attending multiple conferences including APTA Capitol Hill Day and Combined Sections Meeting, and strengthening my research skills by assisting with a research study about rheumatoid arthritis. These experiences and the challenges that came along with them allowed me to develop skills as an active listener, collaborative teammate, and problem solver that will help me as I begin my journey as a licensed physical therapist. I can’t help but think about the moment I first decided I wanted to be a physical therapist and how proud she would be that I am here today, finishing my last clinical rotation, studying for boards, and soon graduating. My path through school has only strengthened my passion for the profession and I am excited to continue on this journey to support and advocate for the best outcomes for my future patients.

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