DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

My goal is to become a holistic healthcare practitioner who is able to deliver high quality, person-centered care to people throughout the lifespan. I plan on integrating mind-body therapies including yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and other therapeutic modalities into the physical therapy management of various conditions. I will use movement as healthcare, and will also incorporate interventions targeting other relevant lifestyle factors that affect health and wellness including stress management, nutrition, and sleep science when indicated. I wish expand my knowledge and experience after graduation by seeking continuing education and additional certifications in a variety of areas, including the Functional Medicine Certification Program through the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM).

Career Plan

• May 2016: Graduate from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science (concentration in Neuroscience).
• August 2017 – August 2020: Doctor of Physical Therapy at UNC-Chapel Hill

• • Clinical Affiliations:
    • North Carolina Specialty Hospital in Durham, NC – Acute Care (8 weeks)
    • Back in Action Physical Therapy in Holly Springs, NC – Outpatient Orthopedics (8 weeks)
    • UNC Center for Rehabilitation Care in Chapel Hill, NC – Outpatient Neurology (8 weeks)
    • UNC Healthcare Rehabilitation Center in Chapel Hill, NC – Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation (8 weeks)
• September 2019 – April 2020: Balance Through Movement Yoga Teacher Training program
  • Received RYT 200 certification (Registered Yoga Teacher 200 hours)
• July 2020: Sit for and pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE)
• August 2020: Graduate from the UNC-Chapel Hill Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
• September-October 2020: Begin working as a physical therapist in Durham, NC, perhaps combining several part-time jobs such outpatient, home health, and teaching yoga classes/workshops
• July 2021-December 2021: Consider completing the Functional Medicine Certification Program through the IFM
• January 2022-2023: Consider becoming a clinical instructor to help educate a PT student and to obtain CEUs.

Self Assessment

• Strengths
  • Communication
  • Providing patient-centered care
  • Professionalism
  • Passion for physical therapy
  • Empathy
  • Problem solving
• Areas of Further Development
  • Confidence during new/complex clinical situations
  • Efficiently integrating up-to-date research into clinical practice
  • Public speaking
  • Billing and reimbursement policies

Samples of My Work at UNC-Chapel Hill:

Capstone Project:

• Integrating Yoga and Physical Therapy for the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis

Critically Appraised Topic:

• Yoga vs Traditional Exercise for Knee OA

Student Inservice:

• Yoga for the Treatment of Neurological Disorders

Health Promotion Program: 

• Program Proposal: Prediabetes

Advanced Orthopedic Paper:

• Cervical Spondylosis

Reflective Statement:

I am extremely grateful for the education I have received from the physical therapy program here at UNC. In addition to the stellar clinical experiences and well-rounded base of knowledge obtained from coursework, I have developed both personally and professionally, and have achieved a much higher sense of confidence and excitement in my choice to become a physical therapist. Prior to starting this program, I had a much different idea about physical therapy was and was not, and how I would go about establishing myself in this ambiguous terrain. This program has helped provide me with a sense of direction and a more refined idea about the value and potential of physical therapy as an allied health profession. I have been shaped by insight from my professors, clinical instructors, classmates, and patients, and feel ready to continue down a path to establishing myself as a clinician and healer.

I truly appreciate the emphasis on patient-centered care, holistic health, and biopsychosocial factors involved in the patient experience, and wish to lean further into this side of healthcare by pursuing integrative physical therapy. Not only has this generalist education prepared me with abundant knowledge on a wide array of diagnoses, but my time here at UNC has also improved my ability to think critically, empathize, and integrate a variety of health-related factors that may influence outcomes and therapeutic alliance. These tools will be highly valuable as I begin my career, as I wish to holistically serve patients of all demographics and socioeconomic backgrounds with a variety of health conditions. I am beyond excited to take what I have learned from this program and continue to develop as a doctor of physical therapy.

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