DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

My professional goal is to provide patient-centered physical therapy services to individuals of all ages through the establishment of individualized care plans and provision of evidenced-based interventions. It is my goal to get to know each one of my patients as an individual person and to work together in tailoring interventions to best meet their needs and desires. Through creation of individualized PT goals based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health classification system, I will strive to assist each patient in the safe return to what they need to be doing and what they want to be doing, while also preventing future injury.

Career Plan

September 2010: Bachelor of Arts in Urban Design and Architecture Studies from NYU, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

May 2011: Master of Arts in Historical and Sustainable Architecture from NYU in London.

• Thesis: The Post-War Play Movement: Adventure Playgrounds in the Post-War Period

August 2015: Begin Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at UNC Chapel Hill.

• Clinical Rotations:
  • North Carolina Center for Physical Therapy, outpatient orthopedic clinic in Durham, NC.
  • Frye Regional Medical Center, inpatient rehabilitation in Hickory, NC.
  • UNC Healthcare Outpatient Therapy Services, Meadowmont Wellness Center in Chapel Hill, NC.
  • UNC Healthcare Outpatient Therapy Services, Cary Wellness Center in Cary, NC.
  • UNC Hospitals, acute rehabilitation department in Hillsborough, NC.

July 2018: Sit for Physical Therapy Licensure Exam.

August 2018: Graduate from UNC Chapel Hill as a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Fall 2018: Obtain employment as a PT in an outpatient orthopedic setting in the Triangle area.

2019: Complete Certification in Aquatic Physical Therapy Competency (CAPTCC), which will provide me with a comprehensive study of the fundamental knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to provide safe, evidenced-based patient care using the aquatic environment. This is the only certificate program sponsored by the APTA specifically designed for aquatic physical therapy.

2021: Complete Level 1 course training for Entry-level Certification in Dry Needling.

2022: Complete Level 2 course training for Advanced-level Certification in Dry Needling.

Self-Assessment

Strengths

• Master’s degree in Historic and Sustainable Architecture (2011)
• Diverse clinical experiences working in various clinical settings and with different patient diagnoses.
• Previous work experience, including:
  • Provision of development, fundraising, and outreach support to non-profit organizations, including submission of grant applications, completion of annual reports, overseeing corporate and individual membership programs, and organizing major events.
  • Development of a strategic plan for social media engagement for a start-up company in NYC.
  • Design and production of marketing materials including website development and maintenance for various design firms in NYC.
• Personal qualities include: dependable, accountable, strong work ethic, willing to accept any challenge that comes my way, taking initiative, leadership, being a team-player, and having a true passion for helping others.

Areas for development:

• Become more active with professional organizations to further improve my clinical knowledge and networking.
• Improved knowledge and understanding of insurance, billing, coding, and administration.

Objectives

1. Pass the Federation of State Board of Physical Therapy Exam in July 2018.
2. Graduate with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in August 2018.
3. Obtain a position in an outpatient orthopedic clinic in the Fall of 2018.

Specific Strategies

• Create a study schedule to best prepare for the National Physical Therapy Exam.
• Maintain active membership in APTA.
• Maintain strong relationships with classmates, clinical instructors, faculty, and other mentors.
• Continue to reflect upon and self-assess my strengths and weaknesses to facilitate my professional growth and learning.

Product Examples

Capstone Project: Prehabilitation for Total Knee Arthroplasty

Critically Appraised Topic on reducing risk of post-operative complications following elective TKA.

Reflective Statement

My path to PT was not a direct one. I previously completed undergraduate and graduate studies at NYU in New York City and in London that focused on the historic and current urban environments of these cities. I then worked in this field in NYC for both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors. Through designing and planning community spaces for urban residents, I began to consider how each individual interacts with the urban environment and how physical limitations and disability affect one’s ability to wholly interact and participate in the community. These considerations quickly grew into a desire to learn more about the human body and movement systems. This desire, in turn, grew into an aspiration to help people who experience physical impairments as a result of illness or injury by optimizing their movement and, in doing so, reduce barriers to engaging with and participating in society.

My career change to PT brought me back to my hometown of Chapel Hill, where I have been privileged to learn this new trade and had the opportunity to give back to the community that raised me. These past 3 years at UNC have been both stimulating and invigorating, as well as humbling. One of the best parts of the program experience was learning from and teaching my classmates. Indeed, our curriculum has focused heavily on teaching methods that encourage collaboration and interaction, which have helped me to become a better team-player as well as improved my leadership skills.

In addition to this evolution of my own professional and personal identity, I have also come to appreciate the evolution of the identity of the PT profession within the context of health care and society. I take great pride in the autonomy of our profession and the value and need it provides in today’s unpredictable healthcare environment. I thus consider it my duty to bring such awareness to other healthcare professionals, future PTs, and the rest of society.

I am so grateful to have found a career that I am truly passionate about and to have had the opportunity to achieve a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in pursuit of my dream job. It is an honor to be among the representatives of the Department of Physical Therapy’s graduating doctoral class of 2018.

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